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CONCLUSIONS
In spite of its scrawny, unpolished looks, there is substance
to the FSP Green PS. At the moment, the Green PS is a bit of a novelty, but once the RoHS legislation
in the EU takes full effect we can expect to see many more environmentally friendly power supplies. FSP deserves credit for being first at the gate, and there seems
to be a serious power supply underneath the lead-free, recyclable
marketing.
In terms of electrical output, the Green PS is solid. Its voltage rails
were rock steady in our testing, and it has high efficiency. The high specified operating temperature
should mean that performance will remain solid even under less favorable circumstances.
The noise performance is above average, but two factors hold
it back:
- High airflow creates a lot of broadband turbulence
noise.
- The fan controller doesn't have a threshold where it stays put, but remains responsive
throughout its output range.
Changes in fan speed are gradual and barely noticeable, and if the
output is stable, the fan speed will also be stable. But compared to the best fan-cooled PSUs, changes in load have a higher chance of leading to audible changes in fan speed.
Despite the thermal measurements, the internal cooling is still a
bit of a mystery. The miniature heatsinks and electrical components don't seem
to suffer from their small size, but it's still difficult to know just how well
cooled they are. All we can really say for sure is that the thermal rise through the unit is about average among SPCR-tested PSUs. (Editor's Note: The minimalist, cost-effective approach manifested in the FSP Green PS is reminiscent of Arctic Cooling's approach with low-cost heatsink-fans, which I've often admired for their efficient engineering.)
The Green PS offers very good electrical performance, decent acoustics, and some eccentricities: The small
components and its environmentally friendly construction can't be found anywhere
else. As I said at the beginning, this is a nerdy power supply: It looks quite
unremarkable, but is impossible to fully understand.
| NOTE: In North America, the FSP Green PS appears to be stocked only by the online retailer Newegg at this time (Nov. 7, 2005). There are a few more stores that offer it in the EU. |
Much thanks to FSP
Group for the opportunity to examine this power supply.
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