Antec VPF Series 650W PSU Review

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Efficiency, Temperature And Noise

Efficiency

Our efficiency testing procedure is detailed here.

Using the results from the previous page, we plotted a chart showing the VPF650 efficiency at low loads, and loads from 10 to 110 percent of the PSU's maximum-rated capacity.

Efficiency is pretty low by today's standards, under both light and normal loads. However, you can't be very picky about efficiency when it comes to inexpensive PSUs. At least this one will be very reliable thanks to the Japanese caps that it is equipped with.

Efficiency At Low Loads

In the following tests, we measure the efficiency of the VPF650 at loads significantly lower than 10 percent of the device's maximum capacity (the lowest load the 80 PLUS standard measures). The loads we dialed were 20, 40, 60 and 80W. This is important for representing when a PC is idle, with power-saving features turned on.

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Test #12V(A/V)5V(A/V)3.3V(A/V)5VSB(A/V)PowerDC/AC(W)Efficiency(%)Fan Speed(%)Fan NoisedB(A)PF/AC (V)
11.200A0.481A0.472A0.195A19.6062.3291030.10.934
12.138V5.112V3.379V5.105V31.45115.1V
22.429A0.969A0.975A0.390A39.7073.2691030.10.965
12.133V5.104V3.381V5.097V54.19115.1V
33.664A1.466A1.476A0.585A59.8477.7191030.10.970
12.127V5.098V3.382V5.088V77.00115.1V
44.884A1.963A1.949A0.785A79.7778.9391030.10.974
12.119V5.092V3.383V5.079V101.06115.1V

Efficiency at low loads is nothing to write home about, and as you can see from the table above, the unit doesn't manage to pass the 80 percent mark in any of the four tests we conducted. At least the fan's noise was kept at low levels, despite the high ambient temperature inside our hot box.

5VSB Efficiency

The ATX specification states that 5VSB standby supply efficiency should be as high as possible, recommending 50 percent or higher efficiency with 100mA of load, 60 percent or higher with 250mA of load and 70 percent or higher with 1A or more of load.

We will take four measurements: one each at 100, 250 and 1000mA, and one with the full load the 5VSB rail can handle. 

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Test #5VSBPower (DC/AC)EfficiencyPF/AC Volts
10.102A0.52W73.24%0.116
5.112V0.71W115.1V
20.252A1.29W78.18%0.217
5.107V1.65W115.1V
31.002A5.09W79.16%0.338
5.082V6.43W115.1V
43.002A15.05W75.55%0.392
5.014V19.92W115.1V

The 5VSB rail's performance was close to other units with similar capacity, so we have nothing to complain about.

Power Consumption In Idle And Standby

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Mode12V5V3.3V5VSBPower (AC)PF/AC Volts
Idle12.151V5.115V3.377V5.115V7.38W0.663
115.1V
Standby0.07W0.011
115.1V

In the table above, you'll find the power consumption and voltage values of all rails (except -12V) when the PSU is idle (powered on, but without any load on its rails), and the power consumption when the PSU is in standby mode (without any load, at 5VSB).

Phantom power is very low, and without a doubt this helps the PSU achieve decent efficiency during our 5VSB tests.

Fan RPM, Delta Temperature And Output Noise

Our mixed noise testing is described in detail here.

The first chart below illustrates the cooling fan's speed (RPMs), and the delta between input and output temperatures. The results were obtained at 36 °C (96.8 °F) to 46 °C (114.8 °F) ambient temperature.   

The next chart shows the cooling fan's speed (RPMs) and output noise. We measured acoustics from one meter away, inside a small, custom-made anechoic chamber with the PSU's internals completely covered in sound-proofing material (be quiet! Noise Absorber kit). Background noise inside the anechoic chamber was below 18 dB(A) during testing, and the results were obtained with the PSU operating at 36 °C (96.8 °F) to 46 °C (114.8 °F) ambient temperature. 

The following chart illustrates the fan's output noise over the entire operating range of the PSU. The same conditions of the above graph apply to our measurements, though the ambient temperature was between 28 °C (82.4 °F) and 30 °C (86 °F).  

Under up to around 300W of load, the PSU operates quietly. With increased load levels, however, the fan's noise quickly exceeds 45 dB(A). The low overall efficiency of this design leads to significant thermal loads, hence the fan profile cannot be relaxed.

Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

Aris Mpitziopoulos is a contributing editor at Tom's Hardware, covering PSUs.

  • iam2thecrowe
    I do like Antec PSU's, their range is very solid. Good write up. Good value PSU.
    Reply
  • CTurbo
    I hope Delta is not going to get out of the consumer psu business completely. They've been one of my go-to oems for years. Top notch reliability.
    Reply
  • Onus
    Antec has been one of my go-to standards for years as well. Though it has been surpassed in efficiency, I may need to put my SG-650 in my will because of its anticipated durability.
    Reply
  • 2Be_or_Not2Be
    When the author says "... Delta no longer has an interest in this market..." - what market is he talking about? I seem to recall that quite a few of my Dell servers had Delta OEM PSUs, and I think a number of Dell desktops had custom Delta PSUs as well. So is it only the consumer market that they don't want to supply anymore?
    Reply
  • iam2thecrowe
    16537381 said:
    When the author says "... Delta no longer has an interest in this market..." - what market is he talking about? I seem to recall that quite a few of my Dell servers had Delta OEM PSUs, and I think a number of Dell desktops had custom Delta PSUs as well. So is it only the consumer market that they don't want to supply anymore?

    probably. There is now too much competition in the consumer psu market for it to be really profitable for some companies. It would make sense if a company only wanted to do anything other than generic PC ATX psu's, because they can charge a lot more for it.
    Reply
  • Aris_Mp
    Yeap Delta is away from consumer market. They mostly make OEM PSUs now. As far as I know only Antec has a contract with them for desktop PSUs.
    Reply