Quick Summary
Seasonic Focus SGX-450 is among the best SFX power supply units that you can buy in the market. It’s 80 plus Gold Certified, fully modular, and manages to handle all the tasks within the requirements of its wattage efficiently (despite being smaller). Check it out on Amazon.com
What We Like
- checkSolid build quality
- checkExcellent performance under load
- checkSmall & Quiet
- checkFully Modular
What We Don’t
- None
Our Ratings
PC building is certainly one of the most thrilling experiences that one can have.
You buy different PC components from the market and assemble them into a full-fledged working PC.
But among those components, the power supply is often the most underrated one (except your hard drive, maybe).
It’s because everyone and their moms like to talk about how faster gaming processor they’ve got. But amid all this specs-talk, most people don’t realize is that it doesn’t matter how good CPU or graphics card you’ve got if you’re not going to power them well – by choosing a less-optimal PSU.
The point I’m trying to make is that you should always have a good power supply unit so you do not have to worry about those parts not getting enough power, or running into some other issues that could create a problem later down the road.
Seasonic FOCUS SGX-450: Check Price On Amazon
The power supply unit we are looking at today is the Seasonic FOCUS SGX-450. For those who do not know, this is an SFX form factor power supply, and most importantly, it is fully modular as well.
Seasonic is known for being one of the best power supply brands, and the same can be seen in the unit we have for review.
It is great from every aspect, the power delivery is solid, the build quality both externally and internally is great, and the power supply can run pretty much any system you throw at it – as long as you keep the wattage in mind. Last but not least, the fully modular design makes it really easy for everyone to build.
To be honest, I tried really hard to find something negative to point out in the power supply, but in reality, I did not find anything.
Features And Benefits
Seasonic FOCUS SGX-450 is a crowd pleaser from all the fronts one could think of. The power supply is one of the best units you can buy if you are building an HTPC or a mid-range gaming PC for that matter.
With that out of the way, we are going to discuss some of the features and benefits of this power supply so you can have a better understanding of this power supply unit.
Build Quality
Seasonic is one of those companies who has never been shy about build quality. They have never compromised on the build quality in any way possible. That is certainly a great thing about the power supplies as they happen to be great.
The same goes with the Seasonic FOCUS SGX-450 as it happens to be a solid built both from the inside as well as outside. Seasonic has made sure that they are using top grade capacitors, and good material outside of the power supply as well
Price
The price is one of the things about this power supply unit that might irk a few buyers. The only reason behind that is that the power supply actually gives you 450 watts of power, whereas the cost is equivalent to a 750 watts power supply.
However, the reason behind that is this is an SFX unit rather than a full-sized power supply unit, and these units tend to be more expensive than the other options available in the market.
Design
To be honest, there is not much to say about the design of this power supply unit. Power supplies usually have a very simple aesthetic, mainly because more or less they are going to be hidden away. Seasonic has done a simple job with the design language, nothing too flashy, and that is great from all sides.
Alternatives
With such an amazing power supply, finding the right alternatives might be a difficult thing, to begin with. However, after doing some research, we did end up finding some alternatives, and while we won’t call them better than the Seasonic FOCUS SGX-450, they are still good considerations that you should look at.
FSP Dagger 500W: Check Price On Amazon
FSP is a brand known for their great power supplies. This is one of the companies that have been making great power supplies for some time now, and the best part is that these do not cost a lot of money either. With that in mind, the FSP Dagger 500W is a great alternative to the Seasonic Focus and does come with an advantage over the latter.
You can see the advantages below.
- 500 watts of continuous power.
- Cheaper than the Seasonic Focus.
If you are looking for a good power supply, then the FSP Dagger 500W is certainly a good option. You can check it out here, and see if you want to buy it.
Enermax Revolution SFX 550W: Check Price On Amazon
When it comes to quality computer hardware, Enermax is another great company with some amazing product lineup.
There are a few decent benefits of Enermax Revolution over the Focus SGX-450, so you should look at them below.
- 550 watts of power instead of 450.
- Almost the same price tag as the Focus SGX-450.
- Comes with an SFX to ATX adapter.
Needless to say, the Enermax Revolution SFX 550W is a worthy contender that you should look at, and it will definitely make it worth your while.
Thermaltake Toughpower SFX 450W: Check Price On Amazon
Another great alternative that you can buy is the Thermaltake Toughpower SFX 450W. It is almost the same as the Seasonic Focus SGX-450 in almost every single way and comes with the bracket as well. At this point, there is no proper comparison between both options as they are more or less the same with different brands.
Conclusion
I always talk about how finding the right power supply for your PC is the most important factor that you could think of. Keeping that in mind, it is important because the entire PC depends on the power supply and if you do go with a cheaper power supply, you might run into a lot of issues.
Buying a good power supply can be confusing, so that is why we are going to include some guidance for you as well.
Things You Should Consider When Buying a Power Supply Unit
If you have finally stepped into the market of PC gaming, you will run into many options; this is both good and bad because it can end up confusing you, something that no one really wants when building the first PC.
Buying a power supply is one thing that should be taken very seriously because if you do end up messing the PSU, you are going to regret it later. That is why below are some of the things that you should consider when buying a new power supply unit.
The Form Factor
The one thing that a lot of people do not get is the form factor. If you are buying a full tower or even a mid-tower, you would be more than okay with going with a standardly sized power supply. However, if you are going below that like an ITX or a Micro-ATX case, then your power supply choice will be limited.
In a situation like that, you do need to keep the form factor in mind. Remember, the smaller SFX power supplies can work with the larger cases using a bracket, but the larger power supplies are not backward compatible with smaller cases.
The Wattage
Another important thing that you need to consider is the wattage. You need to go for something that is sufficient to power your entire system, and not only that, something that can actually last you even if you decide to upgrade in the near future.
The issue here is that most people only plan for the current build and they certainly do not take the upgrades into an account.
A common misconception is that a power supply of a higher wattage will draw more power. That is wrong, as the power supply will only draw a wattage it actually needs.
Efficiency
Power efficiency is another thing that is important to consider whenever you are buying a power supply. It starts at 80 Plus, and then goes all the way to 80 Plus Platinum; with each tier, the unit becomes more expensive. The higher the tier, the more efficient the power supply is with the current.
Modular or Non-Modular or Semi-Modular
The last thing that I would suggest you consider is going with a modular power supply, a non-modular power supply, or a semi-modular power supply.
A non-modular unit is the one that comes with all of the cables connected to the power supply unit. A modular unit has detachable cables and allows you to use only the ones that you actually need. Whereas the semi-modular unit comes with the EPS, and the 24-pin connector already connected, and the rest of the cables in the modular form.