Comments Locked

29 Comments

Back to Article

  • erinadreno - Monday, July 12, 2021 - link

    Is it just me or the PCB layout looks like mirrored from Corsair's SF750?
  • DanNeely - Monday, July 12, 2021 - link

    Looking at photos from the review below I don't think so. Off the bat this one has the 2 coils on the side opposite the big capacitor stacked vertically instead of side by side, the heat sinks next ot the big cap are oriented differently; and while it's hard to be sure since al of the images here were taken at more of an angle I think the Lian-Li is more densely packed.

    https://pcper.com/2019/01/corsair-sf750-sfx-platin...
  • romrunning - Monday, July 12, 2021 - link

    Thanks for the review! I am not surprised Lian Li entered the SFX market first, because not only do they manufacture a number of custom ITX cases (i.e. ready-made customers), but the SFX PSU market itself has fewer competitors. The ATX PSU market has enough already. Hence, it makes perfect sense to enter the SFX side first.

    The Corsair SF750 mostly dominates the SFX PSU market at the 750W point, so another competitor at that level is desirable. I'll be interested to see if this one made by Helly Technology is just as good, quality/reliability-wise, as the Corsair one.

    The fan is hopefully not a bad choice. I would have wanted one chosen more for quiet operation, because I really treasure a quiet system, especially when ITX cases don't have as much internal volume to "deaden" the sound.
  • u.of.ipod - Monday, July 12, 2021 - link

    I think it has less to do with the fan choice and more to do if they set the fan curve aggressive or not, and if they base the fan curve on actual temperature or just general load.
  • romrunning - Monday, July 12, 2021 - link

    The review said: "The 92 mm fan started when our load was just over 200 Watts", so it sounds like a more aggressive curve. I don't know if this unit has a specific "ECO-mode" or configurable semi-passive mode. I know on my SF750, I've yet to hear the fan in the PSU kick on past the initial system power-on. Personally, I'm okay with the fan running, as long as it stays quiet (or at least always less than the system/GPU fans). :)
  • Oxford Guy - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    'I think it has less to do with the fan choice and more to do if they set the fan curve aggressive or not'

    1. Ball bearing fans are noisy. Single-bearing fans are the worst.

    The only exception I have seen to this rule is some single-speed dual-bearing low-RPM fans designed for high static pressure, which did seem to be very competitive with competing tech (e.g. 800 RPM model from industrial company whose name I can't recall).

    The main reason, as far as I know, for using dual-bearing fans, is for high static pressure situations (i.e. radiators, especially those with airflow high resistance).

    2. How aggressive the fan needs to be depends on various factors that can be controlled by the OEM, such as the quality of the electronics (efficiency) and the quality of the airflow/heatsink aspect. This review suggests that one of the sinks isn't very good and gold is not the best PSU electronics can do.

    The profile isn't just plucked out of the sky. It has to provide adequate cooling under load.
  • romrunning - Monday, July 12, 2021 - link

    "What is strange here is the presence of three PCI Express connectors, because the SP750 clearly has the power output for two middle-range graphics cards but the lack of a fourth connector deprives users from that choice"

    ITX boards only have one PCIe x16 slot for a dGPU, so this isn't a problem at all.
  • Slash3 - Monday, July 12, 2021 - link

    There are a number of midsize cases that will hold a Micro ATX or full sized ATX motherboard, but still require an SFX power supply, including their own popular O11 Dynamic Mini.

    https://lian-li.com/product/o11-dynamic-mini/
  • meacupla - Monday, July 12, 2021 - link

    dGPU is dead anyways, so it doesn't matter.
  • DanNeely - Monday, July 12, 2021 - link

    Only for gaming, not compute.
  • meacupla - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    okay, in that case, I want to see someone's matx, sfx, dgpu compute pc then.
  • Spunjji - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    It does sound like a niche within a niche (within a niche)
  • Questor - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    I don't have a picture of one. I can tell you they exist. Go to Small Form Factor dot net and there you will find SFF cases designed for bifurcation of the single PCIexpress slot. There are riser cables designed for it as well. It certainly has nothing to do with playing games. It is a real thing though I agree a special situation scenario.
  • thestryker - Monday, July 12, 2021 - link

    While I'm fairly confident that the PSU would last a long time the warranty period is disconcerting. Now this might just be due to the contract Lian Li signed with the ODM, but even the midrange PSU I got 5 years ago for my system came with a 10 year warranty. If this foray is successful for Lian Li it will be interesting to see if they go back and lengthen the warranty.

    As always I really appreciate the quality of the PSU reviews done here, and the high ambient testing brings in a unique dynamic.
  • jonnyGURU - Monday, July 12, 2021 - link

    Lian Li's first PSU? Lian Li has had PSUs since 2008!!! They literally have two SFX-L PSUs on the market that were launched just five years ago! LOL!
  • kaidenshi - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    You may wish to re-read the article instead of skimming. This is their first non-L SFX PSU. Their SFX-L models were addressed in the article:

    "A few years ago, it entered the market with SFX-L power supplies, but the demand wasn't quite there."
  • Oxford Guy - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    The fan is a mistake.

