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Pros, Cons And Final Verdict
Normally the RM650x's closest competitor would be EVGA's SuperNOVA 650 G2. But because of EVGA's aggressive pricing, the 650 P2 does battle against Corsair's Gold-rated contender. In fact, at the time of writing, EVGA's Platinum-certified solution is cheaper.
Compared to the 650 G2, Corsair's RM650x offers better performance and quieter operation. Meanwhile, the 650 P2 is a step above; it plays in another category altogether. But the RM650x is still a superb PSU with high performance. The only exception is the +12V rail's load regulation, which we'd like to see within 1%. Everywhere else, this Corsair PSU is great. It offers ultra-clean voltage rails, good efficiency levels, and outstanding performance with transient loads, which are the tests that represent more accurate real-life scenarios.
Corsair again proves it'll do anything to compete aggressively. A while ago, it increased the warranty on its high-end models from seven years to ten, matching EVGA's best effort. The next move was EVGA's; the company slashed prices on its best offerings. So now Corsair's 80 PLUS Gold-rated RM650x has to battle an opponent we'd normally find in a higher category, the EVGA 650 P2. Of course, we're expecting Corsair to respond soon.
One thing is for sure: this price and performance war is nothing but good news for enthusiasts. We only wish there were more companies doing battle at this level. In addition, we can't help but be troubled by Super Flower's availability issues. From the moment EVGA became popular in the power supply market, Super Flower couldn't seem to keep up. On the other hand, Corsair doesn't seem to have the same problem (at least so far) since its leadership thought ahead and collaborated with many OEMs instead of heavily relying on just one. Moreover, Channel Well Technology, the OEM responsible for Corsair's RMx, RMi, and HXi families, has higher manufacturing capacity than Super Flower.
To wrap things up, the RM650x is an excellent PSU featuring great performance and quiet operation, along with reliability backed by a 10-year warranty. Naturally it earns our editor's recommendation, even though EVGA's 650 P2 offers even higher performance at roughly the same price. But compared to EVGA's 650 G2 using 230V input and our older test methodology, the RM650x offers higher performance.
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