Seasonic Prime TX-1600 Noctua Edition Review (Titanium)

Rating: 9.5.

We have reviewed many power supplies from Seasonic in recent years but today we look at a rather special model in partnership with Noctua. This ‘Noctua Edition' power supply is based around one of the most expensive products that Seasonic make, and Noctua claim that this unit is quieter than the original unit which we tested some time ago.

Noctua say this is not a limited edition product, so it will be sold for as long as they decide. With a price tag of EUR 499 / USD 569, it is clearly for a niche audience. While the colour scheme will split opinion (as it always does), I have to say, I thought it looked really cool when I opened the box. Anything to get away from plain white or black units is a refreshing change in my opinion.

Noctua as a brand are highly regarded for their air coolers and fan designs so this partnership with Seasonic makes a lot of sense to me.

Noctua say on their own website ‘The Seasonic PRIME TX-1600 Noctua Edition is around 8-10dB(A) quieter than the regular model across the entire fan speed range. This massive improvement is mainly due to the superior performance-to-noise efficiency of the award-winning Noctua NF-A12x25 120mm fan as compared to the regular model’s 135mm unit. However, the Noctua Edition’s custom-designed, highly optimised fan grill also contributes to its superior acoustic performance.'

The Seasonic Prime TX-1600 was one of the best performing power supplies we reviewed in 2023, so if Noctua bring their fan and cooling expertise to the sector, we have high hopes it will perform exceptionally well.

Noctua in a rather cool fashion posted on Twitter that they were sharing the design for the grille that you can print it out, with the right tools. Head over HERE for a look at that.

Award-winning performance

Awarded best power supply series by the European Hardware Association two years in a row (2023 & 2024) and having received countless recommendations from expert testers around the world, the PRIME TX series is a testament to Seasonic’s decades of experience in engineering PC power supplies for the highest demands.

Cybenetics Lambda A++ sound level rating

In Cybenetics acoustic tests, the regular PRIME TX-1600 model was already very quiet with a Lambda A rating and an average noise output of only ~21 dB(A). The Noctua Edition further improved on this excellent result with a further ~8 dB(A) reduction and an average noise level of ~13 dB(A), which led to an upgrade from Lambda A to a Lambda A++ classification.

Renowned NF-A12x25 120mm fan

The key to the Noctua Edition’s further improved acoustic performance is Noctua’s renowned NF-A12x25 120mm fan: Ensuring the same safe operating temperature of all internal components, it runs another ~8-10dB(A) quieter than the regular model’s already quiet 135mm fan across the entire fan speed range.

Highly optimised fan grill

Many power supply fan grill designs are driven by aesthetic considerations and ignore basic acoustic and aerodynamic principles. By contrast, the fan grill of the TX-1600 Noctua Edition has been custom designed and carefully optimised to ensure smooth pressure gradients when the fan blades pass, which results in higher airflow performance and lower noise emission.

Semi-passive operation

Thanks to a semi-passive fan control setup, the PRIME TX-1600 Noctua Edition will switch off its fan completely whenever possible. At ambient temperatures up to 25°C, this enables it to run fully passive all the way up to 50% electrical load, making it a fantastic choice not only for systems that require the full 1600W output, but also for ultra-quiet builds that usually need less power.

Titanium level energy efficiency

With 94% energy efficiency at 50% load, Seasonic’s PRIME-TX series power supplies are 80 PLUS® Titanium and Cybenetics ETA Titanium certified. Reducing not only power consumption but also waste heat and, consequently, cooling requirements, this state-of-the-art efficiency level significantly contributes to the TX-1600 Noctua Edition’s supreme quietness of operation.

ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 compliant

The Noctua Edition of the Seasonic TX-1600 not only complies with the ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 standards. Including a cable with the new 12V-2×6 connector for safely powering top-of-the-line GPUs with high energy consumption such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 series, it also meets the updated ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 requirements.

Ultra-tight voltage regulation

Seasonic’s latest Micro Tolerance Load Regulation (MTLR) design keeps the output voltage within an extremely tight range, achieving under 0.5% load regulation. This cutting-edge electrical performance stability makes the TX-1600 Noctua Edition an ideal basis for highly demanding premium builds.

Fully modular Noctua style cables

The Seasonic PRIME TX-1600 Noctua Edition comes with fully modular cables for clean and tidy builds without unnecessary cable clutter. With its subtle dark brown accents, the included cable set is perfect for Noctua themed builds and a visual testament to this unique power supply.

12-year Seasonic warranty

With more than 40 years of experience in manufacturing PC power supplies, Seasonic has become synonymous with dependable, uncompromising quality that you can count on for years to come. Just like the regular model, the PRIME TX-1600 Noctua Edition is covered by Seasonic’s 12-year manufacturer’s warranty.

Photos in this review today are taken with a Hassleblad 907x / 100c Medium Format camera system and 55mm XCD 2.5 lens.

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