FSP Hydro G
P ower supplies may seem mundane, but they can make or break the stability of your gaming rig. Modern gaming rigs have intense power requirements, as well as looking good all lit up through the window of your case. That 400W grey tin box just won’t cut it in 2016. Luckily, FSP Group has you covered, both in reliability and in aesthetics.
FSP GROUP
You may not have heard of the FSP Group, but they’ve been around since 1993, developing power supplies for dozens of OEMs around the world. They worked together with Intel to develop the first ATX power supply - they’ve been in the game that long.
Around 2003, FSP began developing their own brand of power supplies, whilst still maintaining a high level of OEM and 3rd party development. Such is the quality of FSP development that other companies have contracted FSP to manufacture power supplies for them, cementing their place in the industry. By 2014, the Taiwanese company managed to be the 5th largest supplier of computer power supplies in the world and pull in over US$600m in revenue.
Currently, FSP hold ISO 9001 and 14001 certification, including in-house labs that can certify products for UL, CTDP, CSA, TUV and NEMKO global safety standards. This ensures not only as FSP Group’s products reliable, they are also the safest on the market. FSP Group’s lab in Taiwan extensively tests their range of products, putting them through a plethora of tests to ensure the highest quality.
TESTING
Environmental tests are one of the first undertaken, to ensure a PSU works in ice cold or desert heat temperatures. There’s also a temperature shock test which makes sure a PSU can tolerate the transition from a cold to hot, or hot to cold environment.
A significant part of FSP’s testing process is a Highly Accelerated Life Test (HALT). The HALT test puts a PSU through extreme load testing and other component tests as to replicate a long lifetime of use. This helps ensure all FSP products operate reliably for many years.
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD), Electro-Fast-Transient (EST) and surge tests are a vital to make sure FSP’s products are safe. The power supplies are put through a series of high discharge scenarios and tested with special equipment by engineers. Errors picked up during this phase of testing can literally save your life.
Nobody likes a noisy PSU, be it fan noise or dreaded high pitched coil whine. FSP has a semi-anechoic chamber where it can test all its products for noise output. A PSU is tested at varying load levels and
A significant part of FSP’s testing process is a Highly Accelerated Life Test (HALT)
recorded in this dead silent chamber so even the slightest odd noise can be picked up and rectified if necessary.
QUALITY CONTROL
FSP’s quality control doesn’t end in the lab, it also extends to the manufacturing process. Their production facility in Shenzhen, China, implements many strict quality controls.
When producing circuit boards for power supplies, FSP employ automatic surface mount soldering (SMT) machines and back up the automated circuit board checks with human inspection along the way. After the circuit boards are done, non-SMT components are also automatically picked and placed, ensuring a high quality finish.
Each assembled power supply is checked by FSP, first via a visual inspection by an engineer who can remedy any simple problems, then again with a full load test to check operation. After this step, the PSUs are put through a burn-in test, replicating real-world use.
The final step before packaging the PSUs is to run a series of tests on the PSU to check each wire, fans, switches and ports. Only after all this testing occurs is an FSP Group PSU packaged and shipped to customers.
FSP Group’s latest product is the Hydro-G range of power supplies. Coming in at 850W, 750W and 650W, there’s a model to satisfy most users. The Hydro-G range is a fully modular, 80 PLUS Gold certified and has a large 135mm fan with an intelligent speed controller that only switches on when there’s enough load to generate heat. This approach avoids unnecessary noise, something we can all appreciate.
As a nice touch, the usual sticker on the side containing the brand name and model, is actually a removable plate. Included with the PSU are three di erent designs to match your overall rig’s aesthetic. To top it all o , the Hydro-G includes the full range of safety protections: OCP, OVP, SCP, OPP, UVP and OTP - unlike many cheaper PSUs on the market today and a hallmark of FSP Group’s overall dedication to quality.