Seasonic Prime AirTouch 850W Gold PSU Review: A High Quality PSU With A Hybrid Fan Control
Introduction
Seasonic’s consumer products consists of the Focus, Focus Plus, Prime, Prime SnowSilent and Prime Ultra series. These products range in capacity from 450W with the Focus Gold line and up to 1300W with the Prime Platinum line. Enthusiasts absolutely love Seasonic's products and they constantly praise the company for making some of the best power supplies on the market. During the past several months, we have reviewed many of Seasonic’s PSUs such as the Focus Plus 750W Gold, Focus 650W Gold and Focus Plus 850W Platinum which have impressed us with their exceptional internal build quality and amazing performance.
Today we will be taking a detailed look at a new product from Seasonic called the Prime AirTouch. For now, Seasonic is releasing the Prime AirTouch just in the 850W capacity and it will only be selling it in USA and Asia. The Prime AirTouch PSU has been in development for quite some time now. I first remember reading about it during Computex 2016 and then we saw it again at Computex 2017 but it was never released that year. At Computex 2018, Seasonic once again showcased its Prime AirTouch PSU but the company did not reveal any information regarding pricing and release date.
I was recently contacted by Seasonic to review the Prime AirTouch PSU before it launches and this is something that Seasonic has never been done before. The Prime AirTouch PSU is not like any other PSU that Seasonic has made before and the most interesting feature of the Prime AirTouch PSU is this five-way hybrid fan control which will allow users to select among five different cooling profiles via a button at the back of the power supply. As you are toggling through the five different fan settings, this button will also light up in five different colors depending on the selected fan mode. We'll get into how this feature works below.
Pricing & Warranty
The Prime AirTouch 850W Gold power supply has an MSRP of $160 and comes with a 12 year warranty. This is an 80+ Gold certified PSU which means it guarantees greater than 87%, 90% and 87% efficiency at 20%, 50% and 100% operating loads, respectively. Compared to other fully modular 850W Gold PSUs from EVGA (SuperNOVA 850W G3), Corsair (RM850X) and Antec (HCG 850W), the Prime AirTouch 850W Gold is about $20 to $30 more expensive on Newegg and Amazon. If the $160 price-tag is an issue for you, I would recommend going with the Seasonic Focus Plus 850W because it retails for $110 on Amazon and it is one of the best 850W Gold PSUs you can buy.
Also, keep in mind that Seasonic is one of the only companies to provide a 12 year warranty on their power supplies. I believe EVGA recently announced that they will be extending the warranty on some of their PSUs to 12 years as well but the majority of the manufactures offer 5 year warranties so this shows Seasonic's commitment to their PSU quality and longevity.
Specifications
| Seasonic Prime AirTouch 850W | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture: | Seasonic | ||||
| Model: | SSR-850GD | ||||
| Max. DC Output: | 850W | ||||
| 80PLUS: | Gold | ||||
| Over Voltage Protection: | Yes | ||||
| Weight: | 6.80 lbs | ||||
| Efficiency Level: | ETA-A | ||||
| Form Factor: | Intel ATX 12 V | ||||
| Dimensions: | 170 mm (W) x 150 mm (L) x 86 mm (H) | ||||
| Fan Size: | 135 mm | ||||
| Fan Control: | Hybrid Five-Way Fan Control | ||||
| Fan Bearing: | Fluid Dynamic Bearing | ||||
| Life Expectancy: | 50,000 hours at 40 °C, 15 % - 65 % RH | ||||
| Modularity: | Fully Modular | ||||
| Cable type: | Flat black cables | ||||
| Operating Temperature: | 0 - 50 °C (derating from 100 % to 80 % from 40 °C to 50 °C) | ||||
| MTBF @ 25 °C, excl. fan: | 150,000 hours | ||||
| AC Input: | Full Range | ||||
| Protection: | OPP, OVP, UVP, OCP, OTP, SCP | ||||
| Safety and EMC: | cTUVus, TUV, CB, CCC, BSMI, EAC, CE | ||||
| Environmental Compliance: | Energy Star, RoHS, WEEE, ErP Lot 6, REACH | ||||
| Warranty: | 12 Years | ||||
| Voltage: | 100 V - 240 V | ||||
| Current: | 11 - 5.5 A | ||||
| Frequency: | 50 Hz - 60 Hz | ||||
| Load Range | |||||
| Rail | +3.3V | +5V | +12V | -12 V | +5 VSB |
| Max.(Amps): | 20 A | 20 A | 70 A | 0.3 A | 2.5 A |
| Max.(Power): | 100 W | 840 W | 3.6 W | 12.5 W | |
| Total Continuous Power: | 850 W | ||||
Packaging
Packaging is top notch just as you would expect from Seasonic. The Prime AirTouch 850W Gold comes in a shiny box with visually striking graphics. Looking at the front of the box, we see the Seasonic logo on the top left corner followed by the 'Prime AirTouch 850W Gold' text in bottom right corner and '12 Years Warranty' in the bottom left corner.
