Tom's Hardware Verdict
EVGA's 650 B3 is one of the best 80 PLUS Bronze-rated PSUs that money can buy in its category. However, for around the same amount of money, you can get a higher-efficiency PSU offering better overall performance. This model should really sell for $10 less if EVGA wants it to shine among the mainstream competition.
Pros
- +
Delivers full power at 47°C
- +
Notably higher efficiency than other 80 PLUS Bronze PSUs
- +
Fully modular cabling
- +
Five-year warranty
Cons
- -
Price is too high
- -
1x EPS & 3x PCIe connectors
- -
Lower than 16ms power-good hold-up time
- -
Low-quality sleeve bearing fan
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Features & Specifications
EVGA's 650 B3 power supply is based on an older Super Flower platform that offers good overall performance. Its only real weakness surfaces during our efficiency benchmarks: the 650 B3 offers mere 80 PLUS Bronze and ETA-A- certifications. Naturally, that means it gets hotter than higher-efficiency models and consequently isn't one of the quietest 650W PSUs we've tested. So why does it bear a similar price tag as 80 PLUS Gold-rated competitors like Corsair's TX650M? Good question. Instead of selling for $75, the 650 B3 should really be in the $60 to $65 range. Still, thanks to high overall performance, it achieves a fair value score after completing our suite of benchmarks.
We already reviewed the 450 B3, 750 B3 and 850 B3 models, and all three failed to make it through our testing suite due to poorly-tuned power protection thresholds. That wasn't the case for EVGA's 650 B3, though. It survived everything we threw at it, including the same protection feature checks that killed other members of the B3 family.
The 650 B3 employs a single +12V rail and sports a 40°C temperature rating for continuous full-power delivery. Despite an 80 PLUS Bronze certification, it features a semi-passive fan mode you can toggle on or off. Of course, the problem with less efficient PSUs is that they generate more waste heat, so the fan can't idle for very long. And once it starts spinning, the fan has to cope with elevated temperatures. As a result, we don't think it's a good idea to implement semi-passive operation in a power supply that's not efficient enough to benefit from the feature.
Power Specifications
| Rail | 3.3V | 5V | 12V | 5VSB | -12V | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max. Power | Amps | 20 | 20 | 54.1 | 3 | 0.5 |
| Watts | 110 | 649.2 | 15 | 6 | ||
| Total Max. Power (W) | 650 |
The single +12V rail can deliver this PSU's full power on its own, while the minor rails combine to offer up to 110W. Lastly, the 5VSB rail has enough capacity for today's needs.
Cables & Connectors
| Modular Cables | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Cable Count | Connector Count (Total) | Gauge | In Cable Capacitors |
| ATX connector 20+4 pin (600mm) | 1 | 1 | 18-22AWG | Yes |
| 4+4 pin EPS12V (600mm) | 1 | 1 | 18-22AWG | Yes |
| 6+2 pin PCIe (550mm+150mm) | 1 | 2 | 18-22AWG | Yes |
| 6+2 pin PCIe (550mm) | 1 | 1 | 18-22AWG | Yes |
| SATA (500mm+100mm+100mm) | 2 | 6 | 18-20AWG | No |
| Four-pin Molex (500mm+100mm+100mm) | 1 | 3 | 18AWG | No |
| FDD Adapter (+105mm) | 1 | 1 | 24AWG | No |
| AC Power Cord (1400mm) - C13 coupler | 1 | 1 | 18AWG | - |
One EPS connector and three PCIe connectors are a strange combination, especially on a 650W PSU selling for $75. Fortunately, most modern graphics cards are fairly efficient. Even a majority of GeForce GTX 1070s only need one eight-pin auxiliary input. We still think the 650 B3 should include four PCIe connectors, though.
The number of SATA connectors is satisfactory, but it'd be nice if there was an additional four-pin Molex connector.
Specifications
| Manufacturer (OEM) | Super Flower |
|---|---|
| Max. DC Output | 650W |
| Efficiency | 80 PLUS Bronze, ETA-A- (85-88%) |
| Noise | LAMBDA-S++ (30-35 dB[A]) |
| Modular | ✓ (Fully) |
| Intel C6/C7 Power State Support | ✓ |
| Operating Temperature (Continuous Full Load) | 0 - 40°C |
| Over Voltage Protection | ✓ |
| Under Voltage Protection | ✓ |
| Over Power Protection | ✓ |
| Over Current (+12V) Protection | ✓ |
| Over Temperature Protection | ✓ |
| Short Circuit Protection | ✓ |
| Surge Protection | ✓ |
| Inrush Current Protection | ✓ |
| Fan Failure Protection | - |
| No Load Operation | ✓ |
| Cooling | 130mm sleeve bearing fan (S1282412H) |
| Semi-Passive Operation | ✓ (selectable) |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 152 mm (W) x 87 mm (H) x 152 mm (D) |
| Weight | 1.28 kg (2.82 lb) |
| Form Factor | ATX12V v2.4, EPS 2.92 |
| Warranty | Five years |
A five-year warranty covering a PSU with a sleeve bearing fan seems odd. Only time will tell if EVGA made a good choice there (or if it should have used a higher-quality fan instead). Maybe if the semi-passive mode could truly keep the fan inactive, it'd last longer. But because we're dealing with a fairly low-efficiency PSU, the internals heat up too quickly.
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