INTRODUCTION

    We're literally days away from the unveiling of the latest graphics cards by AMD and NVIDIA and people all over the world have already begun updating their systems with brand new power supply units. Unfortunately, today alone I've seen many people upgrade their systems to non ATX 3.0/3.1 & PCIe 5.0/5.1 compliant models and well, since you're spending your money for something new why not pay for something that's actually new? So, what better way to start the new year by testing one of the best power supply units released by Seasonic to date, the VERTEX PX-1200 Azure Dragon Limited Edition model (12122PXAFS-WHVER).

    Sea Sonic Electronics Co., Ltd was founded more than 40 years ago by engineers. Since its early beginnings the company has rigorously maintained its focus on the research, development and production of technologically advanced, high quality products. In 1981 Sea Sonic expanded into the production of PC power supplies to become one of the first manufacturers in this market. Soon after, the manufacturing of high quality and performance PC power supplies became the core identity of Sea Sonic.

    Just like the VERTEX GX-1000 Sakura power supply unit the VERTEX PX-1200 Azure Dragon model is also a limited edition model this time however featuring a Chinese theme taken from their mythology depicting one of their Dragon Gods and constellation symbol (Qinglong - Azure Dragon) which also happens to represent the East and the Spring season. Theme aside the VERTEX PX-1200 Azure Dragon is a fully modular ATX 3.1 & PCIe 5.1 compliant power supply unit that sports the 80 PLUS Platinum certification (up to 92% electrical efficiency at 50% load) and is equipped with an 12V-2X6 power connector (600W) and three 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors. It also features a single powerful +12V rail (100A) capable of delivering 100% of the units’ total power output (1200W), peak power output of no less than 1343W (peak should now be up to around 2.7KW for up to 100ms - once again however this is not something I can test), full-bridge LLC with DC to DC design, active PFC, hybrid silent fan control, high-quality Japanese capacitors certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius and a full array of electrical protections including over-current (OCP), over-voltage (OVP), under-voltage (UVP), short-circuit (SCP), over-temperature (OTP) and over-power (OPP). Finally, Seasonic once again is very generous with their warranty and so the VERTEX PX-1200 Azure Dragon is covered by a 12-year limited one.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The VERTEX PX-1200 Azure Dragon is packed inside a box that has the main theme at the front of the box along with the company logo and the main product features.

On the right side Seasonic has placed the specifications and electrical tables and all available power connectors.

All the product features along with an efficiency graph are printed at the rear of the box.

Typically, both the PSU and the power cables are wrapped inside synthetic bags while the PSU is also placed between two foam spacers.

Inside the box Seasonic has placed the VERTEX PX-1200 Azure Dragon power supply unit with its power cord and modular power cables, PSU tester, several white cable ties, 5 white cable straps, several cable holders, case sticker, 4 mounting screws, sweepstakes paper, installation guide and the user manual.

THE VERTEX PX-1200 AZURE DRAGON EXTERIOR

As expected, all modular cables are individually braided/sleeved, including the new 12V-2X6 power adapter.

Just like many similar models by Seasonic the VERTEX PX-1200 Azure Dragon also measures 160mm in length, 150mm in width and 86mm in height.

Again, Seasonic has used an 135mm fluid dynamic bearing fan which sits under a grille with the Azure Dragon theme at its center.

The sides of the VERTEX PX-1200 Azure Dragon are why this among the best looking models I've ever seen.

As expected, the electrical table along with numerous certifications is located at the base of the enclosure.

13 grouped and tagged power ports are placed at the front ot the enclosure.

At the rear we find the usual perforation, on/off power switch, hybrid mode on/off button and the power port.

THE VERTEX PX-1200 AZURE DRAGON INTERIOR

The 135mm fluid-dynamic bearing fan Seasonic has used can achieve speeds of up to 2300RPM at full load.

Interior design/layout is exactly what you'd expect from a manufacturer like Seasonic (same goes for build quality).