On the back, you will see a list of the Prime AirTouch 850W Gold's features such as the 80-Plus gold certified, micro tolerance load regulation, top-quality 135mm fluid dynamic bearing fan, aluminum solid capacitors, cable-free connection, fully modular cabling design, multi-GPU technologies support, gold plated high current terminals.
Inside the box you will find a set of Velcro straps, four mounting screws, several zip ties, Seasonic Prime case badge, an AC power cord, two user manuals and a bundle of modular cables in a separate cloth bag. The manual has all the information you need to know about the power supply such as how to set up your power supply and basic troubleshooting. Something else that Seasonic has included is a PSU tester which can come in handy for performing a quick and easy jump start on the power supply. Seasonic has also included a SATA 3.3 adapter to support the "Power Disable" (PWDIS) feature of the newer, high-capacity hard drives. Size-wise, the Prime AirTouch 850W Gold is 170mm wide, 86mm tall and 150mm long and weighs 6.80 lbs.
The Prime AirTouch 850W Gold is protected by two high density foams as shock absorbent to prevent any accidental damages during shipping. The power supply is enclosed inside a cloth bag that definitely gives it a premium feel to it. Most manufactures package their power supplies in plastic bags so it's nice to see Seasonic go the extra mile with their packaging. There's a void sticker on one of the corners of the PSU and tampering with the PSU of course voids the warranty. You can tell that Seasonic takes packaging very seriously which is something that many companies take for granted.
The cables are made of high quality materials and are of ample length for all towers. I am happy to report that Seasonic has listened to the feedback that they have received with some of their previous PSUs about the inline capacitors and have decided to remove them from the Prime AirTouch PSU. The problem with the inline capacitors was that they made the cables quite bulky thus making them difficult to fold and route around the case. The cables with the AirTouch PSU are flat so they offer great flexibility for tight folding and management of cables. One thing I don't understand is why Seasonic decided to sleeve just the 24-pin connector and not the other important cables considering this is a fairly expensive product aimed at enthusiasts.
| Connector | Connector count | Cable count | Cable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Power (24/20 pins) | 1 | 1 | 610 mm |
| CPU (8/4 pins) | 2 | 2 | 650 mm |
| PCIe (8/6 pins) | 6 | 3 | 675 mm + 75 mm |
| SATA | 10 | 1 | 350 mm + 150 mm + 150 mm + 150 mm |
| 1 | 400 mm + 120 mm + 120 mm + 120 mm | ||
| 1 | 300 mm + 120 mm | ||
| Peripheral | 5 | 1 | 450 mm + 120 mm + 120 mm |
| 1 | 350 mm + 120 mm | ||
| Floppy | 1 | 1 | 101 mm |
Features
This PSU is all about the hybrid 5-stage fan control so let's talk about how this feature works. On the back panel, you will notice a white button which will allow you to customize your cooling needs by cycling through five different settings and colors. If you select a fan mode that does not achieve optimal cooling, the built-in protection function of the power supply will automatically increase the fan speed as necessary to prevent overheating and to protect the components of the system. Below you will find the five different fan modes and what each one is designed to do.
Turbo Mode (Red): This is the maximum fan speed available for permanent cooling. This setting is mostly recommended for heavy graphics processing, extreme gaming or overclocking.
High Cooling Mode (Yellow): When the system is not running at its maximum load but needs extra cooling, the fan runs at 80 % of its maximum speed. This setting is recommended for intensive or prolonged usage, or when multiple graphics cards are installed.
Medium Cooling Mode (Green): The fan speed is set at around 65 % as the computer turns on and it will gradually increase as the system load exceeds 80 % of its maximum possible load. This setting is ideal for every-day, normal operation.
Low Cooling Mode (Blue): (Default setting for new power supplies) Light cooling is provided up to about 60 % of the maximum possible load. This setting is most commonly used for an average computer build and light usage.
Silent Mode (White): This is the most ideal setting for average office usage and for the most silent operation. The fan control optimizes fan speed according to the following three stages:
- I - Zero fan speed under 40 % load
- II - Medium cooling between 40 % and 80 % load
- III - Intensive cooling between 80 % and 100 % load
Seasonic has equipped the Prime AirTouch 850W Gold with a 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing fan with the ability to turn off for silent operation during idle or low powered activities if the loading condition is below 40%. The Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) fan is a high quality fan that is extremely reliable and generates considerably less operating noise and heat than ball bearing fans.
