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Seasonic are launching a new range of power supplies in the coming weeks and today we look at the 850W model in the Evo Edition series. The M12 II Bronze Evo Edition 850W is a full modular design achieving 80 Plus Bronze certification.
Seasonic are releasing only two models in this series (750W and 850W) with stock due to land in the United Kingdom very soon. Seasonic are not compromising in regards to component selection, the design is a double forward converter implementation. They are also incorporating high grade Japanese components inside and we will take a closer look at this later in the review.
The Seasonic M12II Bronze Evo Edition is an updated version of past models and has full support for the latest Intel Haswell Z87 platform.
We recently published a little article on these compatibility concerns over here, with a short excerpt below:
“Intel’s Haswell C6/C7 power states require a minimum load of 0.05A on the 12V2 rail and many current power supplies will fail to provide that low a current. Many older power supply designs comply with ATX 12V V2.3 design guidelines meaning they only call for load of 0.5A on the CPU power rail. This will mean C6 and C7 power states will be disabled in the bios.
There may be cases that the supplies will become unstable when the processors try to enter into these states. Additionally the problems get worse when we factor in that many power supply units do not report minimum currents supported by the 12V2 rail.
The problem may kick in when the CPU enters sleep mode but with a load on the power supply non primary +3.3V and +5V rails. If the load on these rails hits a certain point (different from PSU to PSU) the +12V can go out of spec – voltages greater than 12.6V. If the +12V is out of spec when the system steps out of sleep state the power supply protection may kick in and stop the power supply from running normally. This situation may involve the end user turning the power supply switch off and back on again.
A power supply that uses a DC to DC design for the non primary +3.3V and +5V rails will not have a problem with the new low power sleep states. The reason is based around the DC to DC converter, used to convert +12V to +3.3V and +5V. This design ensures that there will always be load on the +12V regards of the load the CPU places on the power supply.”
Special features:
- DC to DC Converter Design
- High Reliable 105℃ Japanese Brand Capacitors
- Ample +12V Outputs
- Active Power Factor Correction [99% PF Typical]
- Smart & Silent Fan Control [S2FC]
- 12cm Ball Bearing Cooling Fan
- Soft-Mount Rubber Cushions
- Multi-GPU Technologies Supported
- Detachable Modular Cables
- Easy Swap Connectors
- Universal Ventilation [Honeycomb Structure]
- 5 Year Warranty
The M12 II Bronze Evo Edition ships in a box which is clearly modelled on the X-Series. The same blacks and subtle orange/yellow accents are adopted for this design.
The bundle includes a user manual, cable bag, installation screws, case sticker and regional specific power cable. The power supply is completely encased in thick soft foam for protection.
Seasonic are using high grade flat ribbon style cables with this power supply to help improve routing and to ensure air flow is not obstructed. The main motherboard connector is a traditional sleeved connector.
| Cable (modular) | Connectors |
| MB 20+4 pin | x1 (610mm) |
| 6+2 pin PCIe (3 cables) | x6 (650mm) |
| CPU 8/4P – CPU 8P (2 cables) | x1 (650mm) /x1 (650mm) |
| SATA (2 cables) | x8 / x2 (760mm)/ 420mm) |
| MOLEX (2 cables) | x3 / x2 (640mm)/ (420mm) |
| FDD | x1 (+101mm) |
The M12 II Bronze Evo Edition ships with six 6+2 pin PCIE connectors which will accommodate a tri SLI or Crossfire configuration.
The Seasonic M12 II Bronze Evo Edition 850W PSU is nicely finished with deep, thick paint. The product naming is highlighted in plain white on the black background.
The unit passed our ‘screwdriver’ stress test, which involves running a Philip’s head driver down the side of the chassis with weak to modest pressure. How often have you accidentally hit a power supply with some tools during a system build phase?
The paintwork didn’t scratch or mark at all. It is a very resilient finish.
A plain black fan resides behind the black metal grill above. We will take a closer look at the fan later in the review.
One side of the power supply is vented to help ensure there is adequate air flow. Offset at the side is a power button and connector.
This power supply is a pure modular design which is great news when it comes to cable routing. All of the connectors are clearly labelled and size specific to avoid any potential issues. The motherboard connector is connected top left, alongside 4 peripheral connectors. The row underneath comprises a 10 pin M/B connector and four CPU/PCI-E connectors.
| Seasonic M12 II Bronze Evo Edition 850W |
|||||
|
DC Output
|
+3.3V
|
+5V
|
+12V |
-12V
|
+5Vsb
|
|
Max Output
|
25A
|
25A
|
70A |
0.5A
|
3A
|
| Total Power | 150W Max | 840W | 6W | 15W | |
| 850W | |||||
The single +12V rail can deliver 70A which is 840W of the total output. Both +3.3V and +5V rails can deliver 25A each – identical to the Cooler Master V1000 1000W supply which we recently reviewed.