    Ball bearing fans have no place outside of radiators in consumer systems and even then it's questionable.

    I have also read the claims that they are more prone to damage if they are knocked hard or dropped — and that they become noisier over time (unlike FDB and other high-quality alternatives). I am not sure if either are true but the noise performance of this unit, fresh and undamaged, is enough to show that the fan is a mistake.
  • Spunjji - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    I believe they've gone for the least expensive option that would still survive the high temperature environment inside a small PSU. Sleeve bearing fans die too quickly in such circumstances, and anything resembling FDB probably involves the sort of cost increase they'd want to avoid.

    Personally I'd be happy enough replacing the fan myself if the noise became an issue, but it's a shame for the sort of end users who rely on warranties.
  • Oxford Guy - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    ‘anything resembling FDB probably involves the sort of cost increase they'd want to avoid.’

    The company clearly did want to avoid it. The consumer can avoid the product in return.
  • Samus - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    As an EE, this thing is practically pornography for me. Beautiful unit.
  • kdogg4536 - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    $140 I think I will pass until they build up a proven track record for that much money. One good review is a nice start but not enough to get my $140
  • kaidenshi - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    I'd take it at that price. I paid $99 for the 550W Focus SFX PSU in my mini-ITX build, and I would have gladly paid $50 more for a 750W from a company with a better reliability record if it had been available at the time.
  • Foeketijn - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    It always interests me, how these business plans enfold. If I was Lian Li and wanted to make such a A grade >100 dollar PSU, I would go to the best name brands, who are coincidental also in Taiwan.
    Make sure it has for example the best cooling fan and only Japanese parts. Just to make sure that first new product sets the stage for whatever comes next.
    Especially For a Taiwanese company, how come it's a Chinese PSU with Chinese parts (other than the fan). Why take the risk? Why not support your local industries?
    I try to avoid buying stuff from China as much as possible because I don't like the politics, and slavery. We vote with our spending. And I'm not Taiwanese. Fascinating
  • Jasonovich - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    I don't think geopolitical sentiments have any value on an IT website. Most brand names have their operations outsourced to China and some very fine quality electronic components come from China.
    If you're into main stream media and you believe everything your government says that's fine, enjoy your poison but slavery?
    What about Nike, Addidas, Apple, the list is long.I assume you're OK with Israel and apartheid ?
  • Questor - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    If it stays on topic, geopolitical statements can be valuable information to inform the consumer. When it veers off topic, then it has no value.
  • Foeketijn - Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - link

    Interesting reply. I am not saying China can't make propper stuff. I am just saying, the best PSU's are made in Taiwan. Why gamble with an relatively unknown producer.
    And ofcourse geopolitics play a role. I don't think Australians will outsource much to China ATM. Just like Indians won't likely outsource anything to Pakistan.
    It's not black an white. And has it's place on any website including IT. As long as it's ontopic.
    Off topic, you guessed right, I never buy anything from those brands. And that list is indeed very long. I am not against China, I don't like most things about globalisation (I do like that I can write this to you), and I hate slavery. Can't proof you didn't use slavery? I won't buy.
  • WonkoTheSaneUK - Thursday, July 15, 2021 - link

    "What is strange here is the presence of three PCI Express connectors, because the SP750 clearly has the power output for two middle-range graphics cards but the lack of a fourth connector deprives users from that choice."

    3 PCIe connectors isn't strange at all.
    750W is enough power to run a Nvidia RTX3080 or RTX3090 graphics card, and some of the AIB cards require 3 such connectors, instead of Nvidia's new, smaller single 12-pin connector, used on the "Founder's Edition" cards.
  • eldakka - Sunday, July 18, 2021 - link

    I think the comment was about ONLY having 3 connectors on a 750W PSU, as it is capable of running 2 GPUs each requiring 2 connectors for a total of 4, which this PSU doesn't have.

    I don't see it as a problem for gamers, as they'd most likely go for a single high-power card (max 3 connectors needed), but gaming isn't the only use case out there ;)
  • faaaaq - Wednesday, July 28, 2021 - link

    I just grabbed the 011 Mini deal from Newegg that came with this, for like $200. My first SFX PSU and man is it teeny tiny. Powering my heavily-overclocked 5950x, moderately overclocked 3080 FE, nine RGB fans, two water pumps (GPU and CPU are each on their own AIO cooling loops), and 4000mhz DDR4. No issues so far but Ive only had it since yesterday, replacing my Seasonic 750w ATX PSU and CoolerMaster H500. I had not looked up reviews before purchasing the case + PSU combo, so its nice to see the PSU ended up being very high quality. Nice.

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now