Introduction

We would like to thank Fractal Design for supplying the review sample.



It is common knowledge to at least the more educated users that most companies don't actually manufacture the PSUs they sell. Someone else manufactures them since the production of such units takes expensive equipment inside of appropriate facilities. Companies just set some requirements and sometimes also implement some component-specific changes if they have a PSU-engineering team. Aesthetics are another area companies can take charge of so as to make the final product better suit their customer base. The most popular PSU manufacturers today are Delta (they currently only make desktop PSUs for themselves and focus on OEM systems), Seasonic, FSP, Super Flower, Enhance, Channel Well Technology, Flextronics (they only work with Corsair for desktop PSUs), ATNG, HEC, Sirfa/High Power, Sirtec, Huntkey, Andyson, Chicony, and Etasis (they only produce server PSUs, but manufactured a high-end PSU for EVGA a couple years ago); the list goes on with less popular companies. Some OEMs, like Delta, Seasonic or Flextronics, add prestige to the companies they cooperate with; however, the price those three ask is higher than with less popular OEMs. Yet there is a reason behind their good reputation, and it doesn't just have to do with the quality components they use in their products, but the quality of their production lines. That said, most companies out there thrive on cooperating with popular OEMs since such a cooperation will lead to a successful product and, in turn, satisfied customers. The only downside is that at least some of these OEMs don't have the required facilities to manufacture large quantities of a unit, so they are picky about who they collaborate with.

Up until now, Fractal Design was mostly working with ATNG for their higher-end PSU lines and HEC for the Integra M series. This changed recently as the Edison Modular (M) series is based on a mid-level Seasonic platform, the same Seasonic's G series units exploit. This is a very good platform with a high price/performance ratio. The Edison M series consists of four members with capacities ranging from 450 W to 750 W, and we will evaluate the 650 W unit in this review. It features Gold efficiency, a semi-modular cabling design, and a white-colored FDB fan that promises increased reliability and a near-silent operation at low speeds.

Specifications

Efficiency is Gold, and the unit features a semi-modular cabling design. Its maximum operating temperature at which it can deliver its full power continuously is 40°C. However, it can operate at up to 50°C, but only for as long as it delivers no more than 80% of its max-rated-capacity continuously. All protections have been included, which is great since we plan on putting this PSU through a lot of tough tests, and we definitely don't want to see any dramatic situations arise due to high temperatures in such a tough testing scenario.

A high quality, 120 mm FDB fan keeps the Edison M-650 cool. A 140 mm fan should have been used as it can deliver just as much airflow at a lower RPM and, as such, less noise. According to some manufacturers, smaller diameter fans deliver more focused airflow, which has them prefer smaller units for PSUs with smaller PCBs; however, we believe that it is better to use a large fan in highly efficient units with restricted energy losses to decrease noise output. The Edison unit is pretty compact given it is only 16 cm long, and at five years, its warranty is long enough.

There is only one +12V rail, and it can deliver the unit's full power alone, while the minor rails can deliver 100 W combined, which is enough for most systems. The 5VSB rail has the typical amperage for PSUs with such a capacity.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

The most impressive part here is the fact that Fractal Design equipped the unit with six PCIe connectors. They had to ditch the second EPS connector to do so, which is a small matter as most wouldn't have put it to use. There are more than enough SATA and peripheral connectors for this unit, and their cable length is satisfactory, although we would feel more comfortable with a slightly longer main ATX cable (at 60 cm instead of 55 cm). The distance between connectors is good, and since Fractal Design has a ton of experience in designing cases, they equipped the Edison M-650 with short SATA and 4 pin Molex cables should you want to use the unit with a small case. Finally, all cables use standard 18AWG gauges.

Since this PSU features a single +12V rail, we do not have anything to comment on when it comes time to talk about its power distribution.

Packaging

At the face of the box are a quarter-shot of the PSU and the series number inside a yellow frame. Below the aforementioned frame are three icons for the five year warranty, its Gold-certified efficiency, and the ErP Lot 6 compliance.


The most interesting bit on this side is the table with the unit's power specifications.


Some photos on this side depict the small modular board and fan grill, and there is a shot of the unit's internals, a modular connector, the stamped Fractal Design logo on the bottom of the PSU, and Fractal's sticker above the AC receptacle.


On top of the box is a brief features description, provided in several languages.


As per usual, the rear side of the box provides some more detailed information about the product. In this case, we have two graphs, one with the unit's efficiency and the other with the fan's speed throughout. There is also a visual list of all available affixed and modular connectors, and several paragraphs of text highlight this product's most crucial features.

Contents

The packaging is sturdy enough, and two pieces of packing foam protect the PSU inside well. A nice touch is the cloth bag in which the PSU is stored.


The bundle includes some Velcro straps, a single cable-tie, the AC power cord, a set of fixing bolts, and a user's manual.