Author: Andrew Schembri Editor: Christina Busuttil Date: February 21, 2008 Manufacturer: Seasonic Provider: Seasonic

A closer look » Page 1: Seasonic S12 Energy Plus 650 Watt

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Introduction
Seasonic may not be a familiar name around an average computer enthusiast’s house, but many power supplies that are familiar are made by Seasonic. Seasonic offers high quality power supply units to not only power PCs, but many other electronics as well. How well built are the power supplies bearing the Seasonic logo? Today’s review will probe the S12 Energy + 650 watt power supply.

Seasonic became incorporated in 1975 and entered the PC market in 1980 supporting the Apple II and IBM PCs. Since then, Seasonic has dedicated themselves to becoming more green, and with that vision, created the first power supply to be certified as “80 Plus” in the United States.

What's in the box?



Opening up the package of the S12 Energy + 650 watt produces the following:

• S12 Energy + 650 watt power supply
• AC power cable
• Manual
• 4 hex screws
• Statement of warranty
• Molex to 2x floppy connector

Features

The Seasonic S12 Energy + 650 watt has incorporates a “dual magnetic amplifier” circuit to achieve a maximum ripple on the +12V line of only 3%. This works out to only a 0.36mV ripple, which, compared to max ATX spec of 120mV is very palatable. For you non math gurus out there, the Seasonic unit produce a max ripple on the +12V line one third less than the max allowed by the ATX spec. Very impressive!

The S12 Energy + also sports Seasonic’s proprietary “Smart & Silent Fan Control” (S2FC). Basically, this is a low noise 120 mm mounted on soft rubber mounts exhausting through a honey comb port on the rear of the unit.


Other features included on the S12 Energy + are:

• Double forward converter design
  Enables high efficiency
• Multiple +12V outputs
• Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors
• Up to 88% efficiency
• Active power factor correction
  Reduces line loss and power distortion
• Universal video card support
• Easy swap connector
• Full range AC input
• 5 year warranty

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A closer look » Page 1: Seasonic S12 Energy Plus 650 Watt Page 2: A closer look Page 3: Inside the S12 Energy + Page 4: Testing