FSP is a brand that isn't known as well as other PSU brands. FSP stands for Forton Source USA, Sparkle Power International LTD, and Powertech Systems. FSP developed its retail brand in 2003 and is known as the OEM for several other brands, such as Antec, OCZ, SilverStone, and Zalman.
FSP power supplies are also known in the enthusiast market as very high-end, high-quality, and dependable. The unit we have for review today is no different, the FSP Hydro PTM Pro 1200w power supply with a single 12-pin PCIe 5.0 connector.
The Hydro PTM Pro is available in three wattages - 850w, 1000w, and 1200w. Pricing for the model we have for review today, the Hydro PTM Pro 1200w, is set at $259.99 (at the time of this review), which is pretty competitive.
The Hydro PTM Pro PSU arrived in the standard cardboard box. The front side has a picture of the PSU with some product specifications on the bottom edge.
This PSU is more of a refresh since the upper right-hand corner has a "12-Pin PCIe Cable x1" sticker. The backside shows a clear blown-out image of the internals that FSP has used.
This side of the box shows the included connectors, plus the aforementioned 12-pin PCIe 5.0 cable.
Opening up the box, you will see there are two styrofoam end cap pieces that protect the Hydro PTM Pro during shipping.
The Hydro PTM Pro is also wrapped in a plastic bag, while the cables are in a soft velvet-like bag to ensure extra protection.
The Hydro PTM Pro user guide and a red and green set of side stickers are inside the included sleeve.
Also included are some velcro cable management straps, a PSU jumper, and four installation screws.
Here are the cables all pulled out of the velvet bag. Very nice flat black; the only thing missing here is some individual cable sleeving.
The Hydro PTM Pro is pretty weighty, which is a good indicator of quality. Peering down onto the top is a 135mm fluid dynamic bearing fan, with the Hydro H logo in the center. The dimensions of 150mm long, 190mm wide, and 86mm tall make the Hydro PTM Pro 1200w a pretty big boy, so make sure you have clearance in your PC case to accommodate it.
The side of the Hydro PTM Pro has a simple sticker that you can change out with the included red or green stickers if that's your fancy.
Looking at the full modular design of the Hydro PTM Pro has a full array of connectivity. The upper left comprises five 5-pin peripheral connectors, and the middle has the full complement of dual 8-pin CPU and separated 24-pin motherboard connectors. The bottom has four 8-pin PCI-E connectors.
The data sheet of the Hydro PTM Pro 1200w shows that it's a pretty hefty unit. Having 100A on a single 12V rail is just insane.
The cables FSP has included are plentiful, especially in the SATA and PCI-E departments.
Included that would take up two of those 8-pin PCI-E connections is the included 12-pin PCI-E 5.0 connector, which, interestingly enough, has only 12 connections on the PSU side of things. This unit does not come with the "extra" four pins used for sensing.
Here is another shot of the 12-pin PCI-E 5.0 connector.
The rear end of the Hydro PTM Pro has the standard power connector, not the high-powered squared-off ones that usually come with higher-powered power supplies. The term "POWER NEVER ENDS" labeling directly under the power connector. To the right of the power connector is the I/O switch and an on/off switch for ECO mode.
Opening up the Hydro PTM Pro reveals a very clean design, which shows the attention to detail that FSP provides. In the very middle are the two main transformers, 12V MOSFETs to the left and the very top right above the two massive Japanese E capacitors.
A view of those Japanese E-capacitors.
FSP has chosen to use a Protechnic Electric 135mm FDB fan, which is of very high quality. The Hydro PTM Pro does have an ECO fan mode. When the power supply is equal to or less than 30% load, the power supply will enter a silent state, and the fan is turned off.
FSP has really hit it out of the park with the Hydro PTM Pro 1200w PSU. In testing, I put the Hydro PTM Pro 1200w PSU under load with an AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970x with Precision Boost Overdrive enabled, which let the 3970X pull about 374 watts from the stock TDP of 280 watts.
For the GPU, I paired an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition, which has a stock BIOS TDP of 350 watts. Upping the power limiter to 114% via NVIDIA's GeForce Experience's Performance Overlay pushed the RTX 3090 FE GPU to about 411 watts. The 3970X and the RTX 3090 together pulled about 785 watts. So now the PSU is being pushed to about 75% of its rated power. All testing was completed using Aida64's System Stability test and CPUID's HWMonitor. Let's see if we can push it a bit further.
Well, I just so happen to have another RTX 3090, Zotac's Trinity model, around to chuck in to see if this PSU can really handle two RTX 3090s, which is exactly what I did. This RTX 3090 is locked at a 100% Power Limit, so I was stuck at 350 watts. Loading everything up with Aida64's System Stability test again pushed the PSU to about 1,135 watts with just those three power-hungry components. So it's safe to say that FSP's Hydro PTM Pro 1200w PSU can provide its rated power while doing so quietly.
So in closing, I must say again that FSP hit it out of the park with this PSU. The Hydro PTM Pro 1200w has a high-efficiency level on a single powerful 12-volt rail, which is great for overclockers and enthusiasts. The quality of the Hydro PTM Pro is phenomenal, having a full complement of Japanese capacitors and a 12-pin PCIe 5.0 cable, making system building easier.
My only real nitpick is that the cabling was not individually sleeved, but one could solve this by getting a relatively inexpensive PSU extension kit to dress up the build a bit more.
If you are looking for a great high power PSU from a very reputable brand, the Hydro PTM Pro 1200w from FSP, should be on your shortlist.
Ryan joined TweakTown in 2022, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been around the block a time or two. He has always been a gamer through and through, and building PCs started when he took apart his family’s 486 DX2-based PC. He is into everything PC but enjoys building, gaming, and water cooling.
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