The Seasonic M12 II Bronze Evo Edition 850W power supply is using the ADDA AD1212UB-A70GL 120mm 7 blade ball bearing fan. This 120mm fan is rated at a current of 0.50A and a power output of 6W. The fan can spin up to 2,500 rpm generating 98.6 CFM of air flow while emitting 43.3 dBa noise.
We are quite sure it won't reach these speeds even under load, but we will find out shortly.
The Seasonic design is very well laid out with several row of heatsinks running along the length of the PCB. This is to ensure excess heat can be radiated and expelled through the vents.
The vertical modular board contains a resonant controller. FETS here will regulate the +12V rail. Soldering quality is very high throughout.
The main PCB exhibits no concerns, soldering quality is excellent.
Seasonic have populated the board with very high grade Japanese capacitors including some from Nippon Chemi Con and Rubycon. All secondary stage capacitors are rated to 105c. There are some Nippon Chemi Con polymer capacitors present, used to filter the DC outputs.
Primary stage capacitors are high grade Japanese Nippon Chemi Con branded – 400V, 330uF, rated at 105C.
On this page we present some super high resolution images of the product taken with the 24.5MP Nikon D3X camera and 24-70mm ED lens. These will take much longer to open due to the dimensions, especially on slower connections. If you use these pictures on another site or publication, please credit Kitguru.net as the owner/source.
Additional technical assistance: Peter McFarland and Jeremy Price.
Correctly testing power supplies is a complex procedure and KitGuru have configured a test bench which can deliver up to a 2,000 watt DC load. Due to public requests we have changed our temperature settings recently – previously we rated with ambient temperatures at 25C, we have increased ambient temperatures by 10c (to 35c) in our environment to greater reflect warmer internal chassis conditions.
We use combinations of the following hardware:
• SunMoon SM-268
• CSI3710A Programmable DC load (+3.3V and +5V outputs)
• CSI3711A Programmable DC load (+12V1, +12V2, +12V3, and +12V4)
• Extech Power Analyzer
• Extech MultiMaster MM570 digital multimeter
• Extech digital sound level meter
• Digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC)
• Variable Autotransformer, 1.4 KVA
|
DC Output Load Regulation
|
||||||||||
|
Combined DC Load |
+3.3V
|
+5V
|
+12V
|
+5VSB
|
-12V | |||||
|
A
|
V
|
A
|
V
|
A
|
V
|
A
|
V
|
A | V | |
|
100W
|
1.57
|
3.33
|
1.76
|
5.02
|
6.66
|
12.12
|
0.50
|
5.02
|
0.20 | -12.01 |
|
225W
|
3.75
|
3.33
|
3.86
|
5.00
|
15.59
|
12.08
|
1.00
|
5.02
|
0.20 | -12.01 |
|
450W
|
7.54
|
3.32
|
8.35
|
4.99
|
30.78
|
12.05
|
1.50
|
5.01
|
0.30 | -12.04 |
| 675W | 11.33 | 3.32 | 12.35 | 4.98 | 47.46 | 12.00 | 2.00 | 5.01 | 0.50 | -12.03 |
|
850W
|
1.52
|
3.33
|
1.17
|
5.02
|
63.53
|
11.97
|
0.50
|
4.99
|
0.20 | -12.04 |
Load regulation is very good, holding close to reference figures regardless of the output demand.
| Seasonic M12 II Bronze Evo Edition 850W | Maximum Load |
| 964W |
We managed to get the PSU to achieve 964W before it would shut down, delivering around 124W more than rated specifications.
Next we want to try Cross Loading. This basically means loads which are not balanced. If a PC for instance needs 500W on the +12V outputs but something like 30W via the combined 3.3V and +5V outputs then the voltage regulation can fluctuate badly.
| Cross Load Testing | +3.3V | +5V | +12V | -12V | +5VSB | |||||
| A | V | A | V | A | V | A | V | A | V | |
| 760W | 1.0 | 3.33 | 1.0 | 5.02 | 60.0 | 11.96 | 0.2 | -12.02 | 0.50 | 5.00 |
| 165W | 15.0 | 3.31 | 18.0 | 4.96 | 2.0 | 12.11 | 0.2 | -12.04 | 0.50 | 4.99 |
The power supply exhibited no problems when dealing with our intensive Cross Loading test. It was tasked with 60A on the +12V rail and it held at 11.96V. The other rails delivered good results also.
We then used an oscilloscope to measure AC ripple and noise present on the DC outputs. We set the oscilloscope time base to check for AC ripple at both high and low ends of the spectrum.
