Seasonic Connect 750 W PSU review - 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.  

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:

Below, you can find a list of the supplied modular cables:

The street price is 169.99 USD. Let’s see if it’s worth it. Next page, please.