XFX Pro Series 650W Power Supply Review

1. Introduction2. The XFX Pro Series 650W PSU (Bundle)3. The XFX Pro Series 650W PSU (External)4. The XFX Pro Series 650W PSU (Internal)5. Testing Methodology and Results6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

Today we are looking at a new power supply from XFX, the Pro Series 650W – the smallest in a series of three units recently released (750W and 850W are also available and will be reviewed shortly). This is not the first time XFX have released a series of power supplies – their XXX (semi modular) and Black Edition (fully modular) ranges were well received, both critically and by the enthusiast audience.

While 80 Plus Gold certified products are the holy grail for the high end enthusiast audience, they are priced too high for the mainstream audience. The new XFX Pro series is launched as a value for money product with 80 Plus Bronze certification, ensuring good efficiency levels with competitive pricing. XFX are also keen to highlight that some manufacturers are misleading the public with dubious, inflated wattage ratings.

EasyRail Technology is a key focal point for XFX with a slogan of ‘one rail, one setup'. We know that Seasonic are the manufacturer behind this design so we have high hopes for a quality power supply today. XFX are giving a full five year warranty with each power supply. European customers simply have to register their product on www.xfxforce.co.uk to upgrade the standard 3 year warranty to the full 5 year plan.

The XFX Pro 650W PSU arrives in a typically stylish XFX box.

XFX deliver some of the finest packaging on the market. When the outer sleeve is removed there is an strong inside box with fancy ‘pixelised' patterns. Then this is opened you are presented with a user manual, held between two folded cardboard risers. Underneath this, finally we get access to the PSU itself.

XFX supply both a European and UK power cable with a set of screws for mounting into your chassis.

This PSU range is not a modular design so all the cables are wrapped with a heavy duty cable tidy.

From any angle, this supply really does look the business, with heavy duty, rugged corners and angular panels. In the middle of the fan area, the famous XFX logo takes centerstage.

At the rear you can see the ventilation system which XFX call ‘Ultra Ventilation (Grid Structure). This is in place to allow maximum air flow for improved cooling and lower noise levels.

XFX Pro Series 650W Power Supply
DC Output	+3.3V	+5V	+12V	-12V	+5Vsb
Max Output	25A	25A	53A	0.5A	3A
Max Combined	150W		636W	6W	15W

Cables	configuration
24/20 Pin	x1 fixed
CPU 4+4 Pin	x1 fixed
CPU 8 Pin	x1 fixed
PCI-E 6+2pin	x2 fixed
PCI-E 6 pin	x2 fixed
SATA	x8 fixed
HDD	x7 fixed
FDD	x1 fixed

For a model at this specific power output there is more than enough connectivity to sate audience demands. The cables are fully sleeved and high quality.

The fan is not attached to the outer sleeve, it has its own mounting tray as can be seen above.

The Power supply is cooled by a 135x135x135 mm fan (Adda ADN512UB-A90). The impeller is a nice design, nine wide blades with small gaps between.

The XFX power supply is manufactured by Seasonic and it is a very clean internal design. This is a DC to DC Converter Design to provide enhanced Dynamic response while ensuring system stability and maximum 12VDC rail output.

There are several rows of heatsinks, seperating the components and ensuring adequate airflow from the large fan directly above. The XFX PSU is supplied with automatic output protection to ensure no damage occurs. This includes Total Power Protection (OPP), Over Voltage Protection (OVP), Over Current Protection (OCP), Short Circuit Protection (SCP) and Over Temperature Protection (OTP).

XFX are using high quality Japanese brand capacitors rated to withstand up to 105c. These are conductive Polymer Aluminum Solid Electrolytic Capacitors to help improve operational stability under continued load conditions.

The cables are sleeved well into the chassis, which helps to ensure no long term damage by fraying. The cabling is well routed and organised with ties.

Additional technical assistance: Peter McFarland and Jeremy Price.

Correctly testing power supplies is a complex procedure and KitGuru have configured a test bench which can deliver up to a 2,000 watt DC load. Due to public requests we have changed our temperature settings recently – previously we rated with ambient temperatures at 25C, we have increased ambient temperatures by 10c (to 35c) in our environment to greater reflect warmer internal chassis conditions.

