80 Plus Gold Certified, modular cables and a rough granite finish – FSP’s latest AURUM CM GOLD Series appears to tick all right the boxes.
Product on Review: AURUM CM GOLD 650M (AU-650M)
Manufacturer: FSP
Street Price: £100 inc. VAT
Once upon a time 80 Plus Certified PSUs, even with Bronze rating were satisfactory and classed as “the norm” but over the last few years as governments and society strive and adhere to energy efficiency even the heartbeat of the computer system seeks to achieve new heights of efficiency with 80 Plus Platinum (90% Efficiency). 80 Plus Gold (87% Efficiency) appears to be the benchmark that even the casual enthusiast must possess.
FSP have been around for a long time and are the makers of many other brands of PSU also. Their latest PSU release sees the popular AURUM Series go modular with the AURUM CM moniker. Available in three different variants – 550W, 650W and 750W we will be taking a close look at the 650W version today and see how it performs in the real-world.
FSP’s take on AURUM CM GOLD
AURUM Series, a brand new line-up of FSP Power Supply family that meets 80 PLUS Gold Standard with >90% efficiency. AURUM Series is a perfect combination of premium quality and efficiency, making it the most ideal choice for those who seek for state of the art technology and environmental friendliness at the same time. AURUM’s sleek design and unique rugged Granite-Touch finishing makes it a truly regal Power Supply like no others.
With MIA IC™ Patented Technology, AURUM Series provides the best performance and highest protection to your system. Thanks to MIA IC™ Technology, power supplies are now compact in size, equipped with high efficiency and maximum protection. In addition, the new Arrow-shaped ventilation provides remarkable air ventilation and superb cooling performance.
With MIA IC™ Patented Technology, AURUM Series provides the best performance and highest protection to your system. Thanks to MIA IC™ Technology, power supplies are now compact in size, equipped with high efficiency and maximum protection. In addition, the new Arrow-shaped ventilation provides remarkable air ventilation and superb cooling performance.
Features & Specifications
COOLING Fan(s): Single, 120mm PWM Controlled FDB Fan
TOTAL POWER OUTPUT: 650W TOTAL CONTINUOUS OUTPUT @ 40°C
OUTPUT CONNECTORS: MAIN 20+4PIN, (4)PCI-E 6+2Pin, (1)4+4 PIN, (8)SATA, (5)MOLEX 4-PIN, (1)FDD 4-PIN
NVIDIA SLI SUPPORT: YES
AMD/ATI CROSSFIRE SUPPORT: YES
80PLUS CERTIFIED: YES
MODULAR CABLE: YES
SAFETY APPROVAL: CE, FCC, CB, UL, TUV
MTBF: 100,000 HOURS @ TYPICAL
Unit Dimensions: 5.90” (W) x 6.3” (D) x 3.35” (H)
150mm(W) X 160mm (D) X 85mm (H)
Unit Weight: 4.4 LB (S)
Retail Package: 10.6″ (W) x 14.1″ (D) x 3.9″ (H) @ 7 lbs
INPUT SPECIFICATIONS:
Input Voltage: 115V AC to 230V AC, 47 ~ 63Hz
Power Factor Correction (PFC): ACTIVE PFC | FULL RANGE
Input Current: <10A @ 115 Vrms, 63 Hz. <5A @ 230 Vrms, 53 Hz.
Input Protection: Patented Input Fuse Protection
OUTPUT SPECIFICATIONS:
+12V RAILS: 4
Output Voltage:
+3.3V DC
+5V DC
+12V1 DC
+12V2 DC
+12V3 DC
+12V4 DC
-12V DC
+5Vsb DC (Standby)
Output Current:
26/6A @ +3.3V DC
12.8/26A@ +5V DC
18A @ +12V1 DC
18A @ +12V2 DC
18A @ +12V3 DC
18A @ +12V4 DC
0.5A @ -12V DC
3.5A @ +5Vsb DC Standby
Output Protection: Complete OVP, OCP, SCP Protection
Packaging & Bundle
The AURUM CM SERIES is presented in a very eye-catching and well-designed box. With AURUM being derived from the word “Gold” and of course the actual series being 80 Plus Gold Certified there is lots of gold highlights to indicate this.
AURUM CM SERIES packaging has been well thought out
Inside, the PSU and all accessories are separated into compartments and so you get the idea that FSP have taken care with their packaging for this particular product – something that not all companies adhere to.
Care has been taken with packaging
Exploring the bundled accessories with AURUM CM SERIES reveals the following items:
• Cable ties for cable management
• Mains plug
• Quick Start Guide
• Assortment of modular cables: (4)PCI-E 6+2Pin, (1)4+4 PIN, (8)SATA, (5)MOLEX 4-PIN, (1)FDD 4-PIN
Bundled accessories include cable ties and modular cables
Upon closer inspection the modular cables that are included aren’t braided but are in fact insulated with a flat plastic material which is good quality and flexible. The length of the cables are as follows:
• PCI-E – 27”
• SATA – 43”
• Molex – 29”
Modular cables with flat insulated plastic
We’ve taken a look at the bundled accessories – now let’s focus our attention on the unit itself over the page.
Exterior
As with the packaging the unit itself has gold elements to it also. The outer shell has a premium feel and look to it with the surface being rough. Aesthetically the AURUM CM SERIES is up there with the best.
