FSP Dagger PRO 650W SFX PSU Review

1. Introduction2. Bundle & Cabling3. External4. Internal5. Testing Methodology and Results6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

Today we take a look at another new FSP power supply from their latest Dagger Pro range. These SFX units are 80 Plus Gold pure modular supplies, offering low noise operation and incorporating high grade Japanese capacitors throughout.

These new SFX power supplies are designed with small system builds in mind – for incorporation into a Micro ATX or Mini ATX chassis. FSP have designed these units able to deliver most of their power across the +12V single rail. Both 550W and 650W models incorporate a 92mm ball bearing fan and they call it a ‘Semi Fanless design' meaning the fan will only spin up when the load rises.

Product overview:

• Compliance with newest SFX12V V3.3
• Efficiency ≧ 90% at typical load
• MIA ICTM (Multiple Intelligence Ability) chip set inside
• Semi-fanless design for silent operation
• Quiet and long-lasting 92mm ball bearing fan
• Ribbon cables for the need of enthusiasts
• Powerful single +12V rail design
• Full Japanese electrolytic capacitors
• Intel Latest CPU ready
• 200,000 hour MTBF
• Full protections OCP, OVP, SCP, OPP, OTP

The FSP Dagger PRO 650W arrives in a gold and black coloured box with a picture of the unit on the front. FSP have included a myriad of information along the bottom of the box highlighting key features – including the 7 year warranty.

The rear of the box highlights more key features in detail including the +12V single rail and the dual CPU connectors for power hungry systems.

The box includes a power cable, some stickers, the modular cables, mounting screws, and an ATX adapter mounting bracket. The cables are all ribbon style for ease of routing, which is good to see considering the (potentially) smaller form factor builds.

We can see the cabling between 550W and 650W units is the same, however the higher 650W model also includes an 8 PIN CPU power connector, to go along with the 4+4 pin cable. Both units have two 6+2 pin PCIe cables to support a high end graphics card.

Cable lengths are fine for use in a smaller form factor case as they are meant to be shorter to alleviate potential routing problems.

The FSP Dagger Pro 650W power supply is nicely finished, with deep paint work and smooth edges – the rough textured surface means it is quite resistant to finger prints as well.

It measures 125 x 100 x 63.5mm and weighs 1.52kg.

Interestingly, we were told the 550W model, while the same dimensions, weighs 1.45kg.

The 92mm fan is hidden behind a metal grille- we will take a closer look at it in greater detail shortly when we open the unit.

One side of the power supply is home to the modular bay, all clearly labeled to make the build process as easy as possible. They also say ‘DO NOT disassemble this PSU without a qualified technician'. Doesn't matter if you are one, you still need one with you at all times.

The other side of the power supply has the power button, power connector and vented panel to help with air flow. The slogan ‘POWER NEVER ENDS' can be seen here. We hope this means the power switch works after you turn it off!?

The single +12V rail can provide up to 648W of the total power (54A).

FSP have adopted a Power Logic 92mm ball bearing fan, Model number PLA09215B12H. Rated 12V 0.55A. There is no partial plastic shroud around this fan to direct airflow, meaning the air just flows underneath.

Below is a gallery of the internal power supply design. If they do not display then whitelist our site in your adblocker as they can interfere with our display code.

This FSP design has a couple of heatsinks in key positions, to help with cooling. FSP have adopted Japanese capacitors throughout both primary and secondary stages, with the primary hold up cap being a 105c Nippon Chemi Con rated 420V 330uF from the KMZ family. Rubycon are also used in the secondary stages. These are all quality capacitors.

PCB soldering is pretty good across the board.

They are using a 3.3V and 5V DC-DC module design to help improve voltage regulation for all rails. We can see there is a new heat sink design for the 12V switching circuitry – which conducts the heat through some thermal pads on the bottom of the PCB – helping to improve cooling. We can see this DC to DC daughterboard is used for both 550W and 650W models.

The FSP Dagger PRO 650W offers OCP, OVP, SCP, OPP, OTP protections and is rated to 200,000 hour MTBF according to literature we received.

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. We run at 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
• Extech digital sound level meter
• Digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC)
• Variable Autotransformer, 1.4 KVA

We test in a single +12V configuration.

