The term “PSUs” often first brings Seasonic to mind. They’ve been making power supplies for a long time – 50 years, in fact – and are also behind various proprietary technologies like OptiTech, which includes protections for the PSU itself (OptiSink 2.0), and OptiGuard (protecting 16-pin PCIe connectors). Seasonic is also taking its fan development seriously, boosting efficiency in part by increasing thickness – to a non-standard 30 mm.
Let’s go step by step, starting with what we specialize in as a publication – fans. For Seasonic, fans are still a relatively new market. Although many people still don’t know Seasonic even makes fans, they’ve entered this space with ambition. A prime example is their latest fan, the MaxFlow, with a thick 30 mm profile.
Greater thickness primarily translates into higher static pressure, which makes these fans suitable for environments with more airflow restrictions – like radiators. With the 30 mm design, airflow loss across a radiator is less significant compared to the standard 25 mm models.
The emphasis in Seasonic’s newest fans also lies in maximizing airflow by default – achieved through large fan blades. The rotor hub is relatively small, leaving more of the fan’s surface available for airflow. These fans are expected to provide high airflow with relatively low noise levels, even when used on liquid cooling radiators.
These fans have recently been released, though currently they’re sold exclusively on the Chinese market. Once they become available elsewhere, such as in Europe, we’ll definitely cover the 30 mm-thick models in our testing.
Power Supplies: Seasonic’s pride is the PX-3200, a power supply capable of sustaining up to 3200 W of continuous power – something extremely rare. Most ATX-form-factor PSUs are significantly weaker. This PSU supports the ATX 3.1 standard, which includes native 16-pin PCIe connector support. With OptiGuard, the PSU features an additional protection layer that verifies proper cable connection. Depending on that, the system will or will not power on – helping prevent irreversible hardware damage due to incorrect cable connections. The PX-3200 will not include OptiGuard though, as this technology will still be in the development phase by the time this PSU will come to market.
Another safety feature is OptiSink 2.0, which ensures highly efficient cooling for the Focus and Core PSU lines. Thanks to this, the PSUs run more efficiently and quietly, offering overall improved operating characteristics. All of this is managed via a PCB with integrated electronics.
Seasonic at Computex is also showcasing its new adapters with 12V-2×6 connectors. We can already confirm that one of their advantages is the supple, well-flexible soft insulation of the wires, which allows for smart cable management inside the computer case. We previously published a report on these cables, which you can read in case you’re interested in more details.
The collaboration with Noctua also continues, with active cooling of the Prime NE series by Seasonic being entrusted to the company known for squeezing the absolute maximum out of fans when it comes to the efficiency of aerodynamic elements.
Is there something you’re curious about that we might not have covered in the article, but could try to get an answer from Seasonic?
English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš
Will the OptiGuard feature be added to the current product lineup such as Prime TX/PX ATX 3.1 series as an upgrade or will a new series of power supplies be launched? When will it be available on the market?
Thank you for your question – we have received a response from Seasonic.
First of all, it’s important to note that the OptiGuard technology is still under development, and for this reason, Seasonic cannot yet confirm which power supply models it will or won’t be implemented into – time will tell.
What is certain, however, is that once development is complete, the plan is to implement OptiGuard across all Seasonic PSU series. Naturally, this will apply to those that receive newer revisions moving forward. 🙂