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Product:
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Fortron Blue Storm FSP400-60THN-R Power Supply |
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Price:
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$93 (CAN) / $75 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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FSP Group
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Author:
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Hi-TEK
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Date:
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October 21st, 2004
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Rating:
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The Fortron Blue Storm FSP400-60THN-R Power Supply is equipped with the standard ATX motherboard
configuration and is both AMD and P4 certified. The overall cable layout includes a 24-pin ATX connector,
P4 12v connector, 6-pin AUX P4 connector, 6 x 4-pin Molex connectors, and 2 x floppy connectors. The
24-pin ATX connector can be converted for 20-pin ATX motherboard use by using the bundled ATX adapter.
Each of the 4-pin connectors conveniently comes with flexible "EZ Grip" Female Molex connectors.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The Fortron Blue Storm FSP400-60THN-R Power Supply also includes two Serial ATA 5-pin connectors for
those consumers who prefer to use SATA based hard drives instead of IDE. In order to access the unit,
all that is required is to remove 4 screws to see the design of this model. Each component is neatly
packaged together with two medium size aluminum heatsinks running in parallel with the airflow between
the ventilation holes and top exhaust fan. Amperage ratings for the +3.3, +5 and -12/+12 lines are sufficient
to handle any type of complex computer configuration but are slightly mis-leading. The Blue Storm
FSP400-60THN-R is certified for Intel's new ATX v2.0 specification which requires a 24-pin ATX connector
in addition to dual independent 12v lines. Surprisingly, this unit doesn't include a -5V rail which might
limit some onboard options for a few motherboards. The amperage ratings for each rail are specified as
follows:
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Rail |
Minimum Load |
Normal Load |
Maximum Load |
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+3.3V |
0.5A |
15.0A |
30.0A |
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+5V |
1.0A |
14.0A |
28.0A |
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+12V1DC |
1.0A |
7.0A |
14.0A |
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+12V2DC |
1.0A |
8.5A |
15.0A |
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-12V |
0.0A |
0.4A |
0.5A |
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+5Vsb |
0.0A |
1.0A |
2.0A |
- +3.3V amd +5V total output not to exceed 150W
- When +3.3V is load to 30A, the =%V max load is 10A
- When +3.3V is load to 3A, the +5V max load is 28A
- +3.3V, +5V, +12V1 and +12V2 total output not to exceed 385W
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The installation procedure for the Fortron Blue Storm FSP400-60THN-R Power Supply follows the same method
for any standard PSU unit. For this installation I will be using the SilverStone Lascala SST-LC03 HTPC
Case which was featured in my Building Your Own HTPC Part 1 article.
Four 6-32 mounting screws secured to the back of the case keep the PSU secured and stationary. For
testing this product I have assembled to following system components:
- MSI KT3 Ultra2 Motherboard Socket (Socket 462)
- AMD Athlon XP 1800+ CPU
- Vantec VA4-C7040 Aeroflow CPU Heatsink
- 2 x 512 MB Kingmax PC4000 DDR RAM
- 1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 80GB HD
- 1 x Samsung SP1203N 120GB HD
- MyHD MDP-100 HDTV Tuner Card
- ASUS V9520/TD 128MB Video Card AGP 8X TV-O Video Card
- D-Link 530TX NIC
- Sound Blaster Audigy Sound Card
- Antec 400W PSU
- LG GCC-8525B CD-RW (52x32x52 CDRW)
- LiteOn SOHW-1213S 12x DVD-Dual Writer
- Logitech Cordless MX Dual Wireless Keyboard & Mouse
Testing:
I will be running a series of tests using the same methodology used in our heatsink testing where the
system will be run in normal and overclocked modes. The "Burn-In Wizard" from SiSoft Sandra 2004 is
used to put the CPU under concentrated load for a pre-determined amount of time. The options selected
in "Burn-In Wizard" run the CPU and CPU Multimedia benchmarks for approximately 15 minutes. The system
is left alone for approximate 15 minutes before the burn-in test is performed. Maximum temperatures are
measured in degree Celsius and recorded for idle, full load, overclock idle and overclock full load.
The emphasis for monitoring will also be placed on the +5 and +12V lines to determine how much of a load
these lines can handle since they are responsible for the most crucial voltages when it comes to overall
system stability. Here are some of the results recorded with Motherboard Monitor 5.3.7.0:
Fortron Blue Storm @ 1532 MHz
Fortron Blue Storm @ 1665 MHz
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In testing this unit for approximately 24 hours, I did note some fluctuations on the 5+ and 12-/12+
volt lines when the system was run in idle, load and overclocked modes. For the most part the +3.3 volt lines were
steady at 3.34 volts. There were some noticeable voltage differences on the 5+ and 12-/12+ rails. The
5+ rail averaged between 4.92 and 4.95 while the 12-/12+ rails averaged between -12.11/12.34 and -12.19/12.46
respectively. The overall noise level was tolerable and the Fortron Blue Storm FSP400-60THN-R Power Supply
performed as expected with continuous stability.
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Conclusion:
The Fortron Blue Storm FSP400-60THN-R Power Supply is a good addition to the FSP Group product line and
offers solid construction balanced with an assortment of unique features. The painted blue chassis combined
with the blue 120mm exhaust fan adds several benefits in terms of maximizing cooling levels. The product
builds upon the foundation of rival units currently on the market by supplementing useful functions for
Over Current Protection (OCP), Over Voltage Protection (OVP) and Short Current Protection (OPP). Users
concerned with cable clutter will appreciate the professionally sleeved cables as well as the "EZ Grip"
Female Molex connectors. The blue illuminated power switch is also nice touch that adds to the overall
aesthetics of the product. While the FSP Group has done an admirable offering this product to the
consumers market, there are a few short fails that should be addressed. The biggest complaint is the
absence of the -5V rail which should be included in the product as a default offering, especially if you
want to compete with popular rival brands. Finally, the rear of the unit has enough room to add in an additional
AC plug for those consumers who wish to power external devices. Overall, I was impressed with the
Fortron Blue Storm FSP400-60THN-R Power Supply and rate this product a
8 out of 10. If you have any questions
regarding this review be sure to visit the FSP Group
website for more information or discuss them in our forums.
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Pros:
- Good aesthetics for case modders
- Blue Storm Cooling Control Technology (BSCC)
- Certified for the AMD and Intel platform
- Professionally sleeved cables
- "EZ-Grip" Female Molex connectors.
- Built-in functionality: (Over Current Protection, Over Temperature Protection and
Over Power Protection)
- Price
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Cons:
- Missing -5V rail
- No additional AC plug for external components
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