FSP Aurum 92+ PT-650M 650W 80 PLUS Platinum Power Supply Review

FSP brings its first Platinum rated power supply to the consumer market and does so on the cheap. If you're on a tight budget but need a quality entry level power supply, you'll want to read this.

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Manufacturer: FSP
6 minutes & 36 seconds read time

Introduction, Specifications, Availability and Pricing

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Earlier in the month we took a look at the latest offering from Zalman with the ZM1250 Platinum. They have a very slow rotation of their product lines and it is sure to be around for quite some time. Today we are taking a look a unit from FSP and we've looked at many of them over the past several months. Since FSP is responsible for its own R&D as well as production, this gives them the liberty to stay on the leading edge with a constant stream of new products.

This time around, we have the new FSP Aurum 92+ PT-650M power supply on the test bench. The new Aurum 92+ series of power supplies are all 80 PLUS Platinum rated and are the first we have seen so far from FSP. All of the series is modular, with models available in 450W, 550W, and the 650W model in our hands. All of the units we have looked at from FSP have represented a strong balance between features, quality, and price so we expect just the same out of this unit.

Specifications, Availability and Pricing

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The FSP Aurum 92+ PT-650M features something we haven't seen in quite some time from FSP and that is a quad 12V rail design. Each of the 12V rails are rated for 18A each with a combined maximum output of 576W or 48A. The 3.3V rail is capable of 20A while the 5V rail is rated for 18A. Combined these two are capable of 100W of power. The 5VSB rail is rated for the normal 3A we are used to seeing for a total of 15W. Maximum combined output for the PT-650M is 650W.

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Once again, FSP comes close to filling out the features list, but doesn't quite make it. The PT-650M is full of protections including Over Temperature Protection. The power supply features both native and modular cabling, all of which are fully sleeved. The PT-650M is rated for Platinum efficiency, but it isn't rated for 50C. FSP does however rate the unit for 100% continuous output at 40C.

FSP has an MSRP of $139.99 for the PT-650M. At the time of writing this article, Newegg has the unit on sale for $104.99 after a $25 instant rebate and $10 mail-in-rebate and free shipping. This makes it one of the cheapest 80 PLUS Platinum rated power supplies currently on the market and beats the Antec EA-650 by at least $15.

You can't beat that with a stick even if you tried. FSP backs the PT-650M with an industry standard five year warranty.

Packaging

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As we can see from the front of the box, little has changed in the external appearance of their units. It is hard to tell whether the unit is platinum in color of if they have just altered the color of it to fit the platinum theme of the box.

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Half of the back gives us some I/O specifications as well as a few highlights for the unit. They are still talking about their "Arrow Dynamics", but we have yet to see any proof of it providing better airflow over other methods of venting.

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Over on the other side of the back we can find a few graphs for noise and efficiency, a features list, and an excellent chart depicting cable quantity, length, and connector availability.

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The top is relatively plain, providing nothing more than make and model information.

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The sides provide even less information but both contain the URL for their website where you can find more information.

Inside the Box

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Opening things up, we find that the unit is well packed.

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The PT-650M features a rough texture finish in black that gives it a ruggedized feel.

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Both sides feature the FSP logo stamped in the side with a few additional vents toward the bottom.

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The back side features their "Arrow Dynamic" venting as well as on/off rocker switch and AC input.

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Taking a look at the front we find the modular connections available on the PT-650M.

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Flipping the unit over reveals the 120mm fan cooling the power supply.

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All modular cables that are included are fully sleeved. Four of them are sleeved to be flat while the fifth is sleeved with nylon mesh. I'm not entirely sure of the reasoning, but since it is the short SATA cable that is designed to power hard drives stacked on top of each other, I assume that it is for increased flexibility over the flat cables.

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Also included is the user manual, AC input cord, 3 Velcro cable ties, and thumb screws.

Cabling Arrangement and A Look Inside

Cabling Arrangement

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The cable summary for the PT-650M makes it look much more complicated that it really is. This is because each cable is different from every other. Native cables include the Main, ATX 4+4, and a single PCI-E connector. Everything else is modular. This includes one PCI-E connector, nine SATA connectors over two cables, and four Molex plus a FDD connector over two more cables. Those with multiple hard drives will love the short SATA cable with connectors stacked two inches apart as it really helps keep the cable clutter down on the back side of the drives.

