[Test] Seasonic Fanless Platinum 460FL : Specs | CPU | Hashrate | Review | Config

Hi all !

After my article on fanless power supplies, or rather the demystification of the ideas received concerning the use of such power supplies (not enough power, excessive heating leading to instabilities etc.) I finally had the chance to put my hand (thank you) to Damien from Green Spirit) on the cream of the crop, I named the Seasonic P-460FL!
With an 80Plus Platinum certification, a power of 460 Watts and without a fan, this power supply should be perfect for 90% of users, we’ll see that!

The box is very similar to the Seasonic P660, sobriety is required with the main features displayed, such as Platinum certification and fanless operation.

Everything is well packaged, the power supply itself is in the foam which absorbs shocks very well and there will therefore be very little chance of ending up with damaged food due to transport.

The bundle consists of:

• 1 Seasonic P-460FL (logical!)
• 3 Seasonic stamped cable ties
• 5 hose clamps
• 1 sticker Seasonic
• 1 power cord
• 1 bag containing all modular cables

Here is the list of available cables:

The number of cables is very sufficient for a gamer configuration, even high-end as long as we stay on a single graphics card, I would not however have said no to a Sata cable instead of one of the 2 molex 4 cables. -pin which gradually begin to disappear.
The length of the cables is very satisfactory and you have very little chance of having to buy a 24-pin or 8-pin extension cable for the processor in large towers, it will save a lot of frustration 🙂

And here is the beast! All dressed in black with the presence of honeycomb grids wherever possible to maximize dissipation. Note that unlike other passive power supplies there are no large radiators on the frame, aided by the 80Plus Platinum certification which promises minimal heat release Seasonic did not consider it essential to add such radiators.

Completely modular, it will be very easy to install and remove the power supply as needed.

Who says fanless power supply necessarily means some obligations, in fact as soon as you unpack the power supply you come across this message:

For those who are allergic to English, to summarize it is necessary to place the power supply at the bottom of a box with the ventilation grid towards the top of the tower and leaving a minimum of space around the latter (mean by the, do not put insulation foam or anything stuck to the power supply, there will be no problem in 99% of cases).
It is also said that you can install it in a box which at the location of the power supply at the top and therefore with the ventilation grid at the bottom, but in this case you will need a well ventilated box.

Just like its big sister the P660, the characteristics present all the best in terms of power, all protections are required, the 80Plus Platinum certification (up to 92% efficiency at 50% load) as well as the 7-year warranty makes this product a top-of-the-range product at all levels.

The single 12V rail is capable of delivering all of the advertised power, i.e. 456Watts, enough to power an already well-equipped PC without any problem.

The test platform

The Seasonic Platinum 460FL 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 the Seasonic S12 600 (from 2006), Seasonic X650, Seasonic P660 and be quiet! L8 Pure Power 500.

The consumption

Before starting, let’s take a look at the performance of the power supplies compared to the Platinum 460FL, 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).

Consumption is in every way equal to its big sister the P660, which is very good and the Platinum 460FL even manages to scratch the first place of a small Watt!
The results here are not surprising, as only the Seasonic P660 and Platinum 460FL have Platinum certification.

The tensions

What to say, the 3V and 5V do not move a hair in load and the 12V only varies from 12.04 to 12.02 or 0.17%. Stability is therefore essential and the test configuration does not seem to scare this Seasonic Fanless in the slightest. The results are very close to its big sister the P660 (and for good reason, the platform is almost identical) and we are therefore in the very high end, no doubt that if you are looking for excellence here is your happiness!

Noise pollution

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

Well, given that the Seasonic Platinum 460FL does not have a fan, it is therefore normal that it does not emit any noise! Even at full load there will be no audible noise coming from this power supply. The presence of slight electrical noises when sticking your ear to the power supply does not interfere in any way when you step back.
Note that in addition to being completely silent, the power supply chassis barely becomes lukewarm, which should add very little heat to the box, logical when on this config (342 Watts at the outlet, and taking taking into account an efficiency of 90%) only releases 34.2 Watts from the power supply.

We have now come to the conclusion of this test, you have seen (if you have read the article and not directly jump to the conclusion!) That all the results are excellent and do not tarnish the coat of arms of Seasonic, and well the conclusion will be of the same ilk! All electrical protection is required, the voltages are very stable under load, the modularity is total and of course the silence is golden!
There are however a minimum of precautions to be taken at the level of the air flow and the position of the power supply, you will need to have at least one fan in the box to have a small air flow (a 100% system passive is not really viable anyway) and be careful if you place it at the top of the case.
The Seasonic Platinum 460FL is aimed at a niche, it will be perfect for a gamer config using a graphics card and having to be as quiet as possible, an article on the impact of a passive power supply (temperatures, consumption, stability , noise etc.) compared to a power supply with active ventilation will arrive soon, stay tuned!

A big thank you to Damien from Green Spirit who allowed me to do this test.

Where to find the Seasonic Platinum 460FL?

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