Seasonic X-Series 560W

Our latest candidate for PSU torture testing is the Seasonic X-560. Seasonic first garnered praise with the X-Series by offering a range of 80 Plus Gold PSUs from low wattage up through high wattage units, along with two passively cooled versions. Other reasons for their popularity are the 5-year warranty and outstanding internal design. Even most of the S12II and M12II models (which they don't generally offer as review samples) are getting awards all over the world for providing high quality in a mainstream market segment. At a price of $120 USD the X-560 is definetly not the cheapest ~550W power supply, but we're here to find out if buyers get more for their money.

As you can see in the picture Seasonic delivers a bag for modular connectors—the X-560 has fully removable cables. Also included in the packed are a power cord, four screws, a user's guide, and many cable ties. In short, Seasonic provides plenty of extras to keep the customers satisfied.

A note on the PSU informs users that this PSU works passively below 20% load. Features include "tight voltage regulation", "gold plated terminals", and a mainboard with many SMDs (surface mounted devices). High-class solid caps are part of the ouput filtering. And for the gamers among us, this PSU supports multi-GPU technologies, all with a reasonable rating of 560W.

Appearance, Power Rating and Fan
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  • Ikefu - Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - link

    I purchased a Seasonic X-750 a few weeks ago for my new desktop and I can honestly say its one of the best PSUs I've ever had. The fan never runs except during long gaming sessions and even then it only remains on for short bursts and is so quiet I never notice it. The noise of my last desktop bothered my wife in our shared office so I was trying to get as quiet a build as possible without sacrificing power and this hit the spot. I'm a definite Seasonic convert after using the X750.

    PS If you watch Newegg you can catch some great prices. I got my X-750 for $130 during one of their weekend sales.
  • ckryan - Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - link

    I second that. I bought an X-650 and was able to get it on sale for $110 with free shipping. I wanted the 460 Fanless, but was more than satisfied to get an x-650 and save $50. Consider me converted.

    By the way, with a new Sandy Bridge setup, I find that the fan almost never comes on, not due to defect, but due to super low power consumption. It takes a while under load to get the fan to turn on. Due to the proximity of the PSU to my head, I can tell when it turns on, but only with the sides off the case. The PSU is mounted in the bottom-front of my case and I discovered my fears of the fan always running were unfounded.

    The X series might be the finest yet. I feel like it's the highest end piece of gear in my computer. I can always get a better GPU or CPU, but it's hard to get a better PSU than these.
  • Mr Perfect - Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - link

    This is a piddly little suggestion, but velcro straps instead of zip ties would be really appreciated. At work we used to bind up almost every cable we could get our hands on(sans Cat5) with zip ties in an effort to keep thing neat and tidy, but after a contractor came in and used some velcro there's no turning back. No longer do we have to bring a pair of wire cutters to every job and delicately snip away the zip ties without nicking anything else. On the other hand, zip ties are pennies each, and velcro isn't. It still would be nice on the flagship product line though.

    On another note, have Seasonic been working on any new small form factor SFX PSUs? Really looking forward to those too.
  • etamin - Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - link

    I recommended my friend to purchase the X560 two months ago for a build I'm doing for him. The "cable ties" mentioned in the article are actually velcro straps. There are three of them. I personally own the X750 which did not come with velcro straps.
  • Mr Perfect - Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - link

    Really? Nice! I was squinting at the one product shot in the article and thought I saw regular zip ties.
  • Denithor - Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - link

    On another note, have Seasonic been working on any new small form factor SFX PSUs? Really looking forward to those too.


    Seconded! Would definitely be interested in a high quality + quiet sff psu for my htpc setup...
  • Mr Perfect - Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - link

    Yes, not a whole lot of competition out there in SFX land. Silverstone has the SFX ST45SF, but that's the only thing I'm aware of.
  • strikeback03 - Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - link

    I know some of the Enermax PSUs come with velcro cable ties, so it certainly can be done
  • Uwanna - Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - link

    I have lost every power supply I have owned in my personal PCs for the last 15 years due to capasitor failure. All of the caps were ones that were buried under a ton of wires coming into the power supply at the point where they are soldered to the PCB.
    With design I expect that problem to be history!
    The solid caps, great air flow over the liquid caps, and fantastic quality parts i expect this power supplie to "Rule Them All" !!

    For now anyway :)

    Tim
  • Alexvrb - Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - link

    There's no doubt in my mind that Seasonic power supplies rule, and this model in particular is very, very nice. Well worth the money.

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