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Today we take a look at a new power supply from Seasonic – a flagship Titanium unit firmly targeting the high end enthusiast sector. This fully modular 1600W PSU is priced at £479.99/€469.90/$419.99 and are the first Seasonic power supplies to ship with cables equipped with new 16-pin 600W Gen5 12VHPWR connectors. They are compliant with the ATX 2.53 standard and for a limited time Seasonic are also including a free GaN charger for EU and USA customers.
We were initially surprised to see that these newly released power supplies aren't fully ATX 3.0 compliant. Seasonic said that while they are working on an upcoming range of ATX 3.0 compliant power supplies, these are interim units.
On the next page of this review when we show images of the cables in the box – we will post verbatim the statement that Seasonic sent us about ATX 3.0 compliance.
MSRPs for the new units are as follows:
- PRIME TX-1600: £479.99 / €469.90 / $419.99.
- PRIME TX-1300: £409.99 / €389.90 / $349.99.
- PRIME PX-1600: £429.95 / €379.90 / $339.99.
Seasonic Prime TX-1600 / TX-1300 / PX-1600 Overview:
- High efficiency – 80 PLUS® Titanium and Platinum certified
- MTLR (Micro Tolerance Load Regulation) @ 0.5 %
- Premium Hybrid Fan Control – Fanless until 40 % system load
- Top-Quality 135 mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) Fan
- Super low ripple noise (25 mV)
- Cable-free connection design
- High end components and design
- Gold-plated high current terminals
- Highly reliable aluminum electrolytic solid capacitors
- Protection features: OPP, OVP, UVP, OCP, OTP, SCP
- 12 years warranty- industry-leading
Anyone who has had a high end Seasonic power supply in recent years will immediately recognise this box. Yes, it's a photographer's nightmare.
Seasonic bundle an installation guide, a $50 stream e-gift card, cable ties and a user handbook. For a limited time they also told us they are including a 60W GaN charger – for as long as stocks last. Our sample didn't ship with a UK plug adapter, but we are hoping UK retail units will.
The Seasonic cables are high quality braided design and they should appeal to a wide audience in regards to appearance. The unit is supplied with a C19 power cable.
We asked Seasonic about ATX 3.0 compliancy and they sent us the following information.
“As you are aware, our flagship PRIME series has topped out at 1300 W Platinum. Though this is a lot of power for most systems, for some users, more power and higher efficiency is better, therefore we are introducing our PRIME 1600 W model in 80 PLUS® Titanium rating.
The PRIME TX-1600 comes with all the great PRIME features and it is ATX 2.53 compliant. Since this unit’s development was near completion when the Intel ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 standards were finalized, we in turn tested all our new TX and PX units against these new recommendations and found the following:
PRIME TX-1600 / PX-1600 conforms with ATX 3.0 and PCIe5.0 up till 1000 W
PRIME TX-1300 conforms with ATX3.0 and PCIe5.0 up till 850 W
Considering the added performance bonus of these high-power units, we included a PCIe 5.0 12VHPWR connector cable harness in the packaging box. This enables:
the TX-1600 and PX-1600 to support systems where the AIC (Add-In Card) is up to 450 W and
the TX-1300 to support systems where the AIC is up to 300 W.
the new units to support systems with PCIe 5.0 peripherals.
For added safety and reliability, the 12VHPWR connector itself is rated at 600 W.
As a side note, to our current understanding, the TDP for the RTX4090 and the RTX4080 will come in at under 450 W and the TDP for RTX4070 will be under 300 W.
SPECIFICATIONS AND SUMMARY
PCIe 5.0 Requirement
The maximum power requirement is defined as 3 x AIC rated power.
The connector included is rated for 600 W.
The PRIME TX-1600 and PX-1600 can support up to 450 W AIC.
The PRIME TX-1300 can support up to 300 W AIC.
ATX 3.0
The maximum power supply – Power Excursion, is defined as 200 % of rated power @ 100 µS. (180 % @ 1 mS and 160 % @ 10 mS)
The current version of the PRIME TX-1600 with the OPP limitations supports up to 135 % ~ 140 % (2160 W ~ 2240 W)
The PRIME TX-1600 and PX-1600 can meet Intel ATX 3.0 requirements under 1000 W load.
