FSP Epsilon 80Plus 600W

by Christoph Katzer on 8/5/2008 8:00 PM EST
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  • MrOblivious - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - link

    The funny thing about FSP's Epsilons is they have 4 units submitted at the same 600w output for 80Plus:

    FSP600-80GHN
    http://www.80plus.com/manu/psu/psu_reports/FSP-FSP...">http://www.80plus.com/manu/psu/psu_reports/FSP-FSP...
    FSP600-80GLN
    http://www.80plus.com/manu/psu/psu_reports/FSPGrou...">http://www.80plus.com/manu/psu/psu_repo...SP600-80...
    FSP600-80GLC
    http://www.80plus.com/manu/psu/psu_reports/FSPGrou...">http://www.80plus.com/manu/psu/psu_repo...up_FSP60...

    and the

    FSP Epsilon 80PLus 600
    http://www.80plus.com/manu/psu/psu_reports/FSP%20E...">http://www.80plus.com/manu/psu/psu_reports/FSP%20E...

    All of them are 80Plus certified and the 80GHN and the 80Plus 600 hit the exact same numbers ;)
  • HOOfan 1 - Thursday, August 7, 2008 - link

    looking at newegg, there is also a 600 80Plus Everest model. You yourself have seen that the Everest platform is just a renamed Epsilon.
  • WT - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - link

    I own an Epsilon FX600-GLN, and the first thing I thought when reading this was 'Wow, AT is reviewing that older PSU today' but soon found this was just a minor update to that PSU. Its been stable as a rock and handled everything I've tossed at it, with an overclocked Q6700 and soon a 4870 to power up 24/7. For the money I paid, it was a no-brainer. If I had an extra $50, I'd splurge on the PCP&C 750 unit today.
  • JarredWalton - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - link

    FWIW, Newegg has the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">PCP&C 750W on sale right now for $110 after MIR ($140 before rebate). That's no as good as a couple weeks back (when we did the PSU roundup) when I grabbed that for $100 *without* an MIR! Still, considering this PSU is only in Europe and prices are merely okay, that PCP&C is definitely one of the best buys in the US right now.
  • RallyMaster - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - link

    is a ball bearing fan. Anandtech's review and news quality has been dropping as of late. Please get facts right. Do understand that Yate Loon D12SH-12s would be the sleeve bearing version which is rarely if ever used in a horizontal configuration like inside a power supply.
  • C'DaleRider - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - link

    Hmmmm.....no comment on whether the power supply is independently or group regulated (HINT: it's a group regulated power supply which is old tech and not seen as nearly as good as an independently regulated one.)

    Wonder how FSP, using the old Epsilon platform, managed to get its ripple/noise, according to this test, "....different voltages delivered low ripple and noise results, staying well within specs." Odd that almost every other reputable power supply testing website has found just the opposite...

    Then to gloss over the less than top shelf component selection when it comes to capacitors as the unit is stocked exclusively with Teapo (primary) and CapXon (secondary)...neither of which is seen as anywhere near being a first class component like Rubycon, Chemi-Con, etc.

    But so far we've just seen praise heaped on each and every power supply tested.....never have they had one that failed to be great...which begins to make a lot of their testing suspect. Never downgrade a power supply for substandard interior components or build quality, never a demonstration of ripple, no MOV on the primary (all the other reputable PSU-makers on the block are doing it... why not FSP?), yet we fccus on three heatsinks...but no mention of what's attached to them, like the capacities of the seimconductors for the primary and secondary sides....or what are on the OCP controller, or if the OCP controller actually functions, and on and on.

    Incomplete.....and yet we have another power supply that sails through with flying colors despite the company, using this same platform, having huge problems with ripple.
  • Amart - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - link

    "All of the different voltages delivered low ripple and noise results, staying well within specs." Thanks you for this enlightening revelation! I have no knowledge of what this "ripple and noise" means, but since you say it's "within spec's" I don't care to find out. Something in your writing makes me tingle all over... and want to trust you unquestionably.

    Sincerely yours,

    Iddy Otconsumer

  • MTBF - Tuesday, March 9, 2010 - link

    FORTRON / FSP Power Supply Units are unreliable hardware devices.
    Failed just after 784 days of normal use (about 3500 hours only)!.
  • Calin - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - link

    Funny :)
    Ripple seems to be harmonics in the output (harmonics would be periodic variations, one of the most common could be at the frequency of the main electricity input - 50 Hz in Europe and 60 Hz in USA - or at its multiple/submultiples (25 Hz, 100 Hz and so on).
    Noise is just that - random variations in the output. In the end, I think noise is less dangerous than ripple, as ripple might create standing waves/resonance with ripples in other AC-powered equipment (monitor, printer), which could lead to problems.
  • Frumious1 - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - link

    You name is half right at least. Thanks for being a fucktard. I guess they should make up graphs showing ripple voltages just to appease people like you, because that's so much more useful than a statement on whether or not there was ripple. Let me guess: you read Jonny Guru, right? Do you post there and complain about his lack of fan speed and noise level testing?

