FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W Power Supply Review

[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

The Aurum 92+ is the new 80 Plus Platinum power supply series from FSP, available in 450 W, 550 W, and 650 W versions. Let’s see how the 650 W version fared on our tests.

The name of this series is obviously an artistic license, since “aurum” means “gold” in Latin; anyone who has studied chemistry in school knows that.

Figure 1: FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W power supply

Figure 2: FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W power supply

The FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W is 6.3” (160 mm) deep, using a 120 mm fluid dynamic bearing fan on its bottom (Protechnic MGA12012HF-A25).

Figure 3: Fan

The modular cabling system from this power supply has five connectors, one for a video card power cable and four for peripheral and SATA power cables. The unit comes with the main motherboard cable, an ATX12V/EPS12V cable, and a video card power cable permanently attached to it. They use nylon sleeves that come from inside the unit. This power supply comes with the following cables:

• Main motherboard cable with a 24-pin connector, 21.7” (55 cm) long, permanently attached to the power supply
• One cable with two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, 24.4” (62 cm) long, permanently attached to the power supply
• One cable with one six/eight-pin connector for video cards, 22.4” (57 cm) long, permanently attached to the power supply
• One cable with one six/eight-pin connector for video cards, 21.2” (54 cm) long, modular cabling system
• One cable with five SATA power connectors, 21.6” (55 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors, modular cabling system
• One cable with four SATA power connectors, 21.6” (55 cm) to the first connector, 2” (5 cm) between connectors, modular cabling system
• One cable with two standard peripheral power connectors, 21.6” (55 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors, modular cabling system
• One cable with two standard peripheral power connectors and one floppy disk drive power connector, 21.6” (55 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors, modular cabling system

All wires are 18 AWG, which is the minimum recommended gauge.

The cable configuration is perfect for a 650 W power supply.

Figure 4: Cables

Let’s now take an in-depth look inside this power supply.

[nextpage title=”A Look Inside the FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W”]

We decided to disassemble this power supply to see what it looks like inside, how it is designed, and what components are used. Please read our “Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies” tutorial to understand how a power supply works and to compare this power supply to others.

On this page we will have an overall look, while in the following pages we will discuss in detail the quality and ratings of the components used.

Figure 5: Top view

Figure 6: Front quarter view

Figure 7: Rear quarter view

Figure 8: The printed circuit board

[nextpage title=”Transient Filtering Stage”]

As we have mentioned in other articles and reviews, the first place we look when opening a power supply for a hint about its quality, is its filtering stage. The recommended components for this stage are two ferrite coils, two ceramic capacitors (Y capacitors, usually blue), one metalized polyester capacitor (X capacitor), and one MOV (Metal-Oxide Varistor). Very low-end power supplies use fewer components, usually removing the MOV and the first coil.

In the transient filtering stage, this power supply is flawless, with two Y capacitors and one X capacitor more than the minimum required. In addition, it uses an integrated circuit called “CAPZero” (CAP004DG) to reduce power loss.  

Figure 9: Transient filtering stage (part 1)

Figure 10: Transient filtering stage (part 2)

Figure 11: The CAPZero integrated circuit

On the next page, we will have a more detailed discussion about the components used in the FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W.

[nextpage title=”Primary Analysis”]

On this page, we will take an in-depth look at the primary stage of the FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W. For a better understanding, please read our “Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies” tutorial.

This power supply uses a GBU15L06 rectifying bridge, which is attached to an individual heatsink. This bridge supports up to 15 A at 115° C. So in theory, you would be able to pull up to 1,725 W from a 115 V power grid. Assuming 80% efficiency, the bridge would allow this unit to deliver up to 1,380 W without burning itself out (or 1,553 W with 90% efficiency). Of course, we are only talking about this particular component. The real limit will depend on all the components combined in this power supply.

Figure 12: Rectifying bridge

The active PFC circuit uses two IPA60R125CP MOSFETs, each one supporting up to 25 A at 25° C or 16 A at 100° C in continuous mode (note the difference temperature makes), or 82 A at 25° C in pulse mode. These transistors present a 125 mΩ resistance when turned on, a characteristic called RDS(on). The lower the number the better, meaning that the transistor will waste less power, and the power supply will have a higher efficiency.

The output of the active PFC circuit is filtered by one 390 µF x 450 V Japanese electrolytic capacitor, from Chemi-Con, labeled at 105° C.

