Certification and efficiency
Energy efficiency certification
Seasonic markets the Connect series as their 80 Plus Gold power supplies. Certification is performed by an organization called 80 PLUS. But what does this mean “on paper”? It’s a program that was introduced in 2004 and is intended to promote efficient energy use in computer power supply units (PSUs). Only products that offer more than 80% efficiency at 20, 50, and 100% load, and a power factor of 0.9 or more, are eligible. This means that the PSU will waste 20% or less electric energy as heat, reducing power consumption and bills as compared with less efficient designs.
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115 V internal non-redundant |
230 V EU internal non-redundant |
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Percentage of rated load |
10% |
20% |
50% |
100% |
10% |
20% |
50% |
100% |
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80 Plus |
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80% |
80% |
80% |
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82% |
85% |
82% |
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80 Plus Bronze |
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82% |
85% |
82% |
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85% |
88% |
85% |
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80 Plus Silver |
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85% |
88% |
85% |
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87% |
90% |
87% |
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80 Plus Gold |
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87% |
90% |
87% |
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90% |
92% |
89% |
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80 Plus Platinum |
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90% |
92% |
89% |
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92% |
94% |
90% |
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80 Plus Titanium |
90% |
92% |
94% |
90% |
90% |
94% |
96% |
94% |
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As you can see above, there are 80 Plus, Bronze, Silver, Gold (these three are from 2008), Platinum (2009), and Titanium (2012) certificates. Nowadays, most computers with a single GPU don’t need more than a 600-650 W PSU, as power consumption has dropped over the years. The PSU tested today is the most efficient at 50% load (375 W), but the differences above and below this threshold are not significant. You don’t need to keep it exactly at half load, but for better noise performance, longevity, etc., it’s best to stay below the maximum wattage. The reviewed sample is 80 PLUS Gold certified – up to ~90% efficiency @ 115 V (at 20~100% loads) – and has active PFC with a power factor of up to 0.99. It consumes < 0.3 W in its off-mode, complying with the ERP standard. If you want to check the Seasonic CONNECT’s measurements taken by the 80 Plus organization, you can have a look at them here.
Technical Specs below:
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Max. DC Output |
750 W |
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PFC |
Active PFC |
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Efficiency |
80 PLUS Gold |
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Modular |
Yes, Flat Black cables |
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Operating Temperature |
0–40 °C, 80% from 40 to 50°C |
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MTBF @ 25 °C, excl. fan |
150,000 hours |
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Protections |
OPP, OVP, UVP, OCP, OTP, SCP |
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Cooling |
135 mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan (HA13525H12F-Z) |
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Semi-passive operation |
Yes (selectable) – Hybrid Mode |
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Dimensions (W x H x D) |
PSU: 140 mm (L) x 150 mm (W) x 86 mm (H) |
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Connect: 328 mm (L) x 63 mm (W) x 20 mm (H) |
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Weight |
1.61 kg (3.55 lb) |
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Compliance |
ATX12V v2.31, EPS 2.92 |
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Warranty |
10 years |
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Below, you can find a list of the supplied modular cables:
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Description |
Cable Count |
Connector Count (Total) |
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ATX connector 20+4 pin (210 mm) |
1 |
1 |
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4+4 pin EPS12V (240 mm) |
2 |
2 |
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6+2 pin PCIe (280 mm) |
2 |
2 |
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6+2 pin PCIe (320 mm) |
2 |
2 |
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SATA (300 mm+70 mm+70 mm+70 mm) |
1 |
4 |
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SATA (200 mm+40 mm) |
1 |
2 |
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SATA (120 mm+110 mm) |
1 |
2 |
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4-pin Molex (450 mm+120 mm+120 mm) |
1 |
3 |
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4-pin Molex to SATA 3.3V Adapter (150 mm+150 mm) |
1 |
2 |
The street price is 169.99 USD. Let’s see if it’s worth it. Next page, please.
