Test – Fractal Design Edison M 550 : Specs | CPU | Hashrate | Review | Config

Hi all!

Fractal Design, in addition to making boxes and fans also makes AIO watercooling systems and power supplies, it is a power supply that I will test today with a model bearing the 80Plus Gold certification and semi modular, the Edison M 550 ! As its name suggests, it is sold for a power of 550 Watts, enough to power 99% of “gamer” configurations on the market while releasing little heat inside the case thanks to its 80Plus Gold certification. In addition my little finger tells me that the performance should be excellent given that the internal electronics come from a Seasonic (the Seasonic G to be precise), but the time is not to conclude, let’s see what ‘she got it in her stomach!

On the top of the box we find a photo of the Edison M in profile accompanied by the logo of the brand, the model, the power as well as the 5-year warranty and the logo of the 80Plus Gold certification. Marketing point highlighting how good and better the food is than its competitors, I can only appreciate!
At the back is a listing of the main advantages of the Edison M, namely the 80Plus Gold certification, semi modularity, Japanese capacitors and the use of an FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing) fan which is quieter than rolling fans. balls. The number of connectors is also there, we can see that it will be possible to do Crossfire / SLI thanks to the 4 PCI-E 6 + 2-pin connectors.

On the sides we can see photos of the different elements of the power supply on one side as well as a summary table of the power distribution, we then learn the presence of a single 12V rail capable of providing 540 Watts.

Under the cover there is a box in its simplest form stamped with the Fractal Design logo at the bottom right, simple and effective!

Once opened we find the manual placed on the foam protecting the power supply unit, on the right a bag containing the various modular cables, a packaging that looks like 2 drops of water to that of the Seasonic G (not very surprising at the final!). One thing is certain, the power supply should not be damaged during transport, the foam covering the block is thick and the cardboard rather stiff.

Here is the contents of the box, it consists of:

• 1 Fractal Design Edison M 550 power supply
• 1 bag containing the modular cables
• 4 scratchs
• 1 power cord
• 1 manuel
• 4 fixing screws

As we can see the bundle offers the essential for connecting the power supply, the 4 black scratches will be practical to attach all these little people once the configuration is connected. The bag covering the power supply unit will protect the paint on the latter against possible nasty scratches.

Here is the beast! White fan, 24-pin cables and non-modular CPU part, I’ll take a little tour of the owner.

Outside

Exit the honeycomb design, more and more manufacturers are opting for a bar grille, a matter of aesthetics and as much to say that it is rather successful. The 12cm white fan is also the best contrast to the black of the rest of the power supply.

Below, rather than leaving the raw black paint of formwork stripping Fractal Design has chosen to engrave their logo in bulk, it brightens it all up a bit, and then I suddenly feel cold, brrrrr!

On the sides Fractal design makes class, no unsightly stickers here everything is printed directly on the paint and frankly it throws a lot more! In addition to the logo and the model of the block on one side we find on the other side a table showing the distribution of power according to the different rails.

As for the connectors, nothing exceptional, 4 connectors for Sata / Molex peripherals and 2 connectors for PCI-E, in addition of course to the output of non-modular cables.

On the outside, a honeycomb-shaped grid covers the entire space, only a sticker with the Fractal Design logo as well as the On / Off button and the mains plug are present, nothing out of the ordinary !
Let’s talk about the build quality which is simply excellent, nothing sticks out, the paint is very good and the absence of a sticker is only a good thing, basically we are in the presence of good Seasonic Fractal Design.

Interior

The ventilation is entrusted to a 12cm model from Hong Hua, the HA1225M12F-Z running at a maximum speed of 2050RPM and a maximum consumption of 5.4 Watts.

Ah well we know all that! As I said above, we are indeed in the presence of a Seasonic G, so high-end Japanese capacitors all that, a platform that has proven itself and that has never disappointed me.

Modular cables

As we can see the quantity of connectors is very sufficient, 4 x PCIe 6 + 2-pin, 6 x Sata, 5 x IDE and 1 x FDD (in the form of Molex extension -> FDD), enough to power a very large SLI / Crossfire based machine. The cable length is also very good especially for the 4 + 4-pin CPU cable which is generally the one that causes the most problems in large towers, there with its 70 cm there will be no problems!