The PRIME TX-1300 can meet Intel ATX 3.0 requirements under 850 W load.
PCIe 5.0 and Nvidia RTX 4xxx
Based on current information we collected from the market:
The RTX 4090 may have a TDP of up to 450 W
The RTX 4080 may have a TDP of up to 420 W
The RTX 4070 may have a TDP of up to 300 W
This means that the peak power requirement for the PCIe 5.0 compliance will be 450 W x 3 = 1350 W.
It is possible that future Ti-based cards may have higher TDP, but currently we do not have any supporting information.”
So we can see from the information Seasonic sent us that the TX-1600 on review today can meet Intel ATX 3.0 requirements up to 1000W. We will be interested to analyse how much power the upcoming Nvidia RTX 4xxx series cards will draw – but until closer to Nvidia's launch, we are unable to confirm anything.
The TX-1600 follows the traditional of recent Seasonic Titanium power supplies with the chrome and black appearance with colour neutral branding.
The PRIME badge takes pride of place in the center of the fan across the top air vent.
One side of the unit contains the power connector, power button and hybrid mode button. The other side is home to the modular panel – across three rows. All these rows are clearly labelled and easy to follow during the build phase.
The Prime TX-1600 power supply is able to deliver 133.33A via the single +12V rail to power the most hungry graphics cards on the market today.
Inside the power supply is a Hong Hua fan, marked HA13525H12SF-Z – a favourite with Seasonic and many other brands. This is a 135 Fluid Dynamic bearing fan – which you can disable under lower load situations with the switch on the back of the unit.
The Seasonic design is well thought out and implemented from the ground up. Soldering quality is high on the PCB and there are several small rows of heatsinks to keep temperatures in check. Titanium efficiency levels will certainly help reduce unwanted heat internally as well.
Seasonic are using high grade 105c Japanese capacitors through the design, with Nippon Chemi Con making up the primary stage. Two 420v 680uF and a single 420v 820uF deliver a total of 2180uF.
Seasonic are keen to promote their ‘MTLR' (Micro Tolerance Load Regulation) which is rated to deliver less than a 0.5% voltage drop on the primary rails.
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
12V output is single rail for our testing.
|
DC Output Load Regulation
|
||||||||||
|
Combined DC Load |
+3.3V
|
+5V
|
+12V
|
+5VSB
|
-12V | |||||
|
A
|
V
|
A
|
V
|
A
|
V
|
A
|
V
|
A | V | |
|
500W
|
7.63
|
3.33
|
8.82
|
5.03
|
36.05
|
12.06
|
1.5
|
5.03
|
0.30 | -12.04 |
|
750W
|
12.63
|
3.33
|
14.12
|
5.03
|
52.06
|
12.06
|
2.0
|
5.03
|
0.30 | -12.04 |
|
1000W
|
17.75
|
3.33
|
20.00
|
5.03
|
72.25
|
12.05
|
2.5
|
5.03
|
0.50 | -12.05 |
| 1250W | 18.84 | 3.33 | 24.04 | 5.03 | 90.14 | 12.05 | 3.0 | 5.02 | 0.60 | -12.04 |
|
1500W
|
18.87
|
3.33
|
22.64
|
5.02
|
115.90
|
12.05
|
3.5
|
5.03
|
0.80 | -12.05 |
| 1600W | 10.00 | 3.32 | 10.00 | 5.03 | 125.00 | 12.05 | 3.5 | 5.02 | 0.80 | -12.05 |
Load regulation is stellar, even when delivering the full 1600 watts of power.
| Seasonic TX-1600 Titanium PSU | Maximum Load |
| 1853W |
We managed to get the PSU to achieve 1853W before it would shut down, delivering 253W more than the 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 | |
| 1150W | 3.0 | 3.33 | 2.0 | 5.03 | 92.0 | 12.05 | 0.2 | -12.05 | 0.50 | 5.01 |
| 250W | 20.0 | 3.32 | 24.0 | 5.03 | 5.0 | 12.06 | 0.2 | -12.05 | 0.50 | 5.01 |
The Seasonic TX-1600W Titanium Power Supply produced class leading results in the cross loading test. It exhibited no discernible weaknesses in any of the testing.
