Affordably priced and performing decently, 1st Player's strongest SFX unit achieves a high performance per dollar ratio. It surely isn't the performance king in the SFX category since Great Wall dominates this area, but with a few changes, this platform has potential. The Lian Li SP750 using the same platform with some changes achieved 2% higher overall performance, which moved it closer to the Cooler Master V650 and V550 SFX models. Only the Corsair SF Platinum units are leaps and bounds ahead since they use Great Wall's topnotch platform.

The 1st Player unit would place better in the overall performance chart with a longer hold-up time and proper inrush current protection. A larger fan measuring 92 mm across would also have it keep noise output lower. The semi-passive operation also looks to be a miss, especially at light loads, making things worse instead of providing lower noise output. Much better would have been a PWM circuit to control and gradually scale up fan speed based on thermals—semi-passive mode is starting to lose its charm. As the platform is highly efficiency across the entire load range, fan speed and noise could have also been kept lower with larger heatsinks, which could have had the 1st Player SFX 750 W Platinum match Corsair's and EVGA's offerings in this regard.

All in all, I cannot say I didn't like this product. On the contrary, Helly looks to be a highly promising OEM. However, as it stands, they need to improve in a few key areas by taking and acting on feedback from users and experienced reviewers or testers. For the 1st Player SFX 750 W Platinum, a higher-quality 92 mm fan and proper fan-speed profile would make a huge difference, along with a larger bulk cap and tighter feedback loop for better load regulation. Conducted EMI needs to meet the specification, too.