Test – Seasonic M12 II Evo 520 : Specs | CPU | Hashrate | Review | Config

Hi everyone!

After testing the top-of-the-range version from Seasonic, namely the P460, X650 and G550, I will tackle today what represents the entry-level full modular, namely the M12II Evo 520! Food that I have often recommended in all types of configurations, it was time for it to finally pass into my hands!
It is possible to get it between 65 and 70 €, let’s see what the M12 II Evo 520 has in the belly!

The box is rather sober, as usual with Seasonic, there is essential information such as the model, the power, the 80Plus Bronze logo but also a small mention of the presence of Japanese capacitors capable of handling 105 °, generally absent in entry-level power supplies. However, marketing has struck lightly here with this little phrase “The Ultimate Fully Modular Power Supply”, ultimate fully modular power supply? What about the “P” versions of the same brand then? 😉

At the rear a listing of the main strengths of the M12 II Evo, namely Japanese 105 ° condensers, silent ventilation control, a ball bearing fan (better lifespan than the “Sleeve” version), multi-GPU support, 5 year warranty etc.

On the sides we find the power distribution table, the number of connectors available, a listing of protections, dimensions, etc.

At the opening we discover a box that smiles at us, do I really want to put my fingers in there?

The Seasonic logo on the inner box, in case you forgot, you never know!

Inside we find the manual placed on the foam containing the power supply, the modular cables are on the right in a bag provided for this purpose. The packaging is identical to all Seasonic products, the foam perfectly protects the power supply unit.

The bundle consists of:

• 1 power supply unit
• 1 manuel
• 1 bag containing the modular cables
• 1 power cord
• 1 sticker
• 4 vis

A bundle reduced to the minimum vital here, apart from the sticker which will be used to show everyone that the PC is powered by a Seasonic power supply!

Here is the beast! All black as usual with Seasonic, the build quality is very good and the paint is not entry-level at all, let’s take a look at the owner.

A honeycomb grille covers the fan, it looks like the grille present on the X series.

Nothing extraordinary on the underside, it’s black, desperately empty, one thing is certain, the sobriety is there!

On one side there is a sticker presenting the table of the power distribution in the different rails, we learn that the 3.3V and 5V combined can provide 130Watts maximum while the -12V 9.6Watts, the 5Vsb 12.5Watts and finally the 12V 480Watts divided into 2 rails of 20A each.

On the opposite side there is only the model printed in the lower right corner.

Completely modular as I said at the beginning of this article, everything is well indicated and there will be no risk of making a mistake by plugging something in the wrong place. We can easily recognize the Seasonic leg, all the brand’s completely modular power supplies look like this!

At the back there is a honeycomb grid, a small 0/1 button and a small Seasonic sticker showing that the power supply is compatible from 100 to 240VAC.

The ventilation is entrusted to a 12cm Jamicon KF1225B1H ball bearing fan rotating at a maximum speed of 2200 RPM, which I hope will not happen otherwise goodbye to silence!

We are finally inside the beast! The design has been known and recognized here for a while now, it is the design of the S12II, taken and taken up by a lot of power supplies (so the XFX TS 550 Bronze tested here). Japanese 105 ° capacitors, this design is disapproved of and is indestructible.

Modular cables

The number of connectors is quite complete and should satisfy almost all users, 1 x 4 + 4-pin CPU of a very good length which should not be a problem in larger boxes, 1 x 24-pin too of correct length, a total of 6 Sata connectors, 5 x molex as well as 2 PCIe 6 + 2-pin cables, enough to power 99% of the market configurations.
Note that the cables are not sheathed but the wires are glued to each other to end up with flat cables, we like it or not.

As we can see the Seasonic M12II Evo 520 has an 80Plus Bronze certification so a maximum of 88% efficiency at 50% load (new European standards), the ball bearing fan should be a sign of longevity compared to to sleeve bearing fans which is a good point. All the protections are required here and the Japanese capacitors should ensure a very good resistance over time, as evidenced by the 5-year warranty that Seasonic gives to this power supply which is very rare for an entry-level power supply. It is possible to find it between 65 and 70 €, it could be a very good starting point for a gamer configuration, thanks to its proven design and its total modularity.

The test platform

The Seasonic M12II Evo 520 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 Essential 600 (tested here)
• Silverstone Strider Plus 600 (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 Seasonic M12II Evo 520, indeed the different 80Plus certifications will directly influence 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).

In terms of consumption, the Seasonic M12 II Evo 520 is at the level of other 80Plus Bronze power supplies, which is quite normal to me! 84 Watts at rest on the desk for 362 Watts in load, nothing out of the ordinary here! The results are almost identical to the XFX 550 TS Bronze, which shares the same design. Of course, we are far from 80Plus Platinum power supplies (20 Watts less in general), but the pain is also not the same!
Note that consumption has been recorded to take for the complete configuration.

The tensions

The M12 II Evo even if it is not very stable obtains very good results here, a 5V which goes from 5.06V at rest to 5.05V under load, a 3.3V which goes from 3.38V at rest at 3.37V under load and most importantly the 12V which goes from 11.98V to 11.95V. We can say without getting wet that the load does not scare our little Seasonic. As for the results in terms of consumption, it obviously does not reach the level of the 80Plus Gold or Platinum power supplies in the comparison, which is quite normal.

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.

There had to be something wrong with the M12 II Evo 520 🙁 At rest it is inaudible, just as I did not detect any electrical noise, rather a good point! On the other hand, under load the fan blows quite a bit by raising the sound level to 38 dB, be careful, however, it cannot be described as noisy but it will be clearly heard if the rest of the PC is completely silent, otherwise the noise will be covered without worry through the CPU cooler or graphics card.
It is still a shame to see such aggressive ventilation management these days, at least the components will be well ventilated.

Here we are at the end of this test, what to say about the Seasonic M12II Evo 520?
Seasonic, known and recognized as THE power supply brand for a very long time, now offers a completely modular entry-level 80Plus Bronze power supply that has no shortage of advantages. The build quality is simply excellent, the equipped fan is a ball bearing model and therefore more enduring than a “sleeve bearing” which is very (too) often found in entry-level power supplies, capacitors are Japanese and given for an operation up to 105 ° and the internal design is itself proven and recognized for years as being more or less indestructible.
Consumption is very contained thanks to the 80Plus Bronze certification, the voltages are stable without being at the level of high-end models. The only small downside is the level of noise pollution under load, indeed it will unfortunately not be suitable for a completely silent PC, for others it will not be heard more than the other components of the tower.
Offered at a price of around 70 € we are in the presence of a higher entry ticket than the other brands but the Seasonic M12II Evo 520 is really a sure value, it will be able to feed a gamer config without batting an eyelid.

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

Where to find the Seasonic M12II Evo 520?

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