LoginSAMA P1200 ATX 3.1 Power Supply Unit Review
INTRODUCTION
Power delivery has become one of the more demanding aspects of modern PC design, with components drawing sharper bursts of current and expecting tighter electrical behavior than ever before. A PSU now has to manage these shifts with precision, maintaining predictable output without adding unnecessary heat or noise. As builders look for units that can keep pace with today’s hardware without complicating the build process, SAMA’s P1200 enters the field as a high‑capacity option built for systems that need dependable overhead.
Founded in 2003, SAMA is a trusted global manufacturer of PC cases, cooling solutions, and power supplies for gaming, creative, and performance computing markets. With a reputation for reliability, thermal innovation, and industry-first support for emerging standards, SAMA products are used by gamers, system builders, and integrators in more than 50 countries worldwide.
The P line by SAMA includes 850/1000/1200W output models all of which are fully modular and 80 PLUS Platinum certified (up to 92% electrical efficiency). The 1200W output model which I'll be testing today features two 12V-2x6 power connectors (2x600W), three 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors, single strong +12V rail (100A) capable of delivering 100% of the units’ total power output (1200W) and a maximum power output of no less than 1319W (peak should now be around 2.8KW for up to 100ms - once again however this is not something i can test). The P1200 also sports half-bridge & LLC resonant converter with synchronous rectification and DC to DC design, active PFC, smart fanless mode for its 140mm fan (starts spinning after either temperatures reach 55 degrees Celsius or at 60% load), high-quality Japanese capacitors certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius and a full array of electrical protections including over-current (OCP), over-voltage (OVP), under-voltage (UVP), short-circuit (SCP), over-temperature (OTP), surge and in-rush (SIP), no-load operation (NLO) and over-power (OPP). As for warranty SAMA may not be among the well-known companies in the PC market but they do cover the entire P line of PSUs with a rather generous 10-year limited one.
SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS
SAMA uses a brown box to ship the P1200 the front of which is taken by their logo, product picture and several certifications.
The Serial Number and barcode of the P1200 are printed on a sticker located on the right side (it's worth pointing out that the P1200 is sold as XPH1200-AP in China).
Both the electrical table and available cables are listed at the rear of the box.
Typically the PSU is placed between two pieces of foam while the modular power cables are placed inside a storage pouch.
Aside the P1200 and its power cord inside the box you'll also find the modular power cables with their storage pouch, 6 cable straps, 5 mounting screws, warranty guide and the user manual.
THE P1200 EXTERIOR
For the P1200 SAMA has used individually sleeved modular power cables (at least for the most part).
The P1200 is a compact model that measures just 150mm in length, 150mm in width and 86mm in height.
As with most similar models SAMA has used an 140mm FDB (fluid dynamic bearing) fan.
Both the model name and company logo are printed on the sides.
A large sticker located at the base of the unit contains the electrical table.
All of the 14 modular power cable ports are tagged and different in size.
At the rear we find the on/off power switch and the power port (the lack of a fanless mode switch means it's always enabled).
THE P1200 INTERIOR
The 140mm FDB brushless fan is by GLOBE FAN and should be able to reach speeds of up to 1800RPM.
The OEM behind the P1200 by Sama is Shenzhen RSY and well, I've seen quite a few units by them lately.
Primary capacitors are manufactured by Rubycon and as expected are certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.
Secondary capacitors are also manufactured by Rubycon and again are certified for use up to 105 degrees.
TEST BED
TESTING METHODOLOGY
Using a dedicated measurement instrument such as a Chroma or a SunMoon to test power supply units is without doubt the most ideal and accurate way (not to mention the fastest) to do that currently. However, it's certainly not the only way there is and so pretty much anyone can test a power supply unit just by using a test rig. Certainly, limitations do apply and so you can't really push a 1000W power supply to its limits if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why over the years we saved certain hardware components for the purpose of building a dedicated PSU test rig. True it may not be as accurate as the above-mentioned solutions, but it comes really close and is in fact much closer to real world usage. So as always, we ran several games with maximum graphic options enabled at a resolution of 2560x1600 in order to stress every hardware component and increase the overall power demands of the system. The Passmark BurnIn Test was also used to overstress the components in an effort to provide the most accurate results possible. As a final test we also used the latest OCCT software and its dedicated PSU testing suite since it can really bring a power supply to its knees after inside a few minutes.
Rail stability was checked/measured with the CPUID Hardware monitor and a Metex multimeter which also recorded the system load in idle and in load. As always try to remember that the power consumption numbers listed in the graph are the highest (Peak) ones recorded during the entire duration of the tests and not the average ones. Noise levels coming from the fan were recorded using the high precision HD600 ExTech Sound dBA Meter from the rear of the unit and at a range of no more than 5-10cm. Readings under load are recorded the exact moment we manually switch the fans of all graphics cards from full speed to almost zero, that way the fan of the power supply does not have enough time to slow its RPM and so by doing this we get very accurate noise level readings. Needless to say, in order to get 100% accurate readings, you need to have a noise isolated room for that exact purpose, something which is quite impossible unless you are working inside a real lab (some people use very small noise insulated boxes but due to their size both heat and noise exceed normal levels and so the results can't really be considered to be 100% accurate, nor realistic for that matter). Also do take into account that since all noise measurements take place from just 5-10cm away the final noise levels to reach your ears will be considerably less.
* After well over 10 years of testing PSUs the Intel Core i7-920 CPU of this rig failed and so we replaced it with a Xeon X5660 (we also swapped the GA-X58A-UD7 for the G1. Assassin).
TEST RESULTS
CONCLUSION
The SAMA P1200 lands in an interesting spot, offering several high‑value features while carrying a few compromises. On the positive side, its 80 PLUS Platinum certification, Japanese capacitors, dual 12V-2x6 connectors and relatively low noise output make it a strong performer while the color options help it fit into a wider range of builds. The trade‑offs come from its Shenzhen RSY OEM background and rail stability that, while very good, isn’t chart‑topping. That said, RSY has been steadily improving its designs over the last few years, and the electrical behavior here reflects a more mature platform rather than a budget‑tier effort. Even with those considerations, the P1200 by SAMA remains a competent 1200-watt unit that should satisfy most users looking for efficiency and reliability.
With a current price tag set at USD118.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and at 182.24Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the P1200 ATX 3.1 & PCIe 5.1 PSU by SAMA is priced well. At the end of the day the P1200 performs very well and that along with its efficiency, relatively low noise and features are more than enough for the Golden Award.
PROS
- Good Build Quality
- Very Good Rail Stability
- ATX 3.1 & PCIe 5.1 Compliant
- 80 PLUS Platinum Certified
- 1200W Output
- Electrical Protections (OCP/OVP/SSP/OPP/UVP/OTP/SIP)
- Price (USA)
- 10 Year Limited Warranty
CONS
- Overall Availability
- Fanless Mode Always On
