Computex kicks off in Taipei next week, and it’s there that we’ll see the first liquid-cooled power supply for PCs in a long time: FSP’s wild Hydro PTM+.
This power supply sounds like an impressive little unit. Not only is the Hydro PTM+ compatible with custom liquid-cooling setups, but if you’re under 50 percent load, the fan will stay idle until the PC asks for more than 600 watts of power. That’s a recipe for quiet computing during everyday tasks.
The Hydro PTM+ is 80 Plus Platinum certified and rated to pump out 1200W on its own. Drop in a liquid cooling system, however, and the power capacity jumps to 1400W—presumably thanks to how cool it stays. Yes, that’s more power than most users would need, but we’re way past practicality here, folks, and into the world of excessive, wildly exotic PC cooling setups. (Don’t expect the fans to stay idle when you’re gaming on four graphics cards, though.)
As this is a PSU designed to appeal to gamers with custom cooling setups, the FSP Hydro PTM+ also comes with its own LED lighting system. It was developed in partnership with custom cooling component maker Bitspower.
“There were many safety concerns of running water in an electrical equipment in the past but we made it possible today through our continuous research, development and partnered with Bitspower’s advanced technology,” FSP says on the Hydro PTM+’s webpage.
The impact on you at home: One thing we don’t know yet is the price and release date of the PSU, or if it will even be available in North America. FSP says the Hydro PTM+ will roll out as a mass-produced product, which beats other recent liquid-cooled PSUs in the news. In January 2016, Deepcool showed off a 650W liquid-cooled PSU during CES, but we haven’t heard anything about it since.