Cases & PSUs

FSP AURUM Pro 1200W Review

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August 16, 2012 3 Min Read
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In the market for a highly powered power supply unit for multiple graphics cards? We review AURUM Pro (AU-1200PRO) designed for NVIDIA SLI/AMD CrossfireX.


Product on Review: AURUM PRO 1200 (AU-1200PRO)
Manufacturer: FSP
Street Price: £190 inc. VAT

Earlier in the year we had the pleasure of seeing FSP’s current and upcoming lineup of products at CeBIT 2012. It was at this show that we saw the high-end finesse of the AURUM Pro and it is today that we finally take a good look at this new offering.

Equipped with dual transformers, high-grade components and a single +12v rail the AURUM Pro 1200W is designed specifically for gamers, overclockers and hardware enthusiasts. As the name AURUM suggests, this PSU offers 80 Plus Gold efficiency and promises to satisfy the needs of those with multiple graphics cards.



FSP on AURUM Pro
AURUM PRO series is designed to meet the needs of PC enthusiasts such as overclockers/multi-GPU gamers. It is also the perfect choice for professional workstation. Built with industrial-grade components and Japanese capacitor, AURUM PRO provides clean, stable and powerful output to ultimately fulfill your system.

AURUM PRO’s sleek design and unique rugged Granite touch finishing makes it truly regal PSU like no others. With 80PLUS GOLD certification it provides high efficiency, makes AURUM PRO Series a perfect combination of premium quality and performance.

Technical Specifications


Model
AU-1200PRO(H)
Efficiency
90%
Input Voltage
100 ~ 240Vac
Frequency
50 ~ 60Hz
PFC
Active PFC (0.99)
Power Provided
1200
Over-Current Protection
V
Over-Voltage Protection
V
Short-Circuit Protection
V
Line Type/ Main connector
20+4 Pins
EPS 12V 4+4 pin Connector
1
EPS 12V 4 pin Connector
1
4 pin Floopy Connector
1
SATA Connector
10
4 pin Molex Connector
6
PCI-E 6+2 pin Connector
8
Case Color
Black
Chassis Fan
135mm Hydro Dynamic Bearing Fan
Noise
<32 dBA
Form Factor
ATX 12V V2.31 & EPS 12V V2.92
Safety Approval
cUL, FCC, CE, TUV, GOST, BSMI, CCC
Dimensions(Lx W x H) mm
180 x 150 x 86

Packaging, Bundle & Cables


Much like other AURUM branded products the AURUM Pro arrives in a bright and lively box with gold being the dominant colour used because this PSU offers 80 Plus Gold efficiency. The front alludes to a lengthy 5 years warranty and NVIDIA SLI support. There are details on the sides and back of the box that include the features, specifications and included cables.

Inside the box, each item is sectioned off into relevant departments and the PSU has been given sufficient Styrofoam padding to ensure safe arrival to the consumer.


Packaging for AURUM Pro



Inside the box


Being modular the AURUM Pro is bundled with detachable cables, there are also other items included. The bundle consists of:

• AURUM Pro 1200W PSU
• Modular cables
• Power cable
• User manual
• Case badge and screws


The included items within bundle


AURUM Pro isn’t fully modular as there are a group of cables hardwired into the unit. These cables are considered to be mandatory for any system builder, hence the reason FSP have decided to leave them obligatory. These cables consist of:

• 24-pin ATX – 55cm
• 8-pin EPS/CPU Power (2×4-pin) – 65cm
• PCI-E 2x 6+2-pin – 65cm

All of these cables have been given nylon sleeving to ensure all cables are grouped together and to mask the bright colours of each individual cable. The sleeving could be thicker; the colour still makes its way through the sleeving.


The cables that are hardwired into AURUM Pro


The modular cables offer plenty of flexibility and rather than using Nylon sleeving, FSP have insulated these cables and made them flat. There are quite a number of included cables and these consist of the following:

• 1x 8-pin CPU/EPS – 65cm
• 2x PCI-E (6+2pin) – 65cm
• 1x SATA (4 connectors) – 100cm
• 1x Molex (2 connectors), SATA (2 connectors) – 100cm
• 1x Floppy (1 connector), Molex (2 connectors), SATA (2 connectors) – 110cm
• 1x Fan (2 connectors – 2-pin) – 70cm


The included modular cables

Closer Look (External)


AURUM Pro has a matt black appearance. The outer shell of the PSU has a rough, grainy texture – build quality is very good. Reflecting the name AURUM (gold) and the 80 Plus Gold efficiency, there are bands of this colour around the fan grill. Branding has been kept discreet with AURUM Pro but there is an embossed FSP insignia on either side of the unit. Overall styling is attractive and clean.


