XFX Pro 1250W Black Edition Modular Power Supply Review

1. Introduction2. XFX Pro 1250W Black Edition (Bundle & Cables)3. XFX Pro 1250W Black Edition (External) 4. XFX Pro 1250W Black Edition (Internal)5. XFX Pro 1250W Black Edition (Super High Res Gallery)6. Testing Methodology & Results7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

Today we are looking at the new flagship power supply from XFX – the new Pro 1250W Black Edition. This power supply is aimed at the highest level of enthusiast user who might be using a high end SLI or CrossfireX system. It ships with 80 Plus Gold Certification, is a full modular design and has a Hybrid Fan Control system for ultimate noise reduction.

XFX have had a strong relationship with Seasonic in 2011, having released many power supplies which have claimed our highest awards. Seasonic have a well earned reputation for producing high quality designs, so the partnership makes sense for XFX.

XFX are keen to focus on their trademarked ‘EasyRail' technology which they claim “enables you to maximize available power and make set-up easy. Stack numerous power-hungry components, such as your GPU, CPU and other components, without fear of crashing. It’s also a perfect solution for hardcore gamers. One Rail, One Setup”.

Hybrid Fan Control is an interesting new feature. When Hybrid mode is enabled the power supply will operate silently until it reaches 20% load, or 25c. Corsair have incorporated a similar system with some of their high end units, keeping noise to a minimum.

After 20% load (or internal temperatures of 25c) the fan will ramp up, pre-configured to ‘quiet' mode (rated at 16dBa). When 50% load is reached (625w) then the power supply will switch to ‘Cooling mode' which is only rated at ‘greater than' 16 dBa. We will look at this in detail, later in the review.

Another XFX trademark is the new ‘Solidlink' Technology which is said to maximise efficiency. Basically the new design minimises the wiring inside the unit – which subsequently is said to improve heat generation and overall product efficiency.

The XFX Pro 1250W Black Edition Modular Power Supply arrives in a very stylish box, much as we would expect from XFX.

The outer shell is removed to expose a heavy cardboard box, inside. We love the black ‘pixelated' design on the top box. It is the ‘little' areas of attention to detail that help improve the feeling of buying a quality product.

The thin upper box contains most of the modular cables. although an additional three are laying loose as they don't fit in the box.

Cables And Connectors:
(1) 24/20 Pin Main Power Connector
(1) 4/8 Pin ATX/12V/EPS12V Power Connector
(1) 8 Pin ATX/12V/EPS12V Power Connector
(8) 6/8 Pin PCI Express Connector
(2) 4 Pin Floppy Drive Power Connector
(8) 4 Pin Molex Peripheral Power Connector
(11) 15 Pin Serial ATA Connector

Two power cables.
Mounting screws.

A total of 8 PCI-E 6+2 connectors will ensure full support for even the most demanding SLI/Crossfire system builds. The modular cabling is high quality and sleeved. Additionally we received two power connectors, one for Europe, and another for the United Kingdom.

The XFX Pro 1250W Black Edition ships in a protective cover with a sticker sealing the unit inside.

The XFX Pro 1250W Black Edition is a very attractive looking power supply, and more intricate than many others currently on the market.

The rear of the power supply is fully vented with a large power button and power connector offset to the side.

There are several rows of ports for the modular cables as shown above. There is a sticker on the chassis which highlights the dual switch operation – hybrid and normal. We detailed the hybrid mode on the first page of the review.

XFX XPS-1250W-BEF
DC Output	+5V	+3.3V	+12V	-12V	+5Vsb
Max Output	25A	25A	104A	0.5A	3A
Max Combined	150W		1248W	6W	15W

The +12V output is capable of delivering 104A, more than enough for any situation.

XFX are using a Protechnic Magic MGA13512YF fan which is 135mm and rated 12V 0.50A.

The Seasonic DC to DC convertor design is very clean with several rows of heatsinks separating the components. These may seem small, but with 80 Plus Gold Efficiency and the large overhead fan, there should be no ambient temperature problems.

The XFX Black Edition power supply utilizes high quality Japanese capacitors throughout with the primary stage using three high quality Nippon Chemi Con capacitors rated for 105c operation @ 420v 390uF.

The design of this unit replaces traditional wired connections with direct pin to port connections. This reduces the heat generated by the wiring which has the subsequent benefit of reducing lost power, ensuring improved voltage. The unit includes Total Power Protection (OPP), Over Voltage Protection (OVP), Over Current Protection (OCP), Short Circuit Protection (SCP), and Over Temperature Protection (OTP).

