Today we check out one of the latest power supplies from Seasonic, the Vertex GX. The Vertex units fall just below the PRIME flagship range and the 1200W GX unit we are looking at today is rated at 80 Plus Gold efficiency. Seasonic are also making a Vertex PX range available in Q2 which will offer Platinum efficiency. While nothing is set in stone, Seasonic chatted with me recently to say the Focus V3 range, which is also ATX 3.0/PCIe5 compatible, will hopefully be available around May. Additionally, the new PRIME PCIe 5.0 range is said to be releasing soon. It certainly looks to be a busy year for Seasonic.
The Vertex GX and PX range were first announced in 2022, and its taken quite a bit of time since then for the samples to arrive. It hasn't helped that I haven't been very well lately, so our reviews have bene somewhat delayed after getting the first samples some time ago. There is still currently limited stock of these new power supplies in the United Kingdom, and they appear to be selling out quickly. Overclockers UK currently has this 1200W unit listed for £289.99 inc VAT (HERE) which was in stock at the time of writing, but is now only listed for pre-order.
This new Vertex GX range is offered in 750 watt, 750 Watt, 1000 watt and 1200 Watt capacities. We are looking at the flagship model today, offering support for both ATX 3.0 and PCIe Gen5 standards. This is a fully modular design to aid with a clean easy to route system and Seasonic are offering a 10 year warranty for peace of mind. As always, Seasonic are keen to highlight the use of high grade Japanese capacitors, but I will get a closer look at this later in our review today.
SEASONIC VERTEX GX AT A GLANCE
- Added 12VHPWR cable to comply with the new graphic cards
- 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) fan for quiet operation
- Seasonic Hybrid Silent Fan Control for optimal cooling
- Complete protection features: OPP / OVP / UVP / SCP / OCP / OTP
- 10 years warranty – our commitment to high quality
- Gold Plated High Current Terminal (MB, CPU and PCIe)
The Seasonic box is clean and modern looking, and unusually for Seasonic there is no picture of the power supply itself highlighted on the front of the packaging.
The rear of the box focuses on the efficiency levels of the power supply with some details on tight voltage regulation and the use of a large FDB fan.
The Vertex GX-1200 is supplied with a plethora of cables, including a 12VHPWR, which measures 750 mm in length. All are high grade and individually sleeved.
The Seasonic Vertex is a rather understated unit, with the Seasonic and Vertex logos etched into the side panels. The colour scheme is intentionally neutral to suit a wide variety of system builds.
The large 135 mm fan is hidden behind a wide grill. We will take a closer look at the fan when we open the unit later in the review.
One side of the power supply is home to the power connector and switch with the hybrid fan button at the side. The other side is the modular cable bay which is clearly labelled and easy to follow during the build process.
The Seasonic Vertex GX-1200 is able to deliver 100A across the +12V rail.
Seasonic have opted to use a Hong Hua Fluid Dynamic Bearing fan (FDB) in this unit. Model HA13525H12F-Z. These are quality fans that Seasonic have used now for many years. This model is rated at 0.50A, 12V DC and rated at a maximum speed of 2,000 rpm.
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This Seasonic design is nice and clean, from the soldering quality to the configuration of the components within. Seasonic are using high grade 105c rated Nippon Chemi Con primary capacitors from the KMR range, rated at 330uF and 820uF respectively for a total of 1150uF. The secondary stage utilises a lot of high grade Japanese capacitors as well.
The silent fan control works well with the switch, you have the ability to have it always on, or enabled so the fan is only active as the load demand rises. Protection features offered at OPP/ OVP / UVP/ SCP / OCP and OTP.
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.
We test ambient temperatures at 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 | |
120W
|
0.90
|
3.34
|
0.93
|
5.03
|
8.95
|
12.04
|
0.50
|
5.01
|
0.20
|
-12.01
|
240W
|
1.62
|
3.34
|
1.63
|
5.03
|
18.45
|
12.04
|
1.00
|
5.02
|
0.20
|
-12.01
|
600W |
3.00
|
3.34
|
3.11
|
5.03
|
46.78
|
12.02
|
1.50
|
5.01
|
0.30
|
-12.01
|
900W |
4.01
|
3.34
|
4.05
|
5.03
|
70.86
|
12.00
|
2.00
|
5.01
|
0.30
|
-12.02
|
1200W
|
5.02
|
3.33
|
5.20
|
5.02
|
94.57
|
11.99
|
2.50
|
5.01
|
0.30
|
-12.02
|
Load regulation is really in the top tier, holding within 1%.
Seasonic Vertex GX 1200 | Maximum Load |
1412 Watts |
We managed to get another 212 Watts from the power supply before the protection circuitry kicked in. The supply was undamaged and it was ready to fire up again when we dropped the load to a more realistic level. It could deliver a constant 1,300 Watts for sustained periods of time, without a problem.
