Seasonic X-Series SS-460FL: 460 Watts of Fanless Power
by Martin Kaffei on October 20, 2010 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- Seasonic
- PSUs
- X-460
- Fanless
SS-460FL: Good and silent, but is that what you really want?
With a price of $160 online the Seasonic X-Series SS-460FL is as expensive as some previously tested 1000W power supplies. However, it offers the best performance we've seen and a fully modular connector panel. We've never seen a PSU that has no real weaknesses in our testing, and the worst thing we can say about the SS-460FL performance is that it only posted 80% efficiency at 10% load (which is still good).
We even managed to draw 110% of the rated output with reliable results, although it is difficult to assess what the performance will be after a few months of operation at high loads and the higher temperatures of summertime. If you're planning on running close to a 100% load with an entirely fanless system, we suspect you'll have difficulties, but provided you isolate the PSU from other heat sources it should hold up. Then again, finding fanless GPUs that require PEG connectors for power is hard to do, and that would almost be required to hit the 460W mark—that or a heavily overclocked CPU, neither of which would make much sense if you're after silent operation. Exercise some care in speccing out your system and err on the side of reason and the SS-460FL should perform admirably.
While you can't plug in all peripheral cable harnesses, the SS-460FL has two PCIe connectors—not bad for a passively cooled PSU. (Note that the 400W model only comes with a single PEG connector.) All of the cables are longer than 60cm as well, so you can safely use this unit in some larger cases. All the chosen components are upscale and the design and topology is outstanding. There is a line filtering stage (Yunpen) behind the entrance and Nippon Chemi-Con capacitors are used throughout the PSU. The Infineon transistors are well dimensioned and the attachement of the PFC-choke is adequate. And just in case something goes awry, Seasonic offers all the expected safety functions.
The SS-460FL reached up to 91% efficiency, with no more than 12mV ripple and noise on all rails and good voltage regulation. There's no fan to make noise, and the electronics are also free of static or any other unwanted effects. The PSU is exactly what you'd expect: silent. Even so, there's some serious competition for the X-Series Fanless models from Seasonic's own product line.
The semi-passive X-Series models are able to deliver more power, thanks to the addition of active cooling that kicks in at around 20% load and only really becomes noticeable above 50%, and you get all that for the same (or a lower) price. This includes the SS-560KM, which bumps up the maximum output and can still run silently under light loads, or near-silent at moderate loads. Considering you can get that unit for $30 less than the SS-460SL, and the peace of mind the "backup" Sanyo Denki fan provides, for the vast majority of users we'd recommend that route over a fanless PSU.
If you want to have an absolutely silent PSU that can run at high loads and you don't care about cost, the SS-460FL delivers. What we can't readily quantify is the long-term stability and performance after months or years of use. The SS-460GL is a prestige object that most will find unnecessary, but it's still an awesome product. For all other customers the SS-560KM is nearly silent through ~50% load and passive at low loads, and it represents a more reasonable selection for midrange PCs. After all, why bother with a silent PSU if you're still running fans on the CPU and GPU?
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
41 Comments
View All Comments
dustcrusher - Thursday, October 21, 2010 - link
Such a fuss indeed.Not sure I buy the "up to twice as warm" argument- warmer, yes, but I doubt one fan can halve a PSU's operating temperature.
Suggesting that he'd use this power supply in a server environment is pointless- the cost per watt and lack of redundancy would rule it out before he even got to heat issues.
The key is making sure the chassis is a good match for this unit. In a small HTPC-type box, I would also be worried about the increase in heat output. Not everyone wants to crack open a PSU and replace the fan.
I'd like to hear from more folks who own one of these, or a similar fanless power supply. Has it been working for you?
Myg - Thursday, October 21, 2010 - link
I placed my order before anandtech posted their review and I was really happy with my choice, that was until I got it...The thing makes more irritating line noise then any fan could ever do! It sounds like someone is electrocuting a pixie in there, its terrible!
I would recommend anand re-review this product with one from the shelves to confirm their findings.
