Techaddicts.net- Seasonic M12 500W Power Supply Review

Review by: Daniel

Date: January 24, 2007

Provided by: Seasonic USA

Seasonic is a well respected power supply manufacturer. They manufacture some of the highest performing power supplies under their own label and for many other companies as well. The power supplies they create offer reliable and stable power to PC systems. Today, we look at the 500 Watt model of the M12 series of power supplies from Seasonic. The M12 series feature a modular power cable design and a black matte finish; this series is also designed for PC DIY builders, Gamers, and Overclocking enthusiasts.

Opening the box, you will find two brochures, one for the M12 model and one for the S12 model. There is also a manual for the M12 series, a warranty sheet, screws, 'Powered by: Seasonic' sticker, and a power cable. The manual was clear and descriptive on the power supply itself (specs, diagrams) and how to install it. This power supply comes with a 3 year warranty.

This power supply features four +12v rails, each providing up to 18 Amps; for a total combined 12v amperage of up to 38 Amps.

On the bottom, there is one large 120mm ball bearing fan to cool it down. The color of this power supply makes it look both professional and sleek.

On the back, there is a 60mm ball bearing fan to provide additional cooling. The modular connections can be seen here too.

The back of the power supply features a honeycomb design for better ventilation. There is also power switch and a power input. This power supply supports the full range of voltages, so there is not need for a 110v/220v voltage switch.

There is a 24-pin ATX Motherboard connector, EPS 8-Pin +12v connector and a 4-pin +12v CPU connector that is non-modular and attached to the power supply.

This power supply features five rectangular connectors for modular cables that have Molex, S-ATA, and Floppy connections on them and two square connectors for the modular PCI-Express power connectors.

4x Modularized Molex cables, for a total of ten Molex power connectors. Note that the molex connectors have a grip on them to make removal from devices easy.

1x of an Adapter for splitting a Molex connector into two floppy connectors. Molex --> two floppy connectors.

There is a large 120mm fan on the bottom of this power supply. This makes for excellent cooling of the heat sinks below. During testing, this fan stayed extremely quiet, almost silent, when the system was doing non-intensive applications, such as web browsing and word processing. Even when it is subjected to heavy system loads, such as running a CPU/GPU intensive benchmark it stays relatively quiet. This is simply impressive.

On the rear (internal) there is a smaller 60mm fan, which assists the 120mm fan in cooling. This fan only turns on when the temperature is hot enough. During testing, it has turned on when the system was doing intensive work, but never turned on while the system was subjected to word processing, internet browsing, etc. When it does turn on, it is also very quiet and cannot be heard over the 120mm fan.

* Taking this power supply apart will void the warranty, as noted by a small sticker on top of a screw needed to fully open the power supply up.

There are massive heat sinks in this power supply, which may explain why the fans stay so quiet during use. You can see the Active PFC components on the bottom left of this picture.

This super quiet fan is manufactured by ADDA. The model is the AD1212HB-A71GL and it runs at a maximum of 0.37A.

The smaller 60mm fan is also manufactured by ADDA. It also features rubber washers to reduce noise.

The modular cables make the insides of the computer case look much neater since you don't need to connect the cables that you do not need.

Voltages are at Max Load, running 3DMark06 CPU Test 1 / Deep Freeze HDR test, and read with a Multi-Meter.

During testing, the power supply was unusually quiet, even in the Max Load tests. There were no problems keeping the system stable and running, nor were there overheating problems. The modular cables are wrapped in mesh and really make the insides of the case neater, and the Molex cables feature grips to make removal easier. Overall, this is an excellent power supply for anyone looking for performance and an extremely quiet fan.

-Slightly expensive for a 500W class power supply, but the quality, quietness and performance of this power supply is a thing to keep in mind.

Techaddicts.net would like to give this power supply a 9.5 out of 10 rating and the 'Recommended' Award for its features and quietness.