Platinum PSU FSP Aurum 92+ 650W Review

Up-to-date power supply units are able to achieve 80-90% efficiency due to 80 Plus standard. The integration of this standard provides for better power-saving facilities, heat level and noise level. Still, some customers give preference to performance rather than energy saving; thus PSUs from FSP will become the most wise solution for such people. Last year FSP introduced Aurum series and today the company expands the line with a new model — Aurum 92+. The model is represented so far with a single power variation – 650W, and corresponds to 80 Plus Platinum requirements.

General Peculiarities

Correspondence to Platinum standards implies that FSP Aurum 92+ unit should demonstrate not less than 91% nominal efficiency, 90% efficiency at 20 percent loading, and 94% efficiency at 50 percent loading. Testing results prove the claimed characteristics, making this model a desirable high-end acquirement. Aurum 92+ is delivered in a standard cardbox that contains FSP logo sticker, network cable, a set of detachable cables, fixing thumbscrews, three couplings, and user manual.

Layout

FSP Aurum 92+ 650W houses non-removable motherboard power supply cable, additional CPU and graphics card power cable (EPS12V), as well as, sockets for detachable cables. A set of sockets for detachable cables is represented by a single 8-contact socket for PCI Express bus, one socket with five power slots for SATA devices, one with four slots for SATA devices, one with two slots for IDE devices, and one socket with two slots for IDE devices and floppy disk. All cables are covered by a solid plastic sheath, but for SATA cable with 4 slots that is covered by a nylon mesh.

Design of this model resembles the one implemented in all products of Aurum series, except for the plastic plates that now has got gray coloring. All other design peculiarities have been preserved to comply with the product line standards: black casing with rough texture and ventilation grids in the form of brand arrows. Except for the main power supply socket, the external framework houses a dedicated switch.

Internal framework of Aurum 92+ also does not differentiate too much from previous models. The casing is equipped with four internal sockets for the connection with cables intended at peripheral devices and one socket for graphics card connection. Each of four virtual +12V lines ensures the loading of 18A. Moreover, +5V and +3.3V lines have been modified as well: combined power at both lines equals to 100W with the voltage index of 3A. It should be mentioned that this model features active PFC and a capability to work from the network in wide ranges of input voltage (100V-240V).

High voltage chain employs linear converter with a facility of active voltage reset from primary impulse transformer winding. It positively influences the energy-saving characteristics of the product. This power supply unit is equipped with a refined input filter with a varistor which protects the primary chain from voltage drops. One compact heatsink is responsible for the cooling of righting bridge, the other heatsink, a large one – for the cooling of key capacitors and APFC elements. Secondary chain is represented by a synchronous righting that forms the voltage of +12V line. The scheme of righting employs capacitors.

The rear part of a printed circuit board houses soldered capacitors of DC-DC converter which create voltage in +5V and +3.3V lines. PSU is monitored by means of two brand controllers: FSP6600 (for input chain and synchronous righting) and FSP6601 (for DC-DC converters). Monitoring and security options are combined in Weltrend WT7579 chip that is located on a separate board. Active cooling process is fulfilled with the implementation of 120 mm fan with hydrodynamic bearing; the maximal fan rotational speed approximates 2400 rpm.