The FSP Hydro PTM Pro 1200W PSU Review: Improving on the Tried and True
by E. Fylladitakis on April 20, 2022 8:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- PSUs
- 1200W
- FSP
- 80Plus Platinum
- Modular
Hot Test Results (~45°C Ambient)
The FSP Hydro PTM Pro 1200W PSU is made of quality components and is capable of withstanding high internal temperatures without measurable performance degradation. There is a more significant efficiency degradation when the load is above 1000 Watts though, suggesting some thermal stress, which could possibly be avoided should the designer would have used larger heatsinks. Still, the overall efficiency drop is reasonable, at 0.7% across the nominal load range.
Regardless of the 80Plus Platinum efficiency, the high power output of the FSP Hydro PTM Pro creates very significant thermal losses for its cooling system to deal with. The internal temperatures are slightly high while the unit was operating inside our hotbox, but do stay within reasonable operating parameters. As a matter of fact, the cooling profile is very aggressive and is trying to maintain very low component temperatures.
Due to the small heatsinks, most of the cooling work falls on the Protechnic Electric fan. Regardless of the high ambient temperatures, the fan does maintain relatively low noise levels while the load is below 500 Watts, but it almost instantly jumps to its maximum speed after that point and maintains that top speed up to the unit’s maximum capacity. The FSP Hydro PTM Pro is very loud with its fan running at maximum speed but stays operational without performance or reliability issues.
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ballsystemlord - Thursday, April 21, 2022 - link
I'm assuming desktop HDDs "ramp-down" when not in use. So they'll then need to ramp-up when the system is running and the CPU+GPU is more loaded down.I can't really say if the various GPUs go to full power when first powered on, or if they go into an idle state. It's safer to assume a higher power draw than underestimate things IMHO.
dqniel - Friday, April 22, 2022 - link
Who uses 5 METERS of RGB strip in their PC? Even if you went with that crazy amount of RGB, a normal kit uses about 5 watts per meter. That's only ~25W, not 220W.Samus - Wednesday, April 20, 2022 - link
Someone mentioned this last time an FSP Hydro PSU was reviewed, and it still sticks out in my mind that naming an electronic power supply with a liquid acronym sends shivers down my spine :)meacupla - Wednesday, April 20, 2022 - link
hydro not only applies to water based fluids, but also oil based fluids. Like hydraulic systems typically use mineral oils with additives that reduce corrosion, and wear.Sivar - Wednesday, April 20, 2022 - link
To me, it implies "water cooled", like the EVGA FTW HYDRO series of graphics cards.This leads me to wonder: Why would a power supply need liquid (whether oil or water) cooling?
Slash3 - Wednesday, April 20, 2022 - link
FSP has actually produced a few water cooled versions (including a similar 1200W) over the years under the Hydro nameplate.https://www.anandtech.com/show/12411/fsp-liquid-co...
There have been a few others that have done so (Koolance, DeepCool, etc), but none of them were particularly popular for obvious reasons.
Oxford Guy - Thursday, April 21, 2022 - link
Is this all these companies can do now — use undersized heat sinks and blast the fan to compensate?The noise level is unacceptable. It’s bait and switch. Advertise a high wattage but make the product so loud for anything approaching that capacity as to make it worthless. This is just like the UPS that claims sine wave output but which is incapable of actual sine waves above 25% output.
Scams upon scams upon scams. It’s extremely tiresome.
meacupla - Thursday, April 21, 2022 - link
If you stick in an oversized heatsink, what you end up doing is killing all the airflow. Making heat pockets where the hot air doesn't get flushed out is worse, despite the extra cost from a bigger heatsink.flyingpants265 - Thursday, April 21, 2022 - link
I think you missed the point..m16 - Wednesday, May 18, 2022 - link
This is a really tempting PSU, provided its long term reliability is good.During this pandemic it has been hard to get higher power PSUs at a decent price, and while this is on the higher end of pricing, the specs sorta justify it.
I would get it in a heart beat if I can't get anything else as it future-proofs GPUs.