AURUM Pro in all its glory


Inspecting the fan grill closely there are patterned incisions above and below – the grill itself carries with it the FSP logo. The fan on the underside is a 135mm Hydro Dynamic Bearing Fan, the exact brand and model we will discover in the next section of the review.


The fan grill covers a 135mm Hydro Dynamic Bearing Fan


AURUM Pro is semi-modular and has a result there are various connector ports to attach cables between the PSU and devices. Although there are multiple slots for VGA, AURUM Pro uses a single rail for +12v. It’s nice to see there are additional slots for powering cooling fans on this PSU, this is largely unheard of but is a useful inclusion.


Modular panel for connecting cables


On the alternate side to the fan sits the specifications label which details the total power for each of the rails including the ampage too. This particular model has a total of 1200W available. The +12v rail in particular has a whopping 100A and as already mentioned is single and dedicated, meaning it will be ideal for a dual or even triple graphics card configuration.


The specifications label detailing technical information

Closer Look (Internal)


After removing six screws from the sides of AURUM Pro we can gain access to the internals of the unit. AURUM Pro 1200W uses BOOST PFT + LLC resonant with Synchronous rectification. Taking advantage of dual transformers AURUM Pro 1200W means load and hear can be distributed. What this means for the consumer is less failure rate.

Using a single +12v rail design, AURUM Pro 1200W has up to 100A for multiple graphics cards. FSP have integrated shunt resistance to avoid OCP/OVP problems in this area.


The inside of AURUM Pro 1200W


Dual Japanese hold-up capacitors are also found inside the unit. These are high-quality and can withstand up to 105C – a component which is a real necessity within such a calibre of PSU.


Dual Japanese hold-up capacitors


As mentioned earlier, FSP are using a 135mm Hydro Dynamic Bearing Fan within AURUM Pro 1200W. This is different to their standard AURUM series. The actual brand and model of fan is: Power Logic – PLA13525S12HH.


135mm cooling fan – Power Logic – PLA13525S12HH

Testing Methodologies & Results


Our testing methodology for testing Power Supply Units is limited to the multi-meter to show each rail’s performance due to us not having access to an ATE load tester.

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. This will be run for 10 minutes. We will also be adding in another two GPUs to allow for dual and triple card configurations with SLI in order to generate as much power consumption as possible. The CPU will also be overclocked to maximise power consumption and strain. This should give us a good indication of how the AURUM Pro 1200W will perform under gaming stresses and beyond.

System Components
CPU Intel Core i7 3570K (with OC 4.5GHz)
Motherboard MSI Z77A-GD65
Graphics NVIDIA GTX 480 X3
Memory 8GB Corsair Vengeance 2133MHz CL10
HDD 1x Kingston HyperX SSD 240GB
PSU FSP AURUM Pro 1200W


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 (165W)
Single GPU – OCCT/MSI Kombustor run for 10 minutes (382W)
Dual GPU – OCCT/MSI Kombustor run for 10 minutes (683W)
Triple GPU – OCCT/MSI Kombustor run for 10 minutes (1044W)

Conclusion


FSP’s AURUM Pro 1200W PSU is designed for overclockers and gamers and its styling certainly fits the bill. The grainy matt texture will bode well in either camps’ computer chassis. The included items within the bundle are good and there are plenty of cables to choose from but unfortunately there is no carry case for the multitude of cables. There is also combinations of Molex with SATA and some cables even have up to 4 connectors – whilst this could be useful to some, it can also be to their folly, adding unneeded clutter into the chassis.



Performance using up to 3 graphics cards presented no mean feat. AURUM Pro 1200W handled the pressures of sustaining power for these hungry cards and fan noise wasn’t too bad either. During 31% and 56% load the fan noise was kept to a minimum but adding the extra graphics card in pushed the load to 87% and as a result this was noticeably louder, though not especially disturbing.

The real highlight with AURUM Pro 1200W is the price-tag. At just shy of £190 the pricing on this unit makes it one of the more affordable options available for gamers and enthusiasts needing power for multiple graphics cards. All of this is backed by a generous 5 years warranty too.

AURUM Pro 1200W looks great, performs well and has an attractive price-tag. It is also backed by a 5 year warranty that will make it even more appealing

Pros
+ Great styling and build quality
+ Fairly quiet under load
+ Solid performance
+ Affordable
+ 5 years warranty

Cons
– Cables can encourage clutter
– No carry case for cables


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