We use combinations of the following hardware:
• SunMoon SM-268
• CSI3710A Programmable DC load (+3.3V and +5V outputs)
• CSI3711A Programmable DC load (+12V1, +12V2, +12V3, and +12V4)
• Extech Power Analyzer
• Extech MultiMaster MM570 digital multimeter
• SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa)
• Digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC)
• Variable Autotransformer, 1.4 KVA

DC Output Load Regulation
Combined DC Load	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		+5VSB		-12V
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
152W	2.07	3.36	2.02	5.05	10.03	12.15	0.50	5.08	0.20	-12.11
270W	3.02	3.35	3.01	5.03	19.05	12.12	0.50	5.07	0.30	-12.09
400W	4.04	3.33	5.01	5.02	29.21	12.07	1.00	5.03	0.30	-12.07
523W	6.00	3.31	7.08	5.01	38.14	12.02	1.50	4.99	0.30	-12.05
652W	8.03	3.30	9.02	4.99	48.31	11.98	2.50	4.97	0.30	-12.00

A very good set of results for the XFX Pro Series 650W, all of the primary rails are holding within 2.5% of the nominal voltage.

XFX Pro Series 650W	Maximum Load
	719.2W

We managed to get around 720W out of the PSU before it would shut down, gracefully. The protection circuitry performs well.

Next we want to try Cross Loading. This basically means loads which are not balanced. If a PC for instance needs 500W on the +12V outputs but something like 30W via the combined 3.3V and +5V outputs then the voltage regulation can fluctuate badly.

Cross Load Testing	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		-12V		+5VSB
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
590W	1.0	3.32	1.0	5.05	48.0	12.02	0.2	-12.13	0.50	5.05
145W	12.0	3.29	15.0	5.03	2.0	11.97	0.2	-12.04	0.50	5.03

The XFX PSU handled the Cross loading tests without a problem and we experienced no issues. All the voltages remained within stated tolerances.

We then used an oscilloscope to measure AC ripple and noise present on the DC outputs. We set the oscilloscope time base to check for AC ripple at both high and low ends of the spectrum. ATX12V V2.2 specification for DC output ripple and noise is defined in the ATX 12V power supply design guide.

ATX12V Ver 2.2 Noise/Ripple Tolerance
Output	Ripple (mV p-p)
+3.3V	50
+5V	50
+12V1	120
+12V2	120
-12V	120
+5VSB	50

Obviously when measuring AC noise and ripple on the DC outputs the cleaner (less recorded) means we have a better end result. We measured this AC signal amplitude to see how closely the XFX unit complied with the ATX standard.

AC Ripple (mV p-p)
DC Load	+3.3V	+5V	+12V	5VSB
152W	5	5	10	5
270W	5	5	10	5
400W	5	5	15	10
523W	5	10	20	15
652W	10	10	30	15

Ripple results are well within the parameters set down in the ATX12V Ver 2.2 standard. +3.3V and +5V are extremely impressive and the +12V rail is also very stable, never exceeding 30mv.

Efficiency (%)
152W	85.32
270W	86.67
400W	87.33
523W	84.81
652W	83.12

These efficiency results are great for a 80 Plus Bronze certified supply, hitting over 87% at around 50% load. At full load the efficiency drops to just over 83%, which is still very strong.

We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.

Today to test the Power Supply we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa) one meter away from the unit. We have no other fans running so we can effectively measure just the noise from the unit itself.

As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.

KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 Player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

Noise (dBA)
152W	27.6
270W	29.2
400W	29.7
523W	33.8
652W	35.7

At around 70% load, the PSU becomes audible rising to a maximum of 35.7dBa at 100% load. It isn't the quietest PSU we have tested but at realistic load levels, it will offend no one.

Temperature (c)
	Intake	Exhaust
152W	35	37
270W	35	38
400W	38	44
523W	42	50
652W	45	54

The large fan pushes a lot of airflow under load which helps to keep the components in check. At around 70-80% load, the fan speeds start increasing considerably. At full load we reach a 9c above ambient intake threshold.

Maximum load	Efficiency
719.2W	80.3

Pushing the PSU above its rated limits generates an efficiency level of around 80.3%. This is not a viable ‘real world’ situation, but its interesting nonetheless.

The XFX Pro Series 650W Power Supply is a well balanced product which combines great design with fantastic build quality. While we don't often comment on the packaging this box is sure to catch the eye of anyone shopping within a store.

On a technical level the supply delivers very effective ripple results while maintaining a high level of efficiency to exceed the 80 Plus Bronze certification it has achieved. Noise levels are reasonably good and the large fan manages to keep temperatures well within check, even when under the highest loads.

It is important to mention that the Pro Series power supplies from XFX have not been released to break any performance records. This particular range has a primary focus on value for money, while not making compromises in regards to the quality of the internal design – competently delivered by Seasonic.

Checking pricing online we can see that this particular unit is available for around £67 inc vat which puts it firmly into the highly recommended category. There is stiff competition in this sector from other manufacturers, but as a complete all round package with no weaknesses this easily earns the KitGuru stamp of approval.

KitGuru says: Fantastic value for money. Simples.

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