By: Jonathan Kwan
August 22, 2025
What does "Made in China" mean to you nowadays? In the past, "Made in China" is analogous to cheap knockoffs, and in many ways, there may still be truth to this. However, in recent years, we have seen a dramatic shift in what "Made in China" means. A whole new realm now exist that not only shows off China's ability to manufacture quality products designed by foreign companies, but also manufacture quality products designed by local firms. Companies like DJI dominate the drone market, and Anker is known for great power accessories. You can even throw in LC Signs if you know what is going on on the internet nowadays. Today, we have yet another Chinese brand that presents itself as a designer and manufacturer of quality products. SAMA, whose name is an Anglicized phonetic translation of Xianma ("先馬" in Traditional Chinese, or "先马 in Simplified Chinese) and roughly translates to "leading horse", is relatively new to the North American market and to us here at APH Networks. However, they have been making coolers, cases, and PSUs since 2003. The SAMA P1200 1200W power supply we have today is a performance 80 Plus Platinum-certified product that wants to take on the best from Germany, Taiwan, and USA. But does it have what it takes to really be the "leading horse"? We took apart one to find out.
Our review unit of the SAMA P1200 1200W came in a large brown corrugated cardboard box from SAMA's headquarters in Guangzhou, China alongside the A60E to be reviewed by Qian Chen. Using UBI Smart Parcel and transferred to Canada Post when it entered Canada, the box was pretty beat up, but everything inside arrived in excellent condition to us here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for our review today.
The retail packaging of the SAMA P1200 1200W is a brown corrugated cardboard box with color printing on top, which is consistent with the A60E heatsink. The predominantly blue color scheme from the brand is contrasted by white text. A photo of the power supply in three-quarter view occupies majority of the real estate in front. At the top left corner, you will find SAMA's logo in front of a blue band. The name of the product is printed at the bottom left corner, which is P1200. There is also an array of badges highlighting its 80 Plus Platinum certification, ATX 3.1 compatibility, PCIe 12V-2x6 connectors, and 10-year warranty. Product specifications and certifications is found at the back of the box.
Before we move on, let us take a look at the specifications of the SAMA P1200 1200W, as obtained from the manufacturer's media briefing:
Product Name: P1200
Model Number: XPH1200-AP
Output Power: 1200W
Form Factor: ATX 3.1
Modularity: Fully Modular
Dimensions: 150 x 150 x 86mm (L×W×H)
Color: White
80PLUS Certification: Platinum
Efficiency: >92% @ Typical Load (50% Load)
AC Input: 100-240Vac
Fan Size: 140mm
Fan Bearing: FDB
Capacitors: 100% Japanese Capacitors
Operating Temperature: 0-50°C
Protection: OTP / OCP / OPP / SCP / OVP / UVP / SIP
Safety: CE / TUV / cTUVus / FCC / ICES / UKCA / EAC
Environmental Compliance: RoHS / WEEE / ErP 2014
MTBF: 100,000 Hours
Connectors:
- MB ATX 24 Pin x 1
- CPU (4+4) Pin x 2
- PCI-E (6+2) Pin x 3
- 12V-2x6 (12+4) Pin x 2
- SATA x 12
- Molex 4 Pin x 4
The SAMA P1200 1200W's retail package can be opened by a flap on the right. Upon opening the box, you will find the bundle is reasonable with few extras. What you will get is the SAMA P1200 1200W itself in a nylon Velcro bag, a multi-language product manual, as well as modular cables, AC power cable, four standard screws, and six SAMA-branded Velcro straps inside another nylon Velcro bag.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
