Packaging

At the face of the small box is a photo of the PSU with its native cables meticulously hidden or photoshopped away. The icons in the bottom left-hand corner are for the 80 PLUS Gold efficiency, DC-DC converters that generate the minor rails, Japanese electrolytic caps, and flat cables. Two icons on the other side are for the five year warranty and Skylake support (C6 and C7 sleep states).


Turn the box and you will come across a list of all the cables and connectors and the bundled AC power cord. The other side contains the power specifications table and two graphs for the efficiency and fan-noise curves. The most interesting part at the top is the QR code for FSP's power app that is compatible with Android devices. It includes some interesting features, like a PSU calculator and tip finder.


Turn to the rear and you will be greeted by another photo of the PSU without its cables and a ton of information on the product. There are, for starters, a pretty long features list and four small photographs of the components that play a significant role in how this PSU performs. The Hotcore Fan Control Design feature where the thermistor that provides temperature information to the fan-control circuit is attached to the primary transformer caught our attention. This thermistor usually monitors the temperature of the secondary side and those components that regulate the +12V rail. We don't know whether monitoring the main transformer's temperature is a good idea, but will figure it out in our tests.

Contents

Inside the box, only a piece of cardboard covers the PSU, which isn't enough to protect it well.


The bundle includes the user's guide, a set of fixing bolts, a single Velcro strap, and the AC power cord.

Exterior

While the finish is glossy, which we dislike, it appears to be of decent quality. The exhaust grilles at the front and top use a unique design, which makes this unit stand out. We are bored of PSUs with the classic honeycomb exhaust grille, which had the Hydro X unit catch our attention in a good way.


The large specifications label is on the PSU's underside, and small decals on both the left and right side depict the series name.


Around back are the native cables and two small exhaust grilles. There is no grommet around the cable-exit hole; however, there is no need for one because it is pretty large and its edges are smooth.


This PSU looks nice despite the lack of modular cables. It is also very small, which will make installing it easier.

Cables

The ATX connector uses colored wires, but all other connectors use black wires, and only the main ATX cable is round since all others are flat.