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Final Analysis
BitFenix looks like it's doing pretty well in the PSU market. After introducing the popular Whisper family, it decided to tackle the mid-range power supply space with a more affordable line-up armed with high performance and low noise. Once again, a collaborative relationship with Channel Well Technology plays a key role in determining the Formula Gold series' success. The product of their cooperation features compact dimensions and good build quality. In our opinion, CWT is a solid OEM. That's why a lot of brands prefer it for their PSUs.
The BF650G offers a lot of advantages, the most notable being a pair of EPS connectors that make it compatible with high-end motherboards (including those with support for AMD's Threadripper CPUs). Moreover, four PCIe connector easily accommodate a couple of high-end graphics cards, so long as they aren't overclocked aggressively. The native cable design doesn't allow for a lot of peripheral connectors, but we think the ones BitFenix gives you should be enough given this PSU's capacity.
Besides tight load regulation, good ripple suppression, and satisfactory transient response, the BG650G is also super quiet. That's a big strength if you're looking to build a PC with other components that don't make much noise. It might sound odd, but a PSU can dramatically affect a PC's acoustic output, especially under tough conditions. They days when PSU noise was considered of minor importance are thankfully long gone. Nowadays, most manufacturers pay a lot of attention to fan profiles, with semi-passive modes available on a majority of high-efficiency PSUs. The BF650G isn't equipped with a semi-passive mode, but that's not a problem because its fan spins slowly under mild loads.
Speaking of the fan, it uses a rifle bearing and not a fluid dynamic bearing, as the box claims. Nonetheless, we didn't expect to find an FDB-based fan at this price range, and rifle bearing fans last a long time as well. That's why they're so popular in good-quality, budget-oriented PSUs. Considering the five-year warranty covering all Formula Gold models, the fan should outlive BitFenix's guarantee.
The BF650G's overall performance is very high, and its compact dimensions, quiet operation, and fair price tag are tremendous assets. Some enthusiasts might count the native cables against BitFenix; however, at this price point, you can't have it all. We'll take non-modular cables over lower performance or sub-par build quality any day of the week.
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Disclaimer: Aris Mpitziopoulos is Tom's Hardware's PSU reviewer. He is also the Chief Testing Engineer of Cybenetics, and developed the Cybenetics certification methodologies apart from his role on Tom's Hardware. Neither Tom's Hardware nor its parent company, Purch Media, are financially involved with Cybenetics. Aris does not perform the actual certifications for Cybenetics.