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 |
| 500W | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 750W | 5 | 5 | 10 | 5 |
| 1000W | 5 | 5 | 15 | 5 |
| 1250W | 10 | 5 | 15 | 5 |
| 1500W | 10 | 5 | 15 | 5 |
| 1600W | 15 | 10 | 20 | 10 |
Great ripple suppression results, showcasing how good the design is.
|
Efficiency (%)
|
|
|
500W
|
93.87
|
|
750W
|
95.68
|
|
1000W
|
96.15
|
|
1250W
|
95.36
|
| 1500W | 94.68 |
| 1600W | 94.34 |
Overall efficiency is excellent, peaking over 96% at around 50% 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 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)
|
|
|
500W
|
28.0
|
|
750W
|
28.7
|
|
1000W
|
32.7
|
|
1250W
|
33.2
|
| 1500W | 35.3 |
| 1600W | 36.3 |
The fan in this unit performs well, and even at higher load levels, the pitch is never too intrusive. Under most situations noise levels will be masked by system fans.
|
Temperature (c)
|
||
|
Intake
|
Exhaust
|
|
|
500W
|
36
|
38
|
|
750W
|
37
|
42
|
|
1000W
|
42
|
49
|
|
1250W
|
46
|
54
|
|
1500W
|
48
|
56
|
| 1600W | 51 | 60 |
The large fan copes with the heat inside the chassis, spinning more actively as the load increases above 1,000 watts.
|
Maximum load
|
Efficiency
|
|
1853W
|
93.89
|
At 1853W, the efficiency level is still good, measuring 93.89%. Not a practical situation to be running 24/7, but worth noting.
There is no doubt that the Seasonic TX-1600 Titanium is another success story for the industry's leading power supply maker. This latest Titanium design produces some remarkable results, and the Micro Tolerance Load Regulation is class leading.
Aesthetically, the unit is nicely finished, and while many system builds today hide the power supply from view, the neutral colour system will ensure that if you want this power supply on show, it will blend with any colour themed build.
I like the latest braided cable design from Seasonic – they feel better, look better and improve the looks of the final system build. There are plenty of cables in the box, catering for even the most demanding systems on the market today.
Technically, the system passed all tests with flying colours. Load regulation is class leading, and there were no issues when dealing with demanding cross load test situations. The power supply was also able to deliver in excess of 1800 watts under extended load without any concerns. The adoption of high grade 105C rated Japanese Nippon Chemi Con capacitors is reassuring to see, and as it is backed by the Seasonic 12 year warranty – this should give a prospective customer peace of mind well into the future.
Earlier this week, Seasonic confirmed a UK price of £479.99 to us for the TX-1600, or €469.90 / $419.99. There is no doubt it is expensive (like all hardware in 2022), but you are getting a quality unit which will last for many many years.
Those of you waiting for a fully compliant ATX 3.0 power supply will have to wait a little longer. This one is ATX 2.53 compliant. Seasonic did tell us before going live today that the TX-1600 ‘conforms with ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5/90 up to 1000W' and while the RTX 4090, 4080 and 4070 have yet to be released we have heard unofficially that the power demands will be around 450W, 420W and 300W respectively.
You can buy one from Overclockers UK for £479.99 HERE.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
Pros:
- Well built.
- delivered over 1800 watts, sustained.
- reasonably quiet.
- high levels of efficiency (96%).
- Micro Tolerance Load Regulation is class leading.
- Great ripple suppression.
- Cross load tests passed with flying colours.
- Conforms with ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 up to 1000W.
- Limited edition GaN charger supplied with first units sold.
Cons:
- Hefty price tag, but it's 2022, everything is expensive.
- Not yet fully AT X3.0 compliant.
KitGuru says: Seasonic continue to showcase why they are the market leader. This unit specifically targets the high end enthusiast who demands the highest quality power. The TX-1600 was able to deliver over 1800 watts without any issues.
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