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Rail distribution for the PT-650M is relatively simplistic for a quad rail power supply and is noted on the I/O specification label of the power supply. 12V1 powers the Main and all of the peripheral connections while 12V2 handles the ATX 4+4 connector for the motherboard. This leaves 12V3 and 12V4 to each power one of the PCI-E cables.

A Look Inside

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Opening things up, we find a minimalistic PCB with a few small heatsinks as is often the case with lower wattage units. They don't require nearly as much passive or active cooling as some of the higher wattage units do.

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A single Nippon Chemi-Con capacitor can be found on the primary side of the PT-650M power supply.

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More Nippon Chemi-Con capacitors are found on the secondary side as well.

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Active cooling for the FSP PT-650M power supply is provided via the Protechnic Electric MGA12012HF-A25 120mm fan.

Test Results and Final Thoughts

Test Results

Our load tests utilize a couple of FAST ATE active load testers and a variety of other equipment such as an oscilloscope, power conditioner, temperature probe and a power consumption meter. You can read more about our standard testing approach here.

The tests performed are based around six conceivable setups that are out there and progressively load down the PSU up to the power supply's limits or 1000W, whichever comes first. Since our test equipment's limits are higher than that of the FSP Aurum 92+ PT-650M 650W power supply, we can test it to the maximum.

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The above tests represent typical loads that we have measured from various systems and are meant to give a rough idea of where your computer might fall in line with our tests. Please keep in mind that each system is different and actual loads can vary greatly even with similar hardware.

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Let's start by taking a look at the voltages to see how well this unit did during testing. Starting with the 12V1 rail, we see 2% regulation from start to finish with a total drop of .14V. 12V2 was within 2% regulation from start to finish and also had a total drop of .19V. 12V3 was within 2% regulation from start to finish and also had a total drop of .17V. 12V4 was within 2% regulation from start to finish and also had a total drop of .15V. The 5V rail managed to stay within 2% of specification as well with a total drop of .09V from start to finish. Moving towards the 3.3V rail, we see that regulation was within 3% of specification with a total voltage drop of .11V.

DC Output quality for the PT-650M was good and well within specification. During Test 1, we saw 23mV of noise on our scope. When we increased the loads in Test 2, the ripple climbed to 29mV at a little over half load. During Test 5 under a load of 650W, the oscilloscope showed a maximum of 43mv on noise on the 12Vrail.

The FSP Aurum 92+ PT-650M 650W power supply is rated for 80 PLUS Platinum efficiency. This means that the power supply must perform at 90%/92%/89% efficiency at 20%/50%/100% loads respectively. As you can see, PT-650M 650W passed on our bench, and wasn't close to failing at any point.

Final Thoughts

The FSP Aurum 92+ PT-650M 650W power supply represents the next step of progression for FSP and was to be expected.

Several of their units have been right on the edge of 80 PLUS Platinum efficiency and it is nice to see them finally bring a retail unit to the market capable of such efficiency. Judging by the ways we have seen their product cycles go, we wouldn't be surprised to see a higher wattage Platinum rated unit following closely behind this one.

The FSP PT-650M performs extremely well considering the targeted market segment for this unit, which is more entry level than anything. The power supply almost managed to stay within 2% of voltage regulation specifications all the way across and just barely broke into the 3% area with the 3.3V rail. DC output quality is great for an entry level power supply as well and efficiency is spectacular.

The only way that you could ask for more is if you started looking toward enthusiast grade power supplies and then you would blow the price point out of the water. You'd be crazy to not consider the FSP Aurum 02+ PT-650M 650W power supply for your build if low wattage and cost are your primary concerns.

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Zac provides professional IT support by day, but plays the role of enthusiast by night. He's been building high-end custom computer for the nearly fifteen years and writing PC hardware reviews for the better part of a decade. Aside from computers, he also dabbles in quite a bit of home A/V equipment. Throughout the years, Zac has picked up an extensive knowledge of power circuitry and leverages this to provide the PSU reviews. When not found testing or writing, you can often find him speeding through the winding countryside on his motorcycle.

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