MeanBruce - Thursday, October 21, 2010 - link
I really like the fanless idea, I want to like it, I want to buy one, it just seems the tech needs to develop a little, too many what ifs out there. Maybe when efficiencies go platinum or higher.Sorry for the confusion my engineer friend did not mean using this psu in a server, he works with servers but was making an example to me considering consumer grade gold-rated PSUs identical, one with and one without a fan.
dustcrusher - Friday, October 22, 2010 - link
It's cool (no need to apologize, I mean). I just felt it was a bit of a diversion from your point. I'm an expert at going off on tangents when I write, so I know them when I see them.It's great that anyone can make a fanless PSU that will hold up to hot box testing at all, much less perform as well as this one does. I think that this would be an excellent purchase with the right setup; but as you've said I don't know if I'd put it in just any case.
Something like this, on the other hand, seems tailor-made for a fanless PSU (look like they put it into their display model here, too): http://atechfabrication.com/products/HeatSync_7000...
MeanBruce - Thursday, October 21, 2010 - link
Hey Myg you should RMA that noisebox! I am sure Seasonic will replace it no problem. Man, nothing worse than a pixie on death row.Hrel - Thursday, October 21, 2010 - link
You guys really need to stop pushing SSD's at EVERY single turn. They're too expensive. It's not even like they're a little too expensive. It's laughable how expensive they are. Stop pushing them so much, seriously, I'm sick of reading it over and over and over. Rubber grommets are much less expensive way of silencing your PC than buying a stupid SSD. Combine that with a case with sound dampening material and you won't hear a thing.P.S. You can start pushing SSD's again when the price/GB goes under 30 cents.
Gonemad - Friday, October 22, 2010 - link
I second to that.For the price of a single given SSD, I would be able to fancy me 2 HDDs, 10 times the capacity or more, and get them RAID'ed to become as fast or more. No dice.
Not to mention that around here they are still "imported" parts, where we pay 100% taxes, and HDDs are hell cheaper and are not paying the "novelty hype" price point.
We are no long talking about those 40GB HDDs units that sounded like a masonry mill or a woodpecker on drugs, anyways. Today HDDs are way much more quiet. If you are doing HTPC, a single romantic dialog is louder than any HDD. Oh, reading it from a Blu-ray? I bet the BD reader is louder. You fail again.
If you want to sleep in the same room while it is running, and you fancy splurging some money leaving it on overnight, then this PSU and some SSDs are the 'thang.
It is a 800W part, with cooling removed; it should support anything you throw at it on the new 460W rating with flying colors, as it proves.
solinear - Friday, October 29, 2010 - link
Someone who is willing to pay $160 for a 430 watt power supply when they can get easily get a decent 500+ watt one for $50 probably doesn't think that an SSD is too expensive.That being said, Anandtech pushes SSDs because they are now the single highest impact upgrade you can make to a system. Everyone I know who owns a SSD says, when asked, that they would rather spend $100 on their CPU and get a $250 SSD than $100 on their HDD and get a $250 CPU. The performance increase from going to a SSD is that big.
Regardless though - they're reviewing a $160 power supply. I think that mentioning SSDs is more than reasonable. If they were mentioning $40 power supplies, comments about $150 SSDs would be out of place.
ProDigit - Sunday, October 24, 2010 - link
A fan would immediately increase powerdraw both in low taxation as high taxation.The powersupply would have a lower than 80% efficiency at 10%, and lower than 90% at the other taxation percentages.
most computer cases don't have ventillation, and mount the powersupply on the top back of the case.
In those cases the powersupply will heat the case and probably burn up.
It probably relies on a 120mm fan on the back of a computer to suck out the hot air and blow it out of the case.
SviatA - Friday, November 13, 2015 - link
That is really great if this stuff is truly silent. I have bought some Chieftec 600W PSU (on a Ukrainian online store) and it is VERY loud, especially in the summer:-). Now I am thinking about this one or similar (Thermaltake Toughpower DPS G 550W).The problem is that some Seasonic fanless units can be completely silent, while other may emit a noise under loads (I have heard that not all fanless Seasonic work perfectly). That is why it's difficult to decide.