The Prime AirTouch 850W Gold sports a fully modular design which allows you to use only the cables you need thus helping improve case airflow and eliminating unnecessary wires and reducing clutter. Seasonic is using high-quality Japanese brand capacitors that ensure long-term reliability.
Seasonic has incorporated a super low voltage regulation into the AirTouch PSU which the company calls Micro Tolerance Load Regulation. A low voltage regulation helps significantly with stability and with the AirTouch PSU, Seasonic has managed to achieve under 0.5% load regulation in the primary rails (+3.3V, +5V, and +12V).
Generally a good PSU is rated for 50°C operating temperature but the majority of them are normally rated for 40°C. This is a pretty difficult standard to meet for most manufacturers but Seasonic has achieved that with the Prime AirTouch 850W Gold which is able to operate at 50°C temperature with no problem. Seasonic has also implemented a cable-free connection design solution where instead of cables, the back panel and the PCB are connected by a copper plate. This lowers the chance of production errors during manual insertion and also improves power efficiency.
Build Quality
The top cover can be removed by unscrewing the four screws but keep in mind that removing the top cover voids the warranty so you lose the 12 years guaranteed warranty by the manufacturer. The first thing you will notice once the top cover is removed is the clean layout and the cable-free connection design of the power supply. All connections travel through the PCB which helps with improving output power quality. The integration and soldering quality is excellent just as you would expect from Seasonic.
Seasonic is using all high quality Japanese capacitors throughout the build. Japanese manufacturers such as Nippon Chemi-Con are known for making excellent capacitors and have a reputation for excellent quality control and are also said to use a refined electrolyte with better sealing capacity that are more resilient to higher temperatures. Both the primary and secondary stages are using high grade 105°C Japanese capacitors.
You will notice that Seasonic has placed some heatsinks in many key areas to help with dissipating the heat from the primary and secondary side which is very good. There's a small PCB where the AC receptacle and power switch are installed which also holds the first part of the EMI suppression filter. So the input filtering begins on this small PCB that has some X and Y capacitors attached to it and then trails onto the main PCB for completion. The EMI filter capacitor is directly soldered to the rear of the socket with a small circuit board.
The Prime AirTouch 850W power supply supports the following protections:
- Total Power Protection (OPP): PSU shuts down if the total output power exceeds the maximum rated capacity.
- Over Voltage Protection (OVP): PSU shuts down if the voltage at any rail exceeds specification.
- Under Voltage protection (UVP): PSU shuts down if the voltage at each rail drops below specification.
- Over Current Protection (OCP): PSU shuts down if any of the rails are overloaded by the current.
- Short Circuit Protection (SCP): PSU shuts down if a short circuit is detected.
- Over Temperature Protection (OTP): PSU shuts down if the temperature reaches a certain level.
Internally, the AirTouch 850W Gold is featuring a full bridge LLC topology and LLC resonant converter on the primary side while the secondary side uses synchronous rectification and DC-to-DC converters which provides a greater stability and maximizes the output of the 12V rail.
All of the filtering is handled by several Nippon Chemi-Con capacitors which is great. Seasonic has replaced the use of cables with a copper plate to connect the modular panel to the PCB, drastically reducing the possibility of production errors during manual insertion, as well as improving the quality of the output power in general.
Looking at the back of the power supply, we can see a nice, clean layout which can be very helpful for people who are new to building their own systems. The modular panel includes 13 sockets and the panel is nicely labeled to let you know what each socket is used for. Most users will not need to plug in all of their modular cables so it's perfectly normal to have extra cables left unplugged.
The Prime AirTouch 850W Gold comes with a 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) fan with a max 2000 RPM and is rated for 0.50A at 12V. Fluid dynamic bearings fans have a much longer lifespan compared to ball bearing fans and generate less operational noise and heat. Also, fluid dynamic bearings use lubrication on the surface to reduce friction and vibration.
The fan is made by Hong Hua and the model number is HA13525H12F-Z and it is connected to the PCB using a 2-pin connector. Life expectancy of the fan is estimated to be up to 50,000 hours working at an average temperature of 40° C. The fan does a good job of dissipating the heat and Seasonic includes a metal grid which is designed to protect the fan from objects that may obstruct its operation.
Test Methodology
Our goal here is to simulate realistic loading conditions to see how well the PSU can maintain the various output voltages while operating under different loads. All of the testing is conducted at an ambient temperature of 22°C. These tests will be performed at several load levels, from low (100W) to high (800W) or higher depending on the PSU. We are looking for results as close to 12V, 5V and 3.3V as possible. We are also measuring the PSU noise levels during our load testing. Sound pressure level readings were measured from about 100cm away from the PSU.