ATX12V V2.2 specification for DC output ripple and noise is defined in the ATX 12V power supply design guide.
|
ATX12V Ver 2.2 Noise/Ripple Tolerance
|
|
|
Output
|
Ripple (mV p-p)
|
|
+3.3V
|
50
|
|
+5V
|
50
|
|
+12V1
|
120
|
|
+12V2
|
120
|
|
-12V
|
120
|
|
+5VSB
|
50
|
Obviously when measuring AC noise and ripple on the DC outputs the cleaner (less recorded) means we have a better end result. We measured this AC signal amplitude to see how closely the unit complied with the ATX standard.
| AC Ripple (mV p-p) | ||||
| DC Load | +3.3V | +5V | +12V | 5VSB |
| 100W | 10 | 5 | 15 | 5 |
| 225W | 10 | 10 | 15 | 10 |
| 450W | 15 | 10 | 30 | 10 |
| 675W | 15 | 15 | 35 | 10 |
| 850W | 20 | 15 | 45 | 15 |
Noise suppression results are excellent, peaking at 45mV on the +12V rail when under full load. The other rails fall between 5mV and 20mV across the full range of loads. Well within industry tolerance specifications.
|
Efficiency (%)
|
|
|
100W
|
82.43
|
|
225W
|
85.37
|
|
450W
|
89.45
|
|
675W
|
88.76
|
| 850W | 85.43 |
Efficiency is excellent, peaking at 89.5% at 50% load. Efficiency falls down to just over 85% at full load. This is well above 80 Plus Bronze certification, achieving 80 Plus Silver certification.
We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.
Today to test the power supply we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our Digital Sound Level Noise Decibel Meter Style 2 one meter away from the unit. We have no other fans running so we can effectively measure just the noise from the unit itself.
As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.
KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 Player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum
|
Noise (dBA)
|
|
|
100W
|
<28.0
|
|
225W
|
<28.0
|
|
450W
|
30.6
|
|
675W
|
33.8
|
| 850W | 34.9 |
The fan activity is temperature controlled and generally you would be hard pressed to hear it at all. At around 50% load it spins up, although remains quiet until around 600W load is demanded … becoming audible. Over 700W the fan could be heard, but only if you have a very quiet system. At full load the noise levels peak at around 35 dBa, meaning it is clearly audible but never that intrusive. The fan pitch is quite low which is beneficial.
In our room we found that loads under 500W translated to an almost silent experience. The fan spins up when the load gets higher and subsequently ambient temperatures increase accordingly. Over 700W and the fan would be audible in a quiet room, although likely drowned out inside an enthusiast system configuration.
|
Temperature (c)
|
||
|
Intake
|
Exhaust
|
|
|
100W
|
37
|
42
|
|
225W
|
38
|
45
|
|
450W
|
42
|
50
|
|
675W
|
45
|
55
|
|
850W
|
47
|
57
|
The internal temperature readings are good, and in the last 200W of load, the fan spins up considerably to cope with rising ambient temperatures.
|
Maximum load
|
Efficiency
|
|
964 watts
|
81.22
|
At 964 watts, the efficiency level measures 81.22%. Not a practical situation to be running 24/7, but worth noting.
The Seasonic M12 II Bronze Evo Edition excelled in our tests, achieving some fantastic technical results under demanding situations.
The appearance of the M12 II Evo Edition is immediately reassuring – the quality of finish easily achieves the standard we would expect from Seasonic. The bundled cables are very high grade and with six 6+2 pin PCIE cables included there is plenty of potential for a high specification SLI or Crossfire system build.
The pure modular design will appeal to the demanding enthusiast audience who are building a showcase system complete with backlit window panel. The adoption of flat ‘ribbon' style modular cables ensures that routing will be straightforward.
Technically the unit is exemplary. Load regulation is rock solid and it dealt with our intensive cross loading test without a hitch. Noise suppression is excellent and all rails fall well inside industry tolerance guidelines. Our testing showed that the unit is over specified and we were able to hit around 960W before the unit shut down safely. The use of high grade 105c rated Japanese capacitors is always a plus point, especially if you live in a warm climate.
The Seasonic M12 II Bronze Evo Edition achieved close to 80 Plus Silver certification in our tests, well ahead of the 80 Plus Bronze claims.
The supply isn't the quietest we have tested although under most circumstances it doesn't emit a lot of fan noise. With a 700W+ load demand the fan can be heard, although the pitch of the rotor rotation is low, so it isn't distracting.
Pricing in the United Kingdom hasn't been confirmed but Seasonic told us they expect the unit to be priced below £130 when it ships in the coming weeks. A 750W unit will also be released in this range, but we have no pricing information yet for that model.
Pros:
- Strong ripple suppression.
- deep paint.
- 105c japanese capacitors.
- achieved 80 Plus Silver efficiency in our tests.
- delivered 964 watts before shutting down.
- fully modular.
- flat cables.
Cons:
- Won't be cheap.
Kitguru says: Another stellar power supply from the Seasonic design team.
