FSP Aurum Pro 850 W Power Supply Review

Secondary Analysis

As one would expect in a high-efficiency power supply, the FSP Aurum Pro 850 W uses a synchronous design, where the Schottky rectifiers are replaced with MOSFETs. Also, the reviewed product uses a DC-DC design in its secondary. This means that the power supply is basically a +12 V unit, with the +5 V and +3.3 V outputs produced by two smaller power supplies connected to the main +12 V rail. Both designs are used to increase efficiency.

The +12 V output uses four IPD036N04L G MOSFETs, each one supporting up to 90 A at 25° C or 87 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 3.6 mΩ. These transistors are located on the solder side of the printed circuit board, and the power supply housing is used as a heatsink for these transistors.

Figure 17: The +12 V transistors

As explained, the +5 V and +3.3 V outputs are produced by two DC-DC converters, which are located on a single daughterboard soldered to the main printed circuit board. In Figures 18 and 19, you can see the physical aspect of this card. The converters are controlled by an APW7158 integrated circuit, using four APM3116N and four APM3109N MOSFETs. Unfortunately, datasheets for these components are not available on their manufacturer’s website.

Figure 18: The DC-DC converters

Figure 19: The DC-DC converters

This power supply uses a PS223 monitoring integrated circuit, which supports over voltage (OVP), under voltage (UVP), and over current (OCP) protections, with four channels (+12V1, +12V2, +5 V, and +3.3 V). The manufacturer decided to use only one of the +12 V over current protection channels, making this unit a single-rail design. 

Figure 20: Monitoring circuit

The electrolytic capacitors that filter the +12 V output are solid, from CapXon. (Some standard Japanese electrolytic capacitors, from Rubycon and Chemi-Con, are also used.)