Introduction

We would like to thank Seasonic for supplying the review sample.

Seasonic’s name is well-known among informed PSU users. They provide and build most high-end models for companies with a significant presence in the field (e.g. Corsair) and don’t restrict their role to that of an OEM, but also participate as much as they can in the retail market by keeping a full portfolio of products for the end-user. They, on top of that, maintain top notch RMA service. Its emphasis is on the customer's satisfaction instead of keeping RMA approvals at a minimum to lower costs, as most companies nowadays do. As important as the quality of their products is to the company, customers who are in a bind because of a Seasonic product are just as important. Seasonic knows that the word will spread through the social media quickly if they fail to offer good support. Thankfully, more and more companies are starting to realize this fact, but not all of them treat their customers in the same way when they report a problem with the product they bought.

So far, the only Seasonic fanless unit that featured Platinum efficiency and utilized the new KM3 platform is the SS-520FL, which we have already reviewed. It earned an editor's choice award for its overall performance. The lower capacity fanless models with 460 W and 400 W, although top-notch performers, lived in its shadow because they exploited the older KM2 platform with Gold efficiency. Seasonic thought this was unfair and upgraded them to the new platform, boosting their already very good performance. In a snap, the SS-460FL, which we will have the chance to test today, uses a fully modular design and has compact dimensions: It also promises very tight voltage regulation on all rails and extra-high efficiency.

Specifications

Efficiency has been upgraded to 80 Plus Platinum, thanks to the new platform that this unit uses. The operating temperature range is pretty wide and compliant with ATX spec recommendations, and protection features include all those available to desktop PSUs. OTP (Over Temperature Protection) is the most important one of them all since the unit is not equipped with a fan, so its internal temperatures will be significantly higher compared to those inside a normal PSU.

The dimensions of the unit follow ATX guidelines with a length of 16 cm, but the PSU isn't fully compliant with the most recent ATX specification (2.31) because it only has one +12V rail, but that is nothing to worry about. Finally, the warranty is very long at seven years. Its price is intimidating but fanless units are expensive.


The single +12V rail is strong enough for a medium system: it can deliver the PSU's full power by itself. The minor rails are restricted to 100 W combined, a power level that will suffice in most cases. Finally, the 5VSB rail has the minimum power output allowed by today's standards. An additional 0.5 - 1A on the 5VSB rail would be nice.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

All cables are pretty long, and the distance amongst connectors on cables that hold more than one connector is satisfactory. The number of SATA and 4-pin molex connectors is adequate given the capacity of the PSU. We strongly believe that two additional PCIe connectors would highly increase usability. The +12V rail is, after all, pretty strong, so it could easily feed two mid-level VGAs.

The cables of the SS-460FL are fully sleeved and stealthed (all wires are black), and all cables except for the main ATX one are flat. Finally, all gauges are of 18AWG size, which is the standard size.

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

Packaging

The small package features a platinum-colored backdrop as a direct reference to the PSU's official efficiency certification. In the top-right corner resides the Platinum badge, and Seasonic's logo is located in the opposite corner. The middle of the front also has a photo showcasing the unit's front side. The PSU's capacity is highlighted against a black background found close to the bottom-right corner of the box.


One of sides has a photo of the unit's modular panel, while the other side has a list of the unit's technical characteristics and the power specifications table.


The top side only has the series description along with the EuP 2013 and Platinum badges. A multilingual features description is given on the opposite side.


The rear side provides some useful information about the official 80 Plus standard certifications and has some paragraphs that explain the PSU's most significant features. This side also has an interesting photo of the unit's internals and a statement by Seasonic: Their new fanless Platinum PSUs offer a couple new features in addition to all the features of the previous X-series units.