Figure 13: Capacitor

In the switching section, this power supply uses the same configuration as FSP’s Aurum Gold units, called active clamp reset forward. The switching transistor is an SPA17N80C3 MOSFET, which supports up to 17 A at 25° C or 11 A at 100° C in continuous mode, or up to 51 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of 290 mΩ. A second transistor (resetting transistor) is used to turn off the switching transistor and is controlled from the secondary side. The transistor used for this function is an FQPF3N80C. 

Figure 14: Switching transistor, resetting transistor, and active PFC transistors

The primary is managed by a custom-made active PFC/PWM controller called FSP6600. Since this is a custom integrated circuit, no datasheet is available for it.

Figure 15: Active PFC/PWM controller

Let’s now take a look at the secondary of this power supply.

[nextpage title=”Secondary Analysis”]

As one would expect in a high-efficiency power supply, the FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W uses a synchronous design.

The +12 V output uses two IPP020N06N MOSFETs, each one supporting up to 120 A at 100° C in continuous mode, or up to 480 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of only 2 mΩ.

Figure 16: The +12 V transistors

The +5 V output uses two IPD031N03L G MOSFETs, each one supporting up to 90 A at 100° C in continuous mode, or up to 400 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of only 3.1 mΩ. These transistors are located on the solder side of the printed circuit board, using the power supply case as a heatsink. They are controlled by another custom integrated circuit, an FSP6601.

The +3.3 V output uses the same configuration as the +5 V output, as described above.

Figure 17: The +5 V and +3.3 V transistors

Figure 18: The synchronous controller

The outputs of this power supply are monitored by a WT7579 integrated circuit. This chip supports over voltage (OVP), under voltage (UVP), over current (OCP), and over temperature (OTP) protections. There are four +12 V over current protection channels, correctly matching the number of +12 V rails advertised by the manufacturer.

Figure 19: Monitoring circuit

The electrolytic capacitors from the secondary are also from Chemi-Con, and labeled at 105° C, as usual.

Figure 20: Capacitors

[nextpage title=”The +5VSB Power Supply”]

The +5VSB (a.k.a. standby) power supply is independent of the main power supply, since it is on continuously.

On the FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W, the +5VSB power supply uses an AP03N70I-H as its switching transistor, which supports up to 2.5 A at 25° C or 1.6 A at 100° C in continuous mode, or up to 8 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of only 4.4 mΩ. 

Figure 21: The +5VSB switching transistor

The switching transistor is controlled by the same FSP6600 integrated circuit that controls the switching transistors of the main power supply.

The rectification of the +5VSB output is performed by an STPS20L60CT Schottky rectifier, which supports up to 20 A (10 A per internal diode at 140° C, 0.74 V maximum voltage drop).

Figure 22: The +5VSB rectifier

[nextpage title=”Power Distribution”]

In Figure 23, you can see the power supply label containing all the power specs.

Figure 23: Power supply label

As you can see, the manufacturer labels this unit as having four +12 V rails, which is correct, since the monitoring circuit has four over current protection (OCP) channels, and we could clearly see four shunts (current sensors) on the solder side of the printed circuit board. Click here for more information on this subject.

Figure 24: Shunts

The four rails are distributed as follows:

• +12V1 (solid yellow wire): Main motherboard cable, SATA and peripheral power connectors
• +12V2 (yellow/black wire): The ATX12V/EPS12V cable
• +12V3 (yellow/blue wire): The video card power cable that is permanently connected to the power supply
• +12V4 (yellow/white wire): The video card power cable on the modular cabling system

This distribution is perfect, as it separates the CPU and the video card power cables on individual rails.

How much power can this unit really deliver? Let’s check it out.

[nextpage title=”Load Tests”]

We conducted several tests with this power supply, as described in the article, “Hardware Secrets Power Supply Test Methodology.”

First, we tested this power supply with five different load patterns, trying to pull around 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of its labeled maximum capacity (actual percentage used listed under “% Max Load”), watching the behavior of the reviewed unit under each load. In the table below, we list the load patterns we used and the results for each load.

If you add all the powers listed for each test, you may find a different value than what is posted under “Total” below. Since each output can have a slight variation (e.g., the +5 V output working at 5.10 V), the actual total amount of power being delivered is slightly different than the calculated value. In the “Total” row, we are using the real amount of power being delivered, as measured by our load tester.

The +12VA and +12VB inputs listed below are the two +12 V independent inputs from our load tester. During this test, the +12VA input was connected to the power supply’s +12V1 and +12V3 rails, while the +12VB input was connected to the power supply’s +12V2 rail.