    I'll get worried when I see a cruddy PSU tested here that gets praised. So far, the cheapest PSU tested by Anandtech seems to be about $80. Yeah, I'm shocked that ripple results have all been good. Seriously, someone send these guys some Antec SmartPower, Raidmax, Rosewill, Logisys, Powertek, CoolMax, etc. PSUs. You know, the ones that claim SLI and Crossfire support and yet cost under $60. Or send pretty much and PSU that comes with a case. If I see some of those getting by without some serious problems, then I'll get upset.
  • Amart - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - link

    -1

    FSP Epsilon above 500W are known to have Ripple/Noise problems, and the "spec" for maximum is much higher then anyone would want to buy.

    Capacitors age, and Ripple/Noise increases over the lifetime of this product - so starting out very-low is a requirement for a quality unit. I've seen plenty of tests of $80+ units that failed to provide the quality they promised.
  • C'DaleRider - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - link

    Fucktard? My, my, little boy games calling names....makes you such a big boy, doesn't it?

    I guess despite the education proper testing sites have attempted to do in testing power supplies has eluded you. Ripple and noise is quite important...but since you care not for ever seeing the values presented, and it's not hard to get them, AT's vaunted Chroma gives them so why cannot they be presented is beyond me.

    And to show the ripple/noise graphing is very simple, too. An oscilloscope is all that's needed....and if a website can afford a Chroma, it certainly can afford an oscilloscope.

    Without proper presentation of ripple/noise generation at given output levels, their testing is incomplete. To be within spec is rather meaningless as 115mV of ripple on the +12V rail at full rated output is within spec, but I wouldn't buy a power supply that produced that much ripple/noise.

    Come on AT, get with the program and show us complete information, or is HardOCP, Hardware Secrets, and JonnyGuru's sites the only ones that will do proper testing and leave you as an also-ran testing site.
  • strikeback03 - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - link

    If you don't trust them to say "Ripple Results are fine" then why would you trust a graphic? Never heard of Photoshop? Or use Labview to generate a signal to be read by an oscilloscope? If a reviewer actually wants to deceive, a picture isn't any harder.
  • JarredWalton - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - link

    That's pretty much my thoughts as well. Christoph did include ripple tests and charts in some previous articles (http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.a...">for example, this roundup), but didn't feel like the amount of time required to generate all the charts really added anything to the results. Given that he HAS done those tests in the past, I see no reason to think that he's not conducting those tests now. That he condenses a bunch of charts that take a significant amount of effort to create into a short statement on ripple doesn't really bother me at all. Though I do have to say, at least reporting the mV ripple values as he's done in the past would be good.
  • Amart - Thursday, August 7, 2008 - link

    He does NOT condense. If he wanted to condense he would give the average number he's getting from the calculation.

    Simply saying that something is "within spec" is unacceptable in a professional review, for reasons outlined in the above replies.

    He must show the numbers, whether in a graph or simply writing them down. It won't take more space or time - if he's actually doing the testing.
  • JarredWalton - Thursday, August 7, 2008 - link

    Usually Christoph has listed the ripple values. I'm not sure why he didn't put them in this article. Compare to the last article, where he mentions 8mV or whatever. I'll flog him and make sure we get some numbers for future PSUs. :)
  • Amart - Friday, August 8, 2008 - link

    Why not for this one? This isn't paper print, you can edit.

    Both methodology and results for such key testing should be posted or linked within the article - just like on other sites.
  • HOOfan 1 - Thursday, August 7, 2008 - link

    I personally would rather see specific values for ripple rather than oscilloscope shots. By the same measure, I would rather see specific values for voltage regulation, rather than line graph. I would rather see specific AC input versus DC output numbers instead of a line graph for efficiency. All of these should be simple and quick to whip up into a chart. As for the FSP Epsilon, for most in North America where the superior Corsair CWT and Seasonic designs can be had for the same price or even less money, I say going with the superior designs of CWT and Seasonic is a no brainer. Same for the new BFG LS line that has popped up...they need to drop the price by about $15-$20 before they can even hope to compete with the value that Corsair is putting out there.
  • larson0699 - Wednesday, August 6, 2008 - link

    I'll take their word for it..

    ..especially having already concluded that this is a good unit but still nothing on Seasonic's S12II/M12II line. Their testing is sufficient to validate that.

    You can say what you want about AT, but it's their game and I think they're damn good at it, and ooh look at the pretty colors *drool*. You may find yourself more comfortable reading , Hot, Tom's, I don't care, but that's _your_ preference and one I can respect, at least moreso than "boo fuckity hoo your testing is incomplete OMGWTFBBQ". I'll tell you what'll really get results: Buy the unit, suppress the mouth.

    I said good day.

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