Gigabyte is widely known for its motherboards and graphics cards, but many users are perhaps unaware that it also has quite a large portfolio of PSU products. This lack of familiarity is because Gigabyte avoids, for its own reasons, sending PSU samples for evaluation, so with a quick search on the net you will find few Gigabyte PSU reviews. This is pretty weird; hopefully the company will change tactics in the future.
The most recent PSU series addition to Gigabyte’s arsenal is the Xtreme Gaming line that currently consists of only one member, the XP1200M. This is clearly a high-end PSU, featuring 80 PLUS Platinum efficiency, Japanese capacitors, fully modular cables and a single +12V rail. On the product’s official page, we spotted a photograph of the PSU’s internals, showing two Rubycon caps in the APFC converter with 1120uF combined capacity, so we suspect that the XP1200M will have a hard time reaching the desired hold-up time, which according to the ATX spec should be at least 17ms.
The cooling fan uses a double ball-bearing, which might not be as good as a fluid dynamic bearing (FDB), but it’s still considered a solid choice for a PSU. According to the fan curve that Gigabyte provided, the XP1200M doesn’t feature a semi-passive mode, and this will probably be a let down for some users, although according to the official info, the fan spins at low speeds under light and moderate loads. We don’t have any solid info on the OEM, but we suspect that it is Channel Well Technology (CWT).
| Model Number | XP1200M |
|---|---|
| Max. DC Output | 1200 W |
| PFC | Active PFC |
| Efficiency | 80 Plus Platinum |
| Modular | Yes (fully) |
| Intel Haswell Ready | Yes |
| MTBF | > 100,000 hours |
| Protections | Over Voltage Protection Under Voltage Protection Over Current Protection Short Circuit Protection Over Power Protection Over Temperature Protection |
| Cooling | 140 mm Dual Ball-Bearing Fan |
| Semi-passive operation | No |
| Dimensions | 150 mm (W) x 87 mm (H) x 180 mm (D) |
| Regulatory | CE/BSMI/EAC/TUV/FCC/CCC/RCM |
| Compliance | ATX12V v2.31, EPS 2.92 |
| Connectors | ATX/MB 20+4 Pin: 700mm 2x CPU/EPS 4+4 Pin: 800mm+ 650mm 6x PCI-e 6+2 Pin: 2x 650mm+ 2x (650mm+100mm) 12x SATA: 3x (550mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) 8x 4 Pin Peripheral: 2x (550mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) 2x 4 Pin Floppy : 100mm |
| Cable Type | Black Flat Cables |
It is definitely a good thing to see all protection features provided, especially OTP (Over Temperature Protection), which in my opinion is essential to every PSU. In addition, the unit is equipped with flat cables, which are preferable because they block less of the airflow inside the chassis.
| Rail | 3.3V | 5V | 12V | 5VSB | -12V | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max. Power | Amps | 25 | 22 | 100 | 2.5 | 0.3 |
| Watts | 120 | 1200 | 12.5 | 3.6 | ||
| Total Max. Power (W) | 1200 | |||||
The +12V rail, which feeds most PC components, is powerful, delivering up to 100 Amps. This means that the XP1200M can easily support multiple graphics cards. On the contrary, the 5VSB rail is weak, and normally such a high-capacity PSU should be able to provide at least 3-4 Amps on this rail.
