Review: XFX brings power to the masses with the Pro Series 1250W Black Edition PSU.
The quality of the power supply is often overlooked in computer builds because they have no direct impact on performance. It's tempting to save a bit of money to spend on other parts instead. This often comes back to bite users in the arse when a random power spike takes out half their system, or when the whirring of loud fans desperately trying to cool down the inefficient internals slowly turns them mad. Often the fault lies with the school of thought that all X watt power supplies are created equal, which is far from the case.
It's a good thing that XFX's Pro Series 1250W BE is a high quality device. The 80Plus Gold certified PSU (up to 90% efficient) has a full modular design and a single PWM-controlled 135mm fan. This fan has a small switch to toggle between 'hybrid fan control' and being constantly on. The fan will remain off in hybrid mode until the PSU reaches 20% load or 25oC, and will then progress to either Quiet Mode or Cooling Mode (50% load) – a nice touch for silent PC builds.
XFX also touts its SolidLink technology, which claims to reduce lost wattage by replacing internal wiring with a direct pin to port connection, allowing for higher efficiency.
Our testing rig consisted of a couple of HDDs, an SSD, 2 x GTX480 in SLI, and the Intel i7 3820 @ 4.3GHz. No matter what we connected, we were never going to get anywhere near the 1250W rating – it's simply an insane amount of power that would require an equally insane PC.
Our multimeter read 12.161v on the 12v rail when idling, 12.2v under Prime95 + Furmark, 12.2v again under just Furmark, and 12.165v during only Prime95 load. There were no fluctuations during any of these tests.
We really like this PSU for not only its efficiency, power and minimal sound output, but also the elegant design. The cost on the other hand places it squarely in the premium side of things, so unless you're absolutely certain that your PC requires 1250W (which it probably doesn't) and you have deep pockets, it may be an idea to look at a lower wattage device.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012