Conclusion
The Seasonic PRIME PX-1600 ATX 3.0 1600W Platinum Power Supply is the second power supply we have seen here at TheFPSReview from Seasonic. However, Seasonic has been one of the biggest names in the enthusiast community for power supplies over the last 10 years or so and one of the older OEM providers in general. So, power supplies are their business. Couple that with a top-tier product offering in today’s PRIME PX-1600 ATX 3.0 and the the chances for success seem to be rather high today. The question is; do chances translate into reality? Let’s see.
Ok, I can’t wait. They do!
Build Quality
Today’s Seasonic PRIME PX-1600 ATX 3.0 starts things off with an outstanding build quality. Full stop.
The exterior represents the same basic branding and build quality that the PRIME series has had for several years now. Nothing is too fancy but nothing is too bland. The cabling on the unit is all individually sleeved cables which many people will probably appreciate (as well as the quantity of these cables and the labeling on the housing side).
When we move to the interior we find a jam-packed unit. Jam packed with goodness. The integration is very clean, as we often see from Seasonic, with very efficient component placement and excellent soldering overall. The component selection features Nippon Chemi-con standard and solid electrolytics along with a few FPCAP solid capacitors. There is also an FDB fan used to cool this unit. Lastly, the documentation with this unit is okay (not great though) but the 12-year warranty is an excellent length. The only downside to this unit, physically, is that it is rather long at 8 1/4 inches! Measure twice before buying!
Load Testing
Today’s Seasonic PRIME PX-1600 ATX 3.0 started off testing in excellent shape. We saw voltage regulation of up to 0.15v on the 12v rail, 0.07v on the 5v rail, and 0.06v on the 3.3v rail. These numbers would be very good for any unit. However, this unit is huge at 1600W. Thus, the load range at which these values were achieved is much greater than a more normal mainstream offering. As this is the first 1600W unit we have seen we don’t have another unit to compare it to, but, going by the absolute values we saw, it should place very well among comparable products.
Moving on, we saw efficiency values that ranged from 88.29% to 90.01% efficient at 120v AC input and 87.14% to 87.66% at 100v AC input. When it came to the 80 Plus efficiency numbers, we did see the PRIME PX-1600 ATX3.0 hit 92.85%-94.34%-89.04% putting it right inside of the 80 Plus Platinum test value range. Lastly, PRIME PX-1600 ATX3.0 did pass our Torture Test, and the unit’s overall temperature outputs were not overly high for a 1600W unit (peaking at 67C).
DC Output Quality
The DC Output Quality results for the Seasonic PRIME PX-1600 ATX3.0 were excellent. Overall, we saw peak ripple/noise values of just ~25mV of ripple/noise on the 12v rail, ~10mV on the 5v rail, and ~10mV on the 3.3v rail during our regular load tests. These values were very flat through testing with very little deviation even as the loads grew. Overall then, with these values being well within specification limits they are excellent in absolute terms. In relative terms, these results are going to be more than competitive with other 1600W units out there.
Noise
Today’s Seasonic PRIME PX-1600 ATX 3.0 is a giant unit when it comes to capacity. These are not the kinds of power supplies that one buys if they are looking for quiet. And why would they be? If you have enough going on to need 1600W of DC capacity you probably have something fairly noisy in your system to begin with. But, there is always that one person who tells you “Well, actually (sic)”. So, ok then. How does the PRIME PX-1600 ATX 3.0 do when it comes to noise?
Rather well. Turning the digital hybrid fan controller off did result in the unit being louder than when it was on (duh) but not by as much as I was expecting. Overall, the unit with the fan controller off was not audible in our load testing environment unit the Torture Test. After that it did get a bit louder in our full load tests, but not much louder. The fan controller on the unit was not noticeable until the full load tests. So, even though the 135mm FDB fan seemed like it might be up for a challenge today the overall cooling scheme of the unit seems to have allowed it to do a very good job of controlling noise output.
Final Points
The Seasonic PRIME PX-1600 ATX 3.0 1600W Platinum Power Supply is an outstanding high-end power supply. From its excellent Build Quality, Voltage Regulation, Efficiency, DC Output Quality, and even its noise profile the PRIME PX-1600 ATX 3.0 hits every single mark on the stage today. There are no objective areas where this unit does anything other than impress!
The only minor quibble we have is that this is a HUGE power supply so people need to be very aware of that before they pick it up and expect it to fit in every case out there. But, that is a minor issue and one people should probably be checking anytime they assemble a system anyway. So, what is the best power supply we have seen to date going to cost us?
Today, we find that the Seasonic PRIME PX-1600 ATX 3.0 is $509.99 at the time of publication (but do check our pricing widgets to see current pricing). Ok, I know. I know. I will give you a minute to catch your breath.
So, that is kind of a lot of money if I am honest. I do have to point out, however, that this is also kind of a lot of power supply you are getting for that money. Now, I don’t believe I could sell anyone on this being the best value out there but, it isn’t meant to be. It is meant to be the best of the best. And when you are the best of the best, you price accordingly. That means this unit will never be cheap, but it will be darn good.
Users looking for the best power supply we have seen to date and one that they likely may never need to replace until the ATX3.0 standard is no longer supported then here you go, buy the Seasonic PRIME PX-1600 ATX 3.0.
