Final Words & Conclusion
Final Words & Conclusion
The FSP HYDRO PTM PRO 1200 W is a good product. The FSP itself has made the platform for this ATX power supply unit. The size is not too compact (190 mm in length), but for the offered wattage, it's ok. You'll need a bigger chassis to make it fit without a problem. You can find the fanless mode here, which works till 30% load. The exterior looks nice; it's scratchproof and fingertips proof, so that's a nice feature. Still, most of the chassis nowadays have a PSU shroud, which would hide it. The unit comes with a 10-year warranty. It's an 80 Plus Platinum certified PSU, and that's a typical choice for even the high-end systems (maybe a bit more) from the consumer's point of view (in terms of efficiency/price of the unit). The 1200 W variant offers a massive power output that should be enough for most users, even the most elaborate gaming setups with a single graphics card in their system. In reality, even a PC like the one used in this test (i9 12900K + Geforce RTX 3080) rarely exceeds 500-550 W of power draw.
On the quality side, all is very good, and the stability tests also went well. Load regulation is great, and there was no noticeable droop on the +5V and +12V rails. Ripple suppression is safely within tolerance. The 135 mm fan (from Protechnic Electric) does its job very well when it's supposed to spin. It becomes audible close to 75% load, so there's no reason for complaining. You get a good set of accessories in the package (including the stickers in two other than standard colors), including mounting screws, a power cord, a manual (a rather typical set). The provided cables don't have the in-line capacitors, so it should be easier to manage them in the chassis. There's no 12/16-pin Gen 5 PCIe compatible cable; this should be available in the new revision.
A word about efficiency
Same as with any other power supply, 50% of the maximum load is where the device is most efficient. The sweet spot of the FSP HYDRO PTM PRO 1200 W is a bit over 94% (at 230 Volts). In the case of this particular unit, half of the maximum wattage is 600 W. The average gaming PC with a single graphics card (at least those usually spotted in Steam hardware polls) won't exceed this value under normal conditions. Don't overestimate the savings (on your electricity bill) that you can make by going from 80 Plus Bronze to even Titanium. You can assume that the build quality of more expensive PSUs will be higher, but the differences in efficiency are not that significant. So, summing it up, an 80 Plus Platinum PSU like the FSP HYDRO PTM PRO 1200 W is a great solution. The price is about 269.99 USD for the 1200 W variant, which is expensive, but on the other side, rather typical for a high-wattage PSU.
Stability
There isn't much to say about stability. The voltages hold, and this doesn't change under higher loads. The 1200 W version should be enough for dual-GPU setups with cards like an Nvidia Geforce GTX/RTX 1080/2080 (or even a dual RTX 3070Ti/3080) or a single GPU like an RTX 3080(Ti)/3090 (Ti) even with such CPUs as overclocked Intel i9 12900K.
Aesthetics
This FSP PSU looks nice with its all-black cabling. The case looks nice, with the textured finishing. Still, the PSU shroud that you'll usually have or the compartment for the power supply at the back of the motherboard tray wouldn't help show it off. The FSP approach with modular cables lets you plug in only the leads you need, improving your build's looks.
Final words
The FSP HYDRO PTM PRO 1200 W retails at 269.99 USD, a relatively high price even for such wattage of a power supply. Is it worth it? Here, you can find the Off-Wet technology "conformal coating," an original feature that protects the power supply and its internal components from dust and humidity. According to FSP, the Hydro PTM PRO series is tested to work correctly even in 95% relative humidity – but we didn't check that. The unit looks good, but that's not an essential factor as it would be hidden behind the PSU shroud or at the back of the motherboard tray. As for the power delivery itself, FSP has made the platform themselves, guaranteeing high performance. The HYDRO PTM PRO 1200 W offers very good acoustics (as it becomes audible only above 75% load) and high build quality. According to the standards, the efficiency is like it should be for the 80 Plus Platinum certificate. You also get a 10-year warranty, which is an extended period. You'll also get the 16-pin PCIe 5.0 compatible cable for powering up to 600 W GPUs (it's a pity that we got a sample without that feature). The overall package is good, even very good. From the drawbacks – the two EPS connectors on one cable are not a perfect idea. It wasn't possible to achieve 110% of the nominal power. Also – the dimensions could have been a bit smaller, as the 190 mm depth is not low, and the cables (for example, the 24-pin ATX is only 600 mm long). We award the FSP HYDRO PTM PRO 1200 W with an "Approved" badge mainly for the performance figures and relatively low noise. Still, it would be best if you remembered that there's quite a lot of competition in that market segment, and the FSP doesn't have any significant selling point to shine among the other products.
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