14 DAY TRIAL // Lately, manufacturers of power supplies have been quite eager to strike as high an efficiency rating as possible, leading to the release of many 80Plus Gold-rated PSUs, but FSP wants to stand out even more and, finally, appears to have managed it by actually becoming the first supplier of an 80Plus Platinum unit.
The rating of a PSU has become a central factor in the appeal of such a component and is granted depending on how efficient it is at various loads.
Mostly, the 80Plus system looks at the output when subjected to 20 percent loads, 50 percent loads and at 100 percent.
In ascending order, the better-known ratings are, predictably, 80Plus bronze, 80Plus Silver and 80Plus Gold.
Now, 80Plus Platinum has taken the first step towards becoming the general goal of PSU makers, and FSP group became the herald of this movement when it created the FSP450-60PTM.
In numbers, Platinum rating needs a PSU to have a measured efficiency of, at the very least, 90% at a 20% load, 92% at 50% load and 89% at 100% load
FSP's model, during a test conducted last month, scored 90.79%, 93.13% and 91.89%, respectively, leaving no question as to its worthiness of being granted the certification.
The main feature that allowed this is a single stage D2D converter that integrates Frequency Modulation, Phase Shift Modulation, and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technologies.
Other critical components and technologies are the Interleaving PFC working at CCM (Critical Conduction Mode) and Zero Voltage Switching.
The only so-called drawback of this product is that, regrettably, it has an output of only 450W, which means that it won't exactly be usable in the higher-end systems that enthusiasts usually end up with.
Still, since the first step is always the hardest, one can expect other manufacturers to follow suite and for the market to soon see the arrival of new models of differing wattages.