Fractal Design Edison M 550
Power	540 Watts for + 12V 100 Watts for + 3.3V and + 5V combined 12.5 Watts on the + 5Vsb 3.6 Watts on -12V
Number of 12v rails	1
Certification
Maximum efficiency (manufacturer)	90% / 92% / 89% at 20% / 50% / 100% load
Sound level	Not disclosed
Modularity	Yes, everything except 24-pin and 4 + 4-pin CPU cables
Protections	OCP, OVP, UVP, SCP, OPP, OTP
Dimensions	160 x 150 x 86 mm
Weight	2.2 kg with modular cables
MTBF	≥ 100,000 hours
Guarantee	5 years
Price	89,99 €

As I said at the beginning of the article the Fractal Design Edison M 550 is therefore a power supply with an 80Plus Gold certification, so a maximum efficiency of at least 92% at 50% load. The single 12V rail provides a maximum of 540 Watts, point of trick here the power supply is sold as a 550 Watts and 540 Watts are of course available on the 12V! As usual, all electrical protections are required in order to best protect the equipment (and the risk of fires).
The dimensions are average with 16 cm in length while the weight is 2.2kg including the cables.Proposed at a price of € 89.99 it is positioned below the Seasonic G550 on which it is based, which should make it a great alternative, the 5 year warranty doesn’t spoil the picture!

The test platform

The Fractal Design Edison M 550 power supply has been tested on the configuration below:

• Processor: Intel Core i7 875K @ 3,2 Ghz
• Motherboard: Asus P7P55D
• Memory: Kingston HyperX 4 x 2 Go 1600Mhz
• Hard disk: WD Raptor 150 Go
• Graphic card: Sapphire Toxic 5850

The test protocol

The core i7 875K has been slightly overclocked to 3.2Ghz. The readings in charge were taken during an OCCT Power Supply test, the readings at rest were taken after 15mins on the desk.

The power supply has been tested against:

• Antec Edge 650 (tested here)
• be quiet! E9 580CM (tested here)
• be quiet! L8 Pure Power 500 (tested here)
• be quiet! Straight Power 10 500 CM (tested here)
• Corsair CS450M (tested here)
• Seasonic S12 600 (de 2006)
• Seasonic G550 (tested here)
• Seasonic X650 (v1 de 2010)
• Seasonic X650 KM3 (tested here)
• Seasonic P660 (tested here)
• Seasonic Platinum 460FL (tested here)
• Silverstone NightJar 520 (tested here)
• Silverstone SFX SX600-G (tested here)
• Silverstone Strider S 1500 (tested here)
• XFX TS-550 Bronze (tested here)

The consumption

Before starting, let’s take a look at the performance of the power supplies compared to the Fractal Design Edison M 550, indeed the different 80Plus certifications will directly influence the consumption, so this will be a good way to have concrete results. Only the S12 600 does not have an 80Plus certification because it did not yet exist at the time of purchase (but the following versions of this power supply had the classic 80Plus certification, so 80% / 80% / 80% to 20% respectively / 50% / 100% load).

With 79 Watts at rest and 352 Watts under load, the Fractal Design Edison M 550 is placed very well against the other 80Plus Gold power supplies in the comparison, nothing too surprising though! The other Seasonic G-based power supplies (so the Seasonic G and the Antec Edge 650 in this comparison) have very similar results, the platform is true to itself 🙂
Note that consumption has been recorded to take for the complete configuration.

The tensions

The voltages of the Fractal Design Edison M 550 are very good, with a 3.3V remaining at the same value whether at rest or under load, a 5V passing from 5.06 to 5.05 and finally a 12V passing 11.93 to 11.88 there is not much to say, you will not have any problems at this level! The test configuration does not pose the slightest problem for the Fractal Design in the test, again nothing surprising with electronics from Seasonic.

Noise pollution

Attention : Part to be taken with a grain of salt, unfortunately not having access to adequate equipment and using an android application to take the readings the measurements below are only indicative! The readings were taken 15cm from the feed.

Once again it is faultless for the Edison M, the test config only titillates the power supply and results in an extremely low sound level, whether at rest or under load. If this power supply is installed in a PC and it makes noise, it will certainly not come from the power supply, as long as it is not equipped with SLI or CrossFire cards 🙂
Note, and like all the Seasonics that have passed through my hands, a very slight electronic noise coming from the power supply when the ear is glued to the block which disappears once the ear has been moved a few tens of centimeters away.

Here we are at the end of this test, what about the Fractal Design Edison M 550?
Fractal Design was able to bet on the right horse in terms of internal electronics by going to see Seasonic, and this comes at the cost of excellent performance, whether in terms of voltage stability, efficiency or noise pollution. The build quality is also excellent, the absence of a sticker on the power supply in favor of a direct impression on the carcass reinforces this feeling of quality.
Offered at a recommended price of € 89.99 we are a little below the price charged for a “real” Seasonic G, so if you can afford the Fractal Design Edison M 550 will satisfy you and will feed your next gamer config without batting an eyelid. .

A big thank you to Federica from Fractal Design who allowed me to do this test.

Where to find the Fractal Design Edison M 550?

[phpzon asin= »B00ON2YSRC » country= »FR » trackingid= »conseil-config-21″ merchantid= »Amazon » templatename= »conseil »]