Input	Test 1	Test 2	Test 3	Test 4	Test 5
+12VA	5 A (60 W)	10 A (120 W)	14.5 A (174 W)	19 A (228 W)	28 A (336 W)
+12VB	5 A (60 W)	10 A (120 W)	14 A (168 W)	19 A (228 W)	19 A (228 W)
+5 V	1 A (5 W)	2 A (10 W)	4 A (20 W)	6 A (30 W)	8 A (40 W)
+3.3 V	1 A (3.3 W)	2 A (6.6 W)	4 A (13.2 W)	6 A (19.8 W)	8 A (26.4 W)
+5VSB	1 A (5 W)	1.5 A (7.5 W)	2 A (10 W)	2.5 A (12.5 W)	3 A (15 W)
-12 V	0.5 A (6 W)	0.5 A (6 W)	0.5 A (6 W)	0.5 A (6 W)	0.5 A (6 W)
Total	141.7 W	272.4 W	399.8 W	525.4 W	649.8 W
% Max Load	21.8%	41.9%	61.5%	80.8%	100.0%
Room Temp.	46.0° C	44.7° C	44.6° C	45.9° C	49.5° C
PSU Temp.	46.8° C	47.3° C	47.6° C	48.2° C	49.8° C
Voltage Regulation	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
Ripple and Noise	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
AC Power	153.7 W	294.9 W	436.3 W	581.7 W	734.0 W
Efficiency	92.2%	92.4%	91.6%	90.3%	88.5%
AC Voltage	117.7 V	114.4 V	115.1 V	113.6 V	111.4 V
Power Factor	0.973	0.991	0.997	0.998	0.998
Final Result	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass

Notice that we must keep 19 A at +12VB input during test five. This happened because above that the over current protection would kick in.

The 80 Plus Platinum certification promises efficiency of at least 90% under light (i.e., 20%) load, 92% under typical (i.e., 50%) load, and 89% under full (i.e., 100%) load. The FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W matched these numbers, except on the full load tests, where it displayed 88.5% efficiency, a tad below the minimum promised. However, we have to consider that we tested this power supply at almost 50° C, while the 80 Plus certification tests are conducted at 23° C, and efficiency drops as temperature increases. Another explanation is on the AC voltage, which was below 115 V during this particular test.

Let’s discuss voltage regulation on the next page.

[nextpage title=
“Voltage Regulation Tests”]

The ATX12V specification states that positive voltages must be within 5% of their nominal values, and negative voltages must be within 10% of their nominal values. We consider a power supply as “flawless” if it shows voltages within 3% of its nominal values. In the table below, you can see the power supply voltages during our tests and, in the following table, the deviation, in percentage, of their nominal values.

As you can see, the +3.3 V output was touching the lower limit during test five. The minimum allowed for the +3.3 V output is +3.135 V; however, our equipment doesn’t have a three-digit decimal precision.

Input	Test 1	Test 2	Test 3	Test 4	Test 5
+12VA	+12.20 V	+12.12 V	+12.10 V	+12.04 V	+11.98 V
+12VB	+12.20 V	+12.11 V	+12.05 V	+11.99 V	+11.97 V
+5 V	+5.14 V	+5.13 V	+5.11 V	+5.08 V	+5.06 V
+3.3 V	+3.24 V	+3.23 V	+3.21 V	+3.18 V	+3.13 V
+5VSB	+5.11 V	+5.09 V	+5.04 V	+5.01 V	+4.96 V
-12 V	-12.56 V	-12.61 V	-12.69 V	-12.76 V	-12.83 V

Input	Test 1	Test 2	Test 3	Test 4	Test 5
+12VA	1.67%	1.00%	0.83%	0.33%	-0.17%
+12VB	1.67%	0.92%	0.42%	-0.08%	-0.25%
+5 V	2.80%	2.60%	2.20%	1.60%	1.20%
+3.3 V	-1.82%	-2.12%	-2.73%	-3.64%	-5.15%
+5VSB	2.20%	1.80%	0.80%	0.20%	-0.80%
-12 V	4.67%	5.08%	5.75%	6.33%	6.92%

Let’s discuss the ripple and noise levels on the next page.

[nextpage title=”Ripple and Noise Tests”]

Voltages at the power supply outputs must be as “clean” as possible, with no noise or oscillation (also known as “ripple”). The maximum ripple and noise levels allowed are 120 mV for +12 V and -12 V outputs, and 50 mV for +5 V, +3.3 V and +5VSB outputs. All values are peak-to-peak figures. We consider a power supply as being top-notch if it can produce half or less of the maximum allowed ripple and noise levels.

The FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W provided low ripple and noise levels, as you can see in the table below.