DC Output Load Regulation
Combined DC Load	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		+5VSB		-12V
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
65W	0.92	3.33	0.88	5.06	4.42	12.08	0.50	5.03	0.20	-12.04
130W	1.63	3.33	1.65	5.05	9.18	12.05	0.50	5.03	0.20	-12.04
325W	2.93	3.32	3.00	5.03	24.25	12.03	1.50	5.02	0.20	-12.02
490W	4.04	3.32	4.10	5.03	36.90	12.01	2.00	5.02	0.30	-12.02
650W	5.00	3.31	5.30	5.01	49.67	11.97	2.50	5.00	0.30	-12.03

Load regulation is pretty good, within 2.5%.

FSP Dagger PRO 650W SFX PSU	Maximum Load
	672 watts

We managed to get the PSU to deliver 672 watts before it would shut down, delivering just over 20 watts more than the rated specifications.

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	3.33	1.0	5.05	48.0	11.95	0.2	-12.02	0.50	5.01
145W	12.0	3.26	15.0	4.86	2.0	12.08	0.2	-12.03	0.50	5.00

The unit passed our cross load test, but there was quite a noticeable swing across both +5V and +12V rails.

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 unit complied with the ATX standard.

AC Ripple (mV p-p)
DC Load	+3.3V	+5V	+12V	5VSB
152W	5	10	10	5
270W	10	10	25	5
400W	10	15	35	10
523W	15	20	40	15
650W	20	20	45	15

Ripple suppression is quite good, hitting 20mV on the +3.3V and +5V rails respectively at full load. The +12V rail hit 45mV at full load, well within industry rated specifications.

Efficiency (%)
152W	89.2
270W	90.8
400W	91.7
523W	91.2
650W	89.1

Efficiency peaked at just under 92% , falling to just over 89% at full load. Good, if unremarkable results for an 80 Plus Gold unit.

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 Refrigerator
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	<28.0
270W	<28.0
400W	31.7
523W	33.1
650W	35.2

Noise levels are low until the load reaches 400 Watts and the fan starts to get more active to deal with rising internal temperatures. At full load, its clearly audible. Ideally you would want to be running with a full load between 330W and 450W to get the most out of the power supply without noise levels becoming too intrusive.

Temperature (c)
	Intake	Exhaust
152W	36	41
270W	39	44
400W	42	49
523W	44	53
650W	47	62

At full load we measured temperatures around 62c.

Maximum load	Efficiency
672 watts	88.7

At 684 watts, the efficiency level measures 88.7%. Not a practical situation to be running 24/7, but worth noting.

FSP have been releasing quite a few new power supplies in recent months, and the Dagger PRO 650W is another solid unit to hit their portfolio – targeting the niche SFX audience. The 650W model is a good looking unit, fully modular, and able to maintain the full 650W load under sustained conditions.

The power supply is nicely finished and the adoption of a fully modular bay means that users are able to only connect the cables they need, nothing more. The adoption of ribbon style cables across the board means that routing in a space restricted chassis is easier.

Technically, its a solid, if somewhat unremarkable unit. It passed our cross load demands and load regulation also fared well throughout the test period. Ripple suppression raised no concerns falling well within industry parameters, and noise levels proved almost non-existent until around a 400 watt load was demanded.

FSP are offering a 7 year warranty with this unit, and they have incorporated Japanese 105C capacitors throughout from the likes of Nippon Chemi Con and Rubycon in both primary and secondary stages. This is reassuring to see.

Again, my big concern is based around availability. If European or UK customers are interested in this power supply, its going to prove difficult to buy. FSP told me they are focusing on the US markets only and as such you will find it on the likes of Newegg for $124.99 HERE. The FSP Dagger Pro 550W Model is also available for $114.99. You can buy them HERE. Remember, the 650W has an extra 8 pin CPU power cable, for those higher demand builds. I do wish FSP would consider wider exposure and adoption in Europe as they are really solid little power supplies.

Pros:

• Good build quality.
• Rubycon and Nippon Chemi Con Japanese Capacitors throughout.
• 7 year warranty.
• single +12V rail design.
• All ribbon style cables.
• Fully modular.
• Good efficiency.
• Technically solid.

Cons:

• Availability.

KitGuru says: The FSP Dagger Pro 650W SFX power supply produces high quality power, and can deliver over its rated specification. Technically its a solid unit, uses all Japanese capacitors and the fully modular design, semi active fan design with quality ribbon cables will satisfy the target audience. FSP back it up with a 7 year warranty. Recommended.

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