Below is a table listing the tolerances for each power supply voltage rail based on the ATX specification version 2.2. We have also included a table with various dBa ratings to help describe the various noise levels based on real world situations.
| Power Supply Voltage Tolerances | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rail | Tolerance | Min. Voltage | Max. Voltage |
| +3.3V | ± 5% (±0.165V) | +3.135V | +3.465V |
| +5V | ± 5% (±0.25V) | +4.75V | +5.25V |
| -5V | ± 10% (±0.50V) | -4.50V | -5.50V |
| +12V | ± 5% (±0.60V) | +11.40V | +12.60V |
| -12V | ± 10% (±1.20V) | -10.80V | -13.20V |
| Noise Levels (dBA) | |
|---|---|
| Lawn Mower: | 90 dBA |
| Vacuum Cleaner: | 80 dBA |
| City Traffic: | 75 dBA |
| Conversation: | 65 dBA |
| Air Conditioning: | 60 dBA |
| Floor Fan: | 50 dBA |
| Electric Hum: | 45 dBA |
| Refrigerator Hum: | 40 dBA |
| Rustling Leaves: | 30 dBA |
| Pin Falling: | 15 dBA |
| Just Audible: | 10 dBA |
| Threshold of Hearing: | 0 dBA |
Results
| Seasonic Prime AirTouch 850W Gold Load Tests | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DC Load | +3.3V | +5V | +12V | Efficiency | Fan Speed | PSU Noise |
| 100W | 3.32V | 5.11V | 12.12V | 88.8% | 0 RPM | <15 dBA |
| 200W | 3.28V | 5.04V | 12.08V | 89.3% | 0 RPM | <15 dBA |
| 300W | 3.30V | 5.07V | 12.09V | 90.6% | 580 RPM | 38 dBA |
| 400W | 3.29V | 5.03V | 11.99V | 90.4% | 765 RPM | 43 dBA |
| 500W | 3.34V | 4.97V | 12.03V | 90.8% | 1095 RPM | 47 dBA |
| 600W | 3.28V | 5.02V | 12.16V | 89.9% | 1430 RPM | 52 dBA |
| 700W | 3.33V | 5.13V | 12.11V | 88.5% | 1835 RPM | 57 dBA |
| 800W | 3.31V | 5.00V | 12.02V | 88.3% | 1970 RPM | 64 dBA |
The Prime AirTouch 850W Gold delivered great results just as we expected. All three main rails ran flawlessly during our tests and the minimal variations were all within the strict 5% tolerance limit. If you use your computer primarily for browsing the web, gaming and watching movies then I would recommend using the silent mode (white) because the fan turns off when the PSU load is under 40%. The Low Cooling Mode (Blue) is another mode that I recommend for most users because the noise output is low during daily operations but if you use any of the other modes, the fan becomes very noisy. Remember, if you select a fan mode that does not achieve optimal cooling, the PSU will automatically increase the fan speed as necessary to prevent overheating.
Conclusion
Seasonic has managed to create another fantastic product with the Prime AirTouch 850W power supply and the hybrid 5-stage fan control adds a unique touch to the product. The Prime AirTouch 850W Gold power supply offers users a highly efficient PSU in a fully modular design with a fantastic build quality. I use my computer primarily for browsing the web, reading, and watching movies but I also do some light gaming here and there so the silent mode (white) is perfect for me because it shuts off the fan if the PSU is under 40% load.
The overall test results for the Prime AirTouch 850W Gold power supply were excellent and the voltage regulation was also excellent. The build quality is modern and the integration quality is top-notch as we have come to expect from Seasonic. The Prime AirTouch 850W Gold power supply features a single +12V rail that can deliver up to 70A (840W) on the +12V output which is enough power to feed two high-end graphics cards while still having plenty of room left for overclocking your CPU.
The Prime AirTouch 850W PSU comes packaged with everything you would need to build a high-end system.
Seasonic includes a silent 135mm FDB fan with intelligent fanless operation that makes it
great for quiet home or office use.
Another great thing is the 12 year warranty which shows how confident in the quality and reliability of their product Seasonic is.
Pros:
+ High Build Quality
+ Quiet FDB Fan
+ Fully Modular
+ Plenty of Cables/Connectors
+ PSU Tester Included
+ 12 Years Warranty
+ High Efficiency
+ Five-Way Fan Control
Cons:
- Price
My main problem with the Prime AirTouch 850W Gold is its high price. I think that $160 is expensive for an 850W Gold PSU.
Keep in mind that an 850W PSU is overkill for most people unless they have multiple GPUs and an overclocked CPU that is power hungry.
If you are looking for a beefy PSU for future upgrades then a high wattage PSU like the AirTouch 850W is an excellent choice
but if you want to save money, you may want to look at Seasonic's Focus Plus series.
Overall, the Seasonic Prime AirTouch 850W Gold deserves our gold award.
Final Score 9.5