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
330W	5.52	3.37	5.51	5.05	21.26	12.19	0.87	5.02	0.20	-12.06
620W	11.01	3.35	11.02	5.03	42.51	12.14	1.75	5.00	0.40	-12.09
918W	16.51	3.33	16.52	5.01	63.72	12.12	2.60	4.99	0.60	-12.13
1249W	9.00	3.29	9.37	4.99	96.00	12.08	3.45	4.98	0.80	-12.14

XFX Pro 1250W Black Edition Modular	Maximum Load
	1342W

We managed to squeeze 1342W out of the unit before it would shut down gracefully.

Cross Load Testing	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		-12V		+5VSB
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
1190W	1.0	3.35	1.0	5.02	95.0	11.91	0.05	-12.13	0.05	5.00
195W	22.0	3.31	22.0	4.99	1.0	12.14	0.05	-12.11	0.05	5.00

An excellent set of results, highlighting that the design can handle dramatic load changes without any concerns at all. There is a slight dip when quickly loaded with 95A on the +12V, but it isn't anything which would cause a problem.

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
330W	10	15	15	15
620W	15	20	25	15
918W	15	25	30	20
1249W	15	25	40	20

As we had hoped from the Seasonic design, the noise suppression is fantastic, with the 12v output peaking at 40 mV at full load. All are well within industry tolerance guidelines.

Efficiency (%)
330W	89.45
620W	91.92
918W	90.45
1204W	89.76

Efficiency results are impressive, peaking around 92% at 50 percent load. This falls to just below 90 percent at full load.

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 Refridgerator
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)
330W	28.0
620W	28.0
918W	30.8
1249W	33.5

Accurately reading noise emissions below 28 dBa is difficult without strict laboratory conditions. The unit rated right at the limits of our testing equipment at 28 dBa when at 50 percent load or less. When it is primed to around 900W it becomes audible. At full load it can be heard, but it is still surprisingly quiet, considering.

Temperature (c)
	Intake	Exhaust
330W	37	39
620W	39	45
918W	44	51
1249W	47	58

Thanks to the high levels of efficiency, the exhaust temperatures are really good, rising to a 11c above ambient under full load.

Maximum load	Efficiency
1342W	87.74%

For those interested, we measured the efficiency when stressing the unit to breaking point … around 87.74% at 1342W.

The XFX partnership with Seasonic continues to thrive because the Pro 1250W Black Edition is without question one of the finest 1250W power supplies available on the market and easily earns one of Kitguru's highest awards.

The appearance and quality of finish is certain to appeal to a wide audience, especially as the design is slightly more elaborate than many other products on the market. Thankfully, while a complex design, it isn't gaudy, ensuring it will blend with a variety of system builds.

Technically, the DC to DC Seasonic design is exemplary, combining very high levels of efficiency with rock solid voltage regulation. We cross loaded the power supply quickly with 96A on the +12V output and it held steady, only dipping a little to 11.91V. A lesser design would find this a real problem to handle and we have even experienced several failures with other units when pushing this hard.

Noise suppression is also worthy of a mention as the +12V output peaked around 40mV, well within industry guidelines. The +3.3V and +5V ripple results were just as positive, peaking at 15 mV and 25 mV respectively.

We pushed the power supply hard during our testing and managed to get an extra 142Watts before the protection circuitry would shut it down. We have tested the power supply with a Core i7 3960x Extreme Edition overclocked to 4.8ghz, paired up with 32GB of ram, and two Nvidia GTX590's in Quad Sli. The total system drain was 930 Watts at the socket and this power supply handled it without even having to generate high levels of noise. Generally the power supply is basically silent, unless pushed very hard (1000 watts+ and it becomes audible).

You can buy the XFX Pro 1250W Black Edition direct from DABS in the UK, for £219.99 inc vat. If you are running an ultra high end gaming system this definitely deserves to be shortlisted.

Pros:

• Quiet.
• Immensely powerful.
• Fabulous appearance.
• very efficient.
• Fully modular.
• rock solid.
• 8 PCI-E 6+2 cables for ultimate Crossfire and SLI system builds.

Cons:

• Its £220.

Kitguru says: Another award winner for XFX. A class leading Seasonic design. Rock Solid.

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