Verdict: Quiet, stable and efficient - a near-perfect PSU

FSP power supplies have a reputation for incredible efficiency, so we were very interested in testing the brand-new FX600-80GLN.

The FX600 is FSP's latest high-end PSU and is rated at 600W, split across six primary rails. The 3.3V rail is rated at 36A and the 5V rail at 30A while each of the four 12V rails tip the scales at 15A each. However, the maximum combined output of the 12V rails is 425W, and not 720W. The surprisingly simple interior is kept cool by a single temperature-controlled 120mm fan. Six Molex, two FDD, one PCI-E and two S-ATA connectors are provided, along with support for both 20- and 24-pin motherboards. There's also an 8-pin EPS12V connector for dual-CPU and dual-core CPU motherboards, and an adaptor that converts this to a second PCI-E connector.

The FX600 proved to be a super-stable PSU and it's also incredibly efficient, averaging 83 per cent at full load. This means it only needs to draw 730W from the mains to produce 603W. Since it cannot produce the full 15A from each 12V rail simultaneously, we had to test it with the 425W load spread across the four rails.

Despite its ability to deliver a rock-solid 600W, the FX600 runs extremely quietly and uses far less power than many lower-output PSUs. However, the Seasonic S12-600 has better connectivity and its dual 12V rail power system is more suitable for gaming PCs.

• Cases - 21st November 2008
• Motherboards - 24th October 2008
• Gaming Headsets - 26th September 2008
• Dream PCs - 24th September 2008
• Headphones - 12th September 2008
• Media PC components - 22nd August 2008
• PSUs - 14th July 2008

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• Asus EAH4870 TOP - Graphics cards
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro - Sound cards
• Multiwinia - Games
• Zotac GeForce GTX 260² - Graphics cards
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 X2 - Graphics cards
• Scan 3XS X58 Core i7 - Desktop PCs