XFX PRO 1250W Black Edition Modular Power Supply Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing

XFX’s PRO 1250W Black Edition power supply costs $230 at Amazon and $270 at Newegg in North America. In the UK it costs £205 at Amazon and £190 at Scan Computers. The XFX PRO 1250W Black Edition power supply comes with a 5 year warranty.

Conclusion

The XFX PRO 1250W boasts excellent performance across the board which is something it definitely needs to have given its target market and price point. We’ve observed exceptional voltage regulation and power factor correction which is trademark of the Seasonic OEM design. Moving onto efficiency and the unit easily met its 80 Plus Gold rating which is what allows it to operate so quietly under the vast majority of load scenarios. Only at 80-100% did the power supply become audible and only at 100% load was it loud enough to be a nuisance, but rarely would you ever be able to realistically use 1250W consistently EVEN WITH four GPUs. In the area of ripple suppression we saw very strong results that are typical of a Seasonic platform and all this great performance is backed up by a five year warranty and a key factor for enthusiasts is going to be the fully modular design.

Where is there improvement for the XFX PRO 1250W Black Edition? Well firstly the fan curve should be tweaked: there is no need for the fan to be so aggressive at 80-100% load – the unit is simply too efficient to need this. Secondly, since XFX released the PRO 1250W Black Edition power supply over 2 years ago the unit has been supplanted by newer 80 Plus Platinum platforms by Seasonic and digitally regulated platforms by Flextronics (who make Corsair’s AX1200i). Typically these newer 80 Plus Platinum units of equivalent wattage are more expensive, so the XFX PRO 1250W still has a place in the market, but XFX need to remain vigilant with their pricing to ensure they stay competitive with these superior 80 Plus Platinum platforms. XFX might also want to consider coming out with their own 80 Plus Platinum rated 1200/1250W PSU, especially since their main OEM partner Seasonic makes one of these platforms. XFX could also consider revising the cable design of the XFX PRO 1250W unit to have more attractive fully black cables (currently multi-coloured cables are exposed after the heat shrink stops), that combined with the tweaked fan profile would definitely give XFX an extra edge over the stiff competition.

Pros

• Excellent voltage regulation
• Meets certified efficiency and betters it
• High PFC
• Competitive pricing
• 5 year warranty
• Modular
• Hybrid fan mode

Cons

• Fan is too aggressive at 80-100%
• Exposed cabling after heat shrink ends

“If you have a system with massive power requirements then the XFX PRO 1250W has all the watts you need. Not only does it offer the best performance at its price point but it also offers a long warranty and a fully modular design.”

Thank you to XFX for providing this review sample.