Our PSU under the spotlight today has a fan grill with a 120mm PWM cooling fan underneath. In the next section we will delve inside the unit and discover what brand/model this fan actually is.
Aesthetically pleasing exterior
120mm PWM fan and grill
Flipping the PSU over, as is typical with all PSUs the AURUM CM SERIES has a specifications label showing total output and ampage for rails. There are 4x +12v rails inside this PSU each with 18A giving a total of 600W for dedicated graphics.
Specifications label detailing watts and ampage
Due to the AURUM CM SERIES being modular we have various slots for cable connectivity. There is a slot for PCI-E and 4x slots for SATA/Molex.
Modular slots for attaching cables
Our PSU has some cables hard-wired into the unit such as 24-pin ATX and CPU power (EPS/E-ATX) which are mandatory and there is also a PCI-E cable with 2x connectors – both are 8-pin. These cables unlike the modular cables are braided with black netting.
Hard-wired cables in the form of 24-pin ATX, CPU power and PCI-E
In the next section over the page we will open the unit up for a closer inspection.
Interior
Once 4 screws have been removed we can slide the two plates apart and take a look at the internal elements of AURUM CM SERIES. The fan inside this unit is by Protechnic USA, is 120mm PWM and comes with the following ratings: 12V, 0.45A, 2400 RPM, 84.8 CFM, 37 dBA, 155g.
Cooling fan by Protechnic – 120mm PWM
With the cover off we can see the PCB and components. The PCB and overall layout is very small compared to other units we have reviewed. The heatsinks are small and the PCB is by no means crowded which should result in better cooling efficiency – perhaps a reason why FSP chose to use a smaller 120mm fan. The significant capacitor is RubyCon and rated at 105C.
Small PCB – clean layout
Testing Methodologies & Results
Our testing methodology for testing Power Supply Units is limited to the multi-meter to show each rails performance due to us not having access to an ATE load tester. We are making plans to invest in equipment as we were directed by Cooler Master when Simon visited their test labs in June 2010.
Although this does constrain us slightly we can still monitor fluctuations on the rails and give the unit a good assessment when we feature it in one of our builds. The way the testing will run is simple, voltages will be observed at idle wattage and then a single GPU will be installed within the system and a combination of OCCT and MSI Kombustor will be executed to provide simulation with just 1 GPU usually another GPU would be added to the system in order to generate more power draw but since this unit is 650W there is no need to do this. 1 GPU generates around 420W whilst adding another and the total usage exceeds 750W. This should give us a good indication of how the FSP AURUM GOLD CM SERIES 650W will perform under gaming stresses with a single GPU – over 50% loaded.
System Components
CPU Intel Core i7 920 @ 4GHz
Motherboard ASUS Rampage III Formula X58
Graphics 2 x NVIDIA GTX 480 (SLI)
Memory 12GB Kingston HyperX 1800MHz CL9
HDD 2 x Samsung Spinpoint 500GB SATA-II
PSU FSP AURUM GOLD CM SERIES 650W
We all know how Fermi is notorious for its big power draw! As I mentioned there is no ATE load tester available so generating as much power as possible is key to observing the fluctuations on the rails.
For voltage tolerance levels, ATX specify that a 5% variable fluctuation is acceptable. (Form Factors – ATX Specification PDF – Page 10). So what this means is:
3.3V Rail – 3.135V – 3.465V acceptable
5V Rail – 4.75V – 5.25V acceptable
12V Rail – 11.4V – 12.6V acceptable
Idle test – The system settles in windows without any applications or stressing. 1 GPU (216W – 33% load)
Single GPU – OCCT/MSI Kombustor run for 10 minutes (420W – 64% load)
The AURUM CM GOLD does an exceptional job throughout the voltage variance testing, all of the rails – 3.3V, 5V and 12V remain in the realm of ‘acceptable’ according to the ATX standards.
At 64% load the 120mm cooling fan did generate a considerable amount of noise. We’ve tested quieter units than this before.
Conclusion
Choosing the right PSU is an important decision for the enthusiast because it is the backbone of any system. Buying an inferior, no-frills unit brings with it many consequences – some of which can be catastrophic. I’ve personally read of many stories of various individuals who have been strapped for cash and gone down this route, these cheaper units can often blow and when they do, they will take everything with it. So you may think spending all of your money on the core components like CPU, GPU, motherboard and then very little on the PSU is a good thing – this may change when it goes up in smoke!
Our sample under the spotlight today is a good example of what a PSU should be. It performed strong in our real-world testing with a single GPU and even the outer shell has premium build quality.
Being a modular PSU the AURUM CM SERIES has detachable cables – rather than being braided the cables are insulted with plastic and flat meaning they are much more flexible. This helps to make cable management easier to control.
The only slight niggles with this PSU is that during load using a typical gaming system causes the fan to generate a considerable amount of noise. The price is also higher than other similarly rated units at £100 inc. VAT. With all aspects in mind, the AURUM CM SERIES comes recommended by Vortez.net.
Pros
+ Premium aesthetics
+ Strong single GPU performance
+ Good packaging
Cons
– Fan noisy under load
– High cost
+ Premium aesthetics
+ Strong single GPU performance
+ Good packaging
Cons
– Fan noisy under load
– High cost
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
