A Quick Look into Seasonic M12 700W PSU

The fact that modern PCs use a lot more power than, let�s say, 10 years ago shouldn�t scare anyone since it�s a generally known fact. A very high end system with SLI or Crossfire capable video cards can go as high as 450-500 W when in full load. So how can you cope with that much power? By using a quality PSU with a sufficient power available on the +12V lines.

Seasonic is a well known PSU producer. As some of you may know, their products are generally known for the build quality and the fact that they are very efficient, thing to be taken into account if you have problems with your power bill.

From the last M12 series (�M� comes from modular) we take a closer look at the 700W PSU incorporating four +12V lines rated for the maximum output of 18A each. That should be enough for anyone, even when using a quad core CPU. What�s really impressive with Seasonic PSUs is that the overall build quality is excellent; however, the PSUs are as simple as possible. No �bling factor� here, just a good PSU, 2 fans, a 12 cm one positioned under the PSU and its little 6 cm brother at the back. The fans use ball bearings and are in generally whisper quiet. Also, there is no coil noise and that makes the PSU almost silent. Good quality aluminum electrolytic capacitors are being used.

Setting out this modular PSU was very easy since unnecessary cables can be detached. Speaking of them, the PSU comes with factory sleeving and 2 PCI-E connectors among other usual extension cables.

Performance wise, the measurements pointed out that the PSU is dead on its voltage outputs even when using a Conroe CPU paired with 2GB of Ram and a Crossfire Solution made up of two x1900 series video cards. The +12V line dropped 0.05V from 12.08V to 12.03V in full load, with the other lines remaining at the same values that were recorded in idle mode.

Overall, what you get for $200 is a very high quality PSU, capable to sustain anything you can throw at it. And that proves once again that Seasonic remains quite a contender when it comes to manufacturing high quality power supplies.