Both primary capacitors are manufactured by Nippon Chemi-Con and are certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

Secondary capacitors are manufactured by nichicon and are also certified for use up to 105 degrees.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

     Using a dedicated measurement instrument such as a Chroma or a SunMoon to test power supply units is without doubt the most ideal and accurate way (not to mention the fastest) to do that currently. However, it's certainly not the only way there is and so pretty much anyone can test a power supply unit just by using a test rig. Certainly, limitations do apply and so you can't really push a 1000W power supply to its limits if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why over the years we saved certain hardware components for the purpose of building a dedicated PSU test rig. True it may not be as accurate as the above mentioned solutions but it comes really close and is in fact much closer to real world usage. So as always, we ran several games with maximum graphic options enabled at a resolution of 2560x1600 in order to stress every hardware component and increase the overall power demands of the system. The Passmark BurnIn Test was also used to overstress the components in an effort to provide the most accurate results possible. As a final test we also used the latest OCCT 4.4 software and its dedicated PSU testing suite since it can really bring a power supply to its knees after inside a few minutes.

   Rail stability was checked/measured with the CPUID Hardware monitor and a Metex multimeter which also recorded the system load in idle and in load. As always try to remember that the power consumption numbers listed in the graph are the highest (Peak) ones recorded during the entire duration of the tests and not the average ones. Noise levels coming from the fan were recorded using the high precision HD600 ExTech Sound dBA Meter from the rear of the unit and at a range of no more than 5-10cm. Readings under load are recorded the exact moment we manually switch the fans of all graphics cards from full speed to almost zero, that way the fan of the power supply does not have enough time to slow its RPM and so by doing this we get very accurate noise level readings. Needless to say, in order to get 100% accurate readings, you need to have a noise isolated room for that exact purpose, something which is quite impossible unless you are working inside a real lab (some people use very small noise insulated boxes but due to their size both heat and noise exceed normal levels and so the results can't really be considered to be 100% accurate, nor realistic for that matter). Also do take into account that since all noise measurements take place from just 5-10cm away the final noise levels to reach your ears will be considerably less.

* After well over 10 years of testing PSUs the Intel Core i7-920 CPU of this rig failed and so we replaced it with a Xeon X5660 (we also swapped the GA-X58A-UD7 for the G1. Assassin).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

    Just like with the VERTEX GX-1000 SAKURA Seasonic created the VERTEX PX-1200 Azure Dragon for people who really want something unique for their systems. With most PC cases now featuring PSU shrouds this may seem a bit futile to some people but on one hand not all PC cases have PSU shrouds and on the other it’s not that hard to remove them so if you do happen to own a great looking PSU that’s the way to go. Performance (rail stability) and quality wise the VERTEX PX-1200 Azure Dragon is just what you’d expect from Seasonic and one of their top models currently. The single 100A +12V rail is also something worth pointing out, especially for people who own high-end CPUs and GPUs. Noise levels may climb even higher if by some miracle someone manages to draw 1200W from this unit but at least at around 1050W they were quite acceptable.

    Currently the VERTEX PX-1200 Azure Dragon Limited Edition power supply unit by Seasonic retails for around 320Euros in Asia and if I’m being honest, it may never make it to other markets, at least not officially. Still, if you own or want to build a white system and can somehow manage to get your hands on it I strongly suggest you do. Not only you’ll be getting one of the few great looking limited edition models ever released by Seasonic but you’ll also be getting top performance, quality and a great warranty and that’s also why the Platinum Award is in order.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- ATX 3.1 & PCIe 5.1 Compliant
- Near Excellent Rail Stability
- Azure Dragon (Qinglong) Color Theme
- 80 PLUS Platinum Certified
- Electrical Protections (OCP/OVP/SSP/OPP/UVP/OTP)
- Hybrid Fan Mode
- Powerful Single Rail (100A)
- 12 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Current Availability (Overall)