Introduction
FSP Group is a computer peripheral and power supply company, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Since its inception, the company has been manufacturing power supplies under its own brand, but also as the OEM for other IT products manufacturers.
At the present time, FSP has expanded its range of products from power supplies to PC cases, cooling systems for processor and IT accessories. In addition, FSP is among the first companies to offer a water-cooled Power Supply.
Official product link:
http://www.fsplifestyle.com/PROP164000907/
Packaging and accessories
The power supply comes packaged in a two-color cardboard box with a black background and gold accents.
The front side of the packaging is simple, a general image of the power supply is used for showcase. On the lower side, there are the name & capacity of the power supply along with a few of the product’s features. On the top, we have the logo of the manufacturer.
The sides of the box present a few features of the power supply in 39 different languages and the specifications of the product.
The back side of the box presents the features of the power supply, on the upper part we find printed both the FSP logo and the name and capacity of the power supply. On the right side, there is an image of the interior of the power supply. On the lower right corner, there is a QR code with the electronic version of the manual of the PSU.
The power supply is packaged in soft foam to dampen vibrations and absorb shocks during shipping.
Accessories
The product comes with the following accessories:
– 1x Manual
– 1x AC Power Cable
– 1x SFX-to-ATX bracket
– 1x Velcro cable strap
– 8x Metallic screws
Specifications
Model: SDA600
Max. DC Output: 600W
Efficiency: 80PLUS® Gold
Input Voltage: 100-240Vac
Input Current: 8-4A
Input Frequency: 60-50 Hz
PFC: Active PFC
Modular: Full Modular
Form Factor: SFX
Fan Size: 80mm
Fan bearing: Dual ball bearing
Protections:
– Over Power Protection
– Over Voltage Protection
– Over Current Protection
– Over Temperature Protection
– Short Circuit Protection
Connectors and cables:
– 1x 24 pin ATX connector
– 1x 4+4 Pin
– 2x 6+2 Pin PCI-E
– 5X SATA
– 2x Molex
– 1x Floppy
Dimensions (LxWxH): 125 x 63.5 x 110mm
Weight: 1.182kg
Compliance: Energy Star, RoHS, WEEE, ErP Lot 6, REACH
Warranty: 5 years
Features:
– SFX Compact Size: The Dagger series is compatible with most Mini-ITX and Micro ATX small form factor PCs. It is ideal for the living room PCs, and an alternative option for gamers.
– High Efficiency 80 Plus® Gold Certification: Dagger Series are 80 PLUS Gold certified power supply units that guarantee to operate at a minimum of 90% efficiency at 50% load of PSU rated power and as a result to reduce lots of electricity cost.
– Fully Modular Ribbon Cables: Fully- modular, flat ribbon cables provide easier installation. Its parallel wires, an ideal solution for applications with space constraint issues, enhance overall airflow performance cooler and fewer heat insides letting components’ product lives longer.
– 2X Power Density: Featured with high power density, twice higher than the one of an ATX PSU in same wattage.
– Full Japanese Capacitors: 105 °C Japanese-made Capacitor and Solid Capacitor, makes prolonged life span possible.
– DC to DC Module Design: +12V SR circuit, combining both +3.3V and +5V DC-DC modules, offers supreme efficiency, voltage stability and high system compatibility especially in cross regulation (unbalanced load) mode.
Visual inspection
The main feature of the Dagger 600W model is the SFX format and the size of: 125 x 63.5 x 110mm, with a weight of 1.182kg. The overall appearance of the power supply is minimalist, the front grille for the 80mm fan features a honeycomb patters, the only graphic element present on the case are on the sides in gold.
On the back side, the power supply is perforated to facilitate the exhaust and cooling of the internals. On the left side, there are placed both the on-off switch and the AC slot for powering the unit.
On the side of the power supply there is applied a label with the name of the power supply and the logo of the manufacturer in gold. These are the only graphics to be found on the whole surface of the power supply.
The front side is occupied by the 7 connectors for the modular cables, these are individually labeled and each cable is not compatible with a different connector, on the lower side the slogan of the manufacturer is painted.
On the top of the Power Supply we have the label with the specifications and certification of the PSU, while on the lower right corner we have the warranty sticker.
The cables of the Power Supply are completely black they also are flat to ensure an easier installation and wire management.
The fan used is provided by Power Logic, model PLA08010B12HH specifications: 12 V, 0.35A, 3600 RPM max, 80mm. In addition, the fan is connected to the PCB using a 2-pin Molex connector. This model uses a Dual Ball Bearing type system.
The Dagger 600W model uses a platform proprietary of FSP. The PCB has a reduced footprint, the internal components are arranged in a way to best utilize the small space available. The active cooling is done by the Power Logic 80mm fan while the passive cooling of the components is ensured by two metallic heatsinks.
Behind the AC receptacle there are two X polymeric capacitors and four X ceramic capacitors. Mounted in the vicinity, a diode is used to prevent spikes of current and stabilize the tension.
In the APFC section we find installed two capacitors manufactured by Nippon Chemi-Con with the following spec: 330μF/400V, rated at 105C, next we have the main diode of the unit.
Around and below the modular connectors there are a number of polymeric capacitors for Rail filtering, these are made by CapXon.
Testing
The following system was used to test the Power Supply:
– Processor: Intel i5 4690K @ 4.5 GHz
– Motherboard: MSI Z97 Gaming 9 ACK
– RAM: 8GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical
– GPU: Nvidia Geforce GTX 1070 Founder’s Edition
– SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB
– HDD: WD 1TB Blue
– CPU Cooler: SilverStone Tundra TD02 with NoiseBlocker eLoop B12-PS
– Display: AOC i2769VM
– Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe White
– OS: Windows 10 64-bit
The above system has a power consumption of approximately 502W when in full load and 70W when idle, in order to test the efficiency of the Power Supply, the power draw of the system was measured at the wall socket. Also, the voltages were measured on the +12v +5v and +3.3v using a multi-meter.
To load the system to its maximum the stability test of the AIDA64 Extreme (5.92.4300) was used with Intel Burn Test V2.
The Power Supply was tested with the system both idle and at maximum load.
Power Supply efficiency
For rail voltage tolerance levels, ATX (Power Supply Design Guide) specify that a 5% variable fluctuation is acceptable.
Voltage oscillation idle
Voltage oscillation load
The noise level was measured at three different distances from the fans (10cm, 20cm, 30cm.) the noise was measured with a margin of error of ± 5 db.
Final thoughts
The FSP Dagger 600W is one of the most silent SFX power supplies, the 80mm fan reaching a maximum of 38db despite its maximum speed of over 3600RPM. The power supply uses a completely modular design, the cables are flat ribbon style and are flexible enough to facilitate the wire-management, especially in a SFF style system.
The performance of the power supply is acceptable, it does not meet the required level to pass the 80PLUS Gold certification, the efficiency being at 88.2% at a load of approximately 80%.
In conclusion, the Dagger 600W is a good SFX power supply and a reasonable price, which offers an acceptable performance and silence operation. The cables are completely black and flat, ideal for small size systems. The internal build is good, the main capacitor is made by Nippon Chemi-Con however, the rail filtering capacitors are made by CapXon.