Input	Test 1	Test 2	Test 3	Test 4	Test 5
+12VA	37.4 mV	36.2 mV	39.6 mV	45.2 mV	53.8 mV
+12VB	37.4 mV	38.6 mV	42.4 mV	50.8 mV	60.8 mV
+5 V	16.6 mV	16.6 mV	16.8 mV	17.4 mV	21.8 mV
+3.3 V	16.6 mV	23.2 mV	24.2 mV	29.8 mV	29.2 mV
+5VSB	13.4 mV	13.8 mV	15.4 mV	18.4 mV	22.6 mV
-12 V	65.4 mV	64.6 mV	64.8 mV	65.8 mV	65.4 mV

Below you can see the waveforms of the outputs during test five.

Figure 25: +12VA input from load tester during test five at 649.8 W (53.8 mV)

Figure 26: +12VB input from load tester during test five at 649.8 W (60.8 mV)

Figure 27: +5V rail during test five at 649.8 W (21.8 mV)

Figure 28: +3.3 V rail during test five at 649.8 W (29.2 mV)

Let’s see if we can pull more than 650 W from this unit.

[nextpage title=”Overload Tests”]

Below you can see the maximum we could pull from this power supply. The objective of this test is to see if the power supply has its protection circuits working properly. The maximum we could pull from this power supply is listed below. When we tried to pull more than 19 A with the +12VB input from our load tester, the unit would shut down, showing that the over current protection was working fine. During this test, the +5 V (at +4.74 V), the +3.3 V (at +3.03 V), and the +5VSB (at +4.68 V) outputs were below the minimum allowed. Noise and ripple levels increased a lot, getting close to the maximum allowed, at 99.4 mV at +12VA, 111 mV at +12VB, 46.2 mV at +5 V, and 38.6 mV at +3.3 V.

Input	Overload Test
+12VA	33 A (396 W)
+12VB	19 A (228 W)
+5 V	24 A (120 W)
+3.3 V	24 A (79.2 W)
+5VSB	3 A (15 W)
-12 V	0.5 A (6 W)
Total	837.8 W
% Max Load	128.9%
Room Temp.	48.2° C
PSU Temp.	49.0° C
AC Power	1,000 W
Efficiency	83.8%
AC Voltage	108.4 V
Power Factor	0.998

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

The main specifications for the FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W power supply include:

• Standards: ATX12V 2.31 and EPS12V 2.92
• Nominal labeled power: 650 W
• Measured maximum power: 837.8 W at 48.2° C
• Labeled efficiency: Above 92%, 80 Plus Platinum certification
• Measured efficiency: Between 88.5% and 92.4%, at 115 V (nominal, see complete results for actual voltage)
• Active PFC: Yes
• Modular Cabling System: Yes
• Motherboard Power Connectors: One 24-pin connector and two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, permanently attached to the power supply
• Video Card Power Connectors: One six/eight-pin connector on a cable permanently attached to the power supply and one six/eight-pin connector on a cable on the modular cabling system
• SATA Power Connectors: Nine on two cables, modular cabling system
• Peripheral Power Connectors: Four on two cables, modular cabling system
• Floppy Disk Drive Power Connectors: One
• Protections
  (as listed by the manufacturer): Over voltage (OVP), under voltage (UVP), over current (OCP), over power (OPP), over temperature (OTP), and short-circuit (SCP) protections
• Are the above protections really available? Yes.
• Warranty: Five years
• More Information: https://www.fsplifestyle.com
• Average Price in the U.S.*: USD 130.00

* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

The FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W performed well on our tests, with efficiency between 88.5% and 92.4%, low noise and ripple tests, and, for the most part, very good voltage regulation. During our full-load test, however, the +3.3 V output was at the bottom of the allowed range.

The main competitors for the FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W (USD 130) are the Antec EarthWatts Platinum 650 W (USD 120) and the Rosewill FORTRESS-650 (USD 110). The main advantage of this model from FSP is the presence of a modular cabling system. The performance of the FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W is comparable to that of the Antec EarthWatts Platinum 650 W, with a tiny advantage over the Rosewill FORTRESS-650. Internally, all three make use of Japanese capacitors, but the Antec EarthWatts Platinum 650 W has a few Taiwanese caps. The model from FSP and Antec use a four +12V rail configuration, while the model from Rosewill uses a single-rail design.

We believe the FSP Aurum 92+ 650 W is priced right and is a good option if you are looking for a 650 W power supply with modular cabling system, four +12 V rails, the 80 Plus Platinum certification, and Japanese capacitors.