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 | |
1190W | 4.0 | 3.33 | 3.0 | 5.03 | 88.0 | 12.00 | 0.2 | -12.01 | 0.50 | 5.02 |
240W | 19.0 | 3.32 | 22.0 | 5.00 | 2.5 | 12.04 | 0.2 | -12.02 | 0.50 | 5.01 |
The Seasonic Vertex GX-1200 handled our cross load tests without any issues. When hit with 88 A the +12V rail held at a reference result of 12.00V.
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 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
200W | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
400W | 5 | 5 | 10 | 5 |
600W | 5 | 10 | 15 | 5 |
800W | 5 | 10 | 20 | 5 |
1000W | 5 | 10 | 20 | 10 |
1200W | 10 | 15 | 20 | 10 |
Ripple Suppression is excellent, peaking at 20mV on the +12V rail at full load. The +3.3V and +5V rails peak at 10mV and 15mV respectively. Superb all round results.
Efficiency (%)
|
|
100W
|
88.8
|
200W
|
89.2
|
400W
|
91.4
|
600W
|
92.3
|
800W
|
92.1
|
1000W | 91.8 |
1200W | 90.2 |
The overall efficiency results are excellent, peaking at over 94% between 40-60% load, and dropping to 91.5% 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 SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa) 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
|
200W
|
<28.0
|
400W
|
<28.0
|
600W
|
30.2
|
800W | 32.3 |
1000W | 34.2 |
1200W | 36.9 |
The large FDB fan in the Vertex GX only spins up as load increases and will idle completely in lower demand states. Once we hit around 600W load the unit started to actively create a bit more noise as the fan increased to compensate for rising temperatures. We imagine when we test the Platinum rated Vertex PX that the higher efficiency levels will mean the fan can operate at lower RPM throughout the range.
That said, the fan is not intrusive at all, and only at 1000W or more does it make its presence known. Inside a system, and with other fans in operation
Overall the tone and whine of the fan is relatively unobtrusive, even when spinning at higher speeds.
Temperature (c)
|
||
Intake
|
Exhaust
|
|
100W
|
35
|
38
|
200W
|
36
|
41
|
400W
|
38
|
45
|
650W
|
43
|
49
|
800W
|
45
|
53
|
1000W | 47 | 58 |
1200W | 50 | 62 |
The large FDB fan and high efficiency of the design ensure that the temperatures are always well maintained inside the chassis, even under high load situations.
Maximum load
|
Efficiency
|
1412W
|
88.7
|
Pushing the power supply above its rated limits generates an efficiency level of around 88.7%. Not a realistic situation to be running but interesting nonetheless.
Seasonic is a brand name synonymous with quality. Over the years the company has won more awards on KitGuru than any other power supply manufacturer. You often find their supply designs in other companies high end products. We have a lot of faith in Seasonic designs and attention to the important details.
The Vertex GX is a new ATX 3.0/PCIe Gen5 design from Seasonic and while we wait on the new PRIME units to be released, the Vertex GX has certainly impressed us during testing over the last few weeks. Load regulation is some of the tightest we have seen, and the unit dealt with the demanding cross load tests with flying colours. Ripple suppression is also in the top 5% of units we have tested in the last two years.
Seasonic have not cut corners with the design of the Vertex GX. High grade Japanese Nippon Chemi Con capacitors populate the primary stage and the over-specified nature ensures the unit can maintain above 1300 Watts for a sustained period of time without issue. The GX-1200 delivers high levels of efficiency while remaining cool, and the large Fluid Dynamic Bearing fan does not create a lot of noise even when loaded up to 1000 Watts. Maximum efficiency is in the 600-800 watt power range, which will target a lot of high end systems when under full load.
The cables look and feel great – offering a decent level of flex, while looking good inside a fully lit watercooled rig and the fully modular design helps ensure a neat and tidy build can be created without any effort. With the backing of a full 10-year Seasonic warranty it is clear that the company have a lot of confidence in these supplies.
Buy from Overclockers UK HERE for £289.99 inc. VAT.
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Pros:
- Nippon Chemi Con 105c rated Japanese capacitors.
- Over-specified.
- ATX 3.0 and PCIe Gen5 support with native 12VHPWR.
- Load regulation is tight.
- High quality of construction.
- Quiet in operation up to 800 Watts.
- Fully modular design.
- 10 year warranty.
- we love the soft individually sleeved cables.
Cons:
- Quality comes at a price.
- Hard to find in stock anywhere.
KitGuru says: The Vertex GX-1200 is a fantastic power supply able to sustain high levels of power under the most demanding of environments. The fully modular design, low noise levels, and high levels of efficiency, along with very tight load regulation and controlled ripple suppression ensure this should be right at the top of your wish list.
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