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The
Box:::...
The
box is certainly class. It doesn't quite have the
"cool" factor that we saw from the moody,
black box that Tagan used for the power supply I reviewed
recently but it does look very well presented and
lays out all the important features at a glance.
Inside
The Box:::...
First
impressions are pretty positive, though they'd probably
have been even more positive had Sea Sonic chosen
just about any colour other than that dull Zinc grey.
I know that in most cases the power supply is hidden
from view, and I'd much sooner Sea Sonic spend their
time worrying about what's inside their power supplies
than the colour of the paint they should use but sometimes
it's the little details like this that appeal to case
modders and enthusiasts. A nice, chrome-like finish
or maybe black would have set the tone?
In
the bag is the "Dr Cable Cable Management Kit
" which consistes of a large and small spiral
cable wrap and some small cable ties. Again they could
have used a slightly more inspiring colour but to
find anything bundles with a power supply is a bonus
so I guess I can't really moan.....much :)
The
big feature of the Super Tornado range is the horizontally
mounted 120mm cooling fan which is responsible not
only for its superb cooling performance but which
also serves to keep noise levels at a minimum. 120mm
fans can usually create a greater airflow at much
lower spin speeds than their smaller 80mm or 60mm
brethren.
Apparently,
by mounting the fan horizontally SeaSonic have extended
fan life by eliminating gravity resultant lubricant
seapage and by removing the sideways pressure from
the bearings.
Sea
Sonic's S2FC (Smart and Silent Fan Control) technology
keeps the fan spinning at speeds accurately matched
with operating temperatures to always offer the optimum
power efficiency under all load conditions.
120mm
Fan Grill
Although
Sea Sonic's documentation suggests an airflow of >70CFM,
when I checked the fan's specs on the manufacturer's
site it actually quotes a figure of only 56CFM at
12volts so it's possible that either more than 12volts
is fed to it or the figures from one of them are wrong.
Update*
I spoke to Mina Chan at Sea Sonic about the fan's
specs and she explained to me that they are in the
process of amending the specifications on the packaging
to reflect the fact that they may have to source alternative
fans during times of component shortages. In all fairness,
the difference in cooling between a 50CFM and a 70CFM
fan is probably not especially large in this kind
of enclosure.
Another
point worth noting is that although Sea Sonic quote
a noise level of 22dBA, this is the minimum level.
The fan is clearly quoted at 39dBA which is what you'll
get under full ambient temperatures and high loads.
In their defense the Super Tornado spent the vast
majority of its time on test running at its whisper-quiet
22dBA setting.
+++
Another
interesting feature is the honeycombed rear panel
which massively aids airflow yet doesn't, as I'd imagined,
weaken the structural strength of the casing too much.
The
lack of a voltage selector switch is a hint to the
fact that the Super Tornado accepts a full range of
voltages anywhere between 100 and 240volts AC.
Honeycomb
Rear Panel
Here's
a look at the attached label...so where's the -5v
rating? Well, because this power supply is designed
to ATX v1.3 specifications, the now defunct -5v line
which was only actually used to power the ISA bus
has been dropped.
Spec
Label
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