FSP Twins 500W Redundant ATX Power Supply Review

Introduction

FSP Twins

There are few things worse in the computer world that coming into the office to find the PSU has blown. It can be devastating to the system, and your data. Power loss is a big issue, and on critical systems that may need to be rendering video around the clock, running game servers, databases, anything really, keep it on is vital. This is where solutions like the Twins 500W redundant power supply from FSP comes into play. It’s not one, but two PSUs in a single ATX unit. If one PSU were to die due to a huge power spike, or just simple hardware failure (it can happen), the other PSU would keep on running. You simply pull out the dead one, slot it in, and both take over their usual jobs again, no down time.

Two Power Supplies in One

“Twins series, a redundant power supply, is designed for standard ATX or PS2 chassis, no front end bracket needed, ideal for mail, web or home server. Hot swappable modules design provides stable power supply: when one fails, the other can take over the load immediately.Thus users do not need to worry about any server/PC power off situation.” – FSP

Not one to skip on features, this PSU (or PSUs) comes equipped with smart monitoring features. Hook it up to a USB header on your motherboard, and you can track power usage, temperatures, fan speeds, cost, efficiency, and so much more; all vital bits of information on systems with constant up time.

Digital Control

The Twins supports a standard ATX PS2 slot. Equipped with digital features, hot-swap modules and more. This is one solid sounding PSU on paper. Now let’s get it out of the box and take a closer look at what it has to offer.

Features

• ATX PS2 redundant size, no front end bracket needed, ideal for mail, web and home server
• Digital-controlled power supply design can be monitored by “FSP Guardian ” software
• Hot swappable modules design and no worry about server/PC power off when one of modules failure
• Complete protection: over current protection, short-circuit protection, over voltage protection, fan failure protection
• Alarm guard design by smart power supply status LED indicator
• 80 PLUS® 230V Internal Gold Certification
• Complies with ATX 12V and EPS 12V standards
• Flat ribbon cables, ideal solution for applications with space constraint issue

Product Video

Packaging & Accessories

The box is nice and simple, showing the PSU on the front, as well as its 5-year warranty, and 80 Plus Gold efficiency rating.

Around the back, all the technical detail you could ever need,  such as cable lengths, rail output levels, and more.

In the box, you’ll find a USB cable to hook it up to your motherboard, two power cables, and all the other fitting components. It’s all fairly standard stuff, and installing this unit shouldn’t be any more difficult than any other PSU.