EVGA 650 B3 PSU Review: No (Fixed) Cables Attached

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Load Regulation, Hold-Up Time & Inrush Current

To learn more about our PSU tests and methodology, please check out How We Test Power Supply Units. 

Primary Rails And 5VSB Load Regulation

Load Regulation testing is detailed here.

Hold-Up Time

Our hold-up time tests are described in detail here.

The hold-up time we measured was over 17ms. However, the power-good signal failed to reach 16ms, which is what the ATX specification requires.

Inrush Current

For details on our inrush current testing, please click here.

Inrush current was high with both voltage inputs.

Load Regulation And Efficiency Measurements

The first set of tests reveals the stability of the voltage rails and the 650 B3’s efficiency. The applied load equals (approximately) 10 to 110 percent of the PSU's maximum load in increments of 10 percentage points.

We conducted two additional tests. During the first, we stressed the two minor rails (5V and 3.3V) with a high load, while the load at +12V was only 0.1A. This test reveals whether a PSU is compatible with Intel's C6/C7 sleep states or not. In the second test, we determined the maximum load the +12V rail could handle with minimal load on the minor rails.

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Test #12V5V3.3V5VSBDC/AC (Watts)EfficiencyFan SpeedPSU NoiseTemps (In/Out)PF/AC Volts
13.547A1.975A1.981A0.980A64.75181.688%893 RPM16.6 dB(A)38.51°C0.957
12.175V5.063V3.323V5.085V79.26641.39°C115.21V
28.123A2.961A2.977A1.180A129.71486.379%1005 RPM20.9 dB(A)39.36°C0.980
12.172V5.058V3.320V5.068V150.16942.37°C115.21V
313.050A3.468A3.494A1.385A194.85487.417%1218 RPM27.3 dB(A)39.82°C0.989
12.164V5.054V3.317V5.052V222.90142.98°C115.21V
417.976A3.963A3.979A1.585A259.72987.940%1240 RPM27.8 dB(A)40.14°C0.992
12.158V5.049V3.314V5.036V295.34743.45°C115.21V
522.574A4.960A4.980A1.790A324.71687.850%1315 RPM30.4 dB(A)40.69°C0.994
12.148V5.043V3.312V5.017V369.62744.07°C115.21V
627.182A5.956A5.983A2.000A389.69687.485%1425 RPM32.3 dB(A)41.41°C0.995
12.137V5.036V3.309V4.998V445.44145.22°C115.21V
731.794A6.962A6.984A2.205A454.62886.738%1550 RPM35.5 dB(A)42.76°C0.996
12.126V5.031V3.305V4.982V524.14246.63°C115.20V
836.417A7.962A7.994A2.415A519.59685.944%1645 RPM37.4 dB(A)43.25°C0.996
12.115V5.026V3.302V4.965V604.57347.47°C115.20V
941.481A8.475A8.517A2.420A584.68085.186%1817 RPM42.0 dB(A)44.86°C0.996
12.103V5.021V3.298V4.956V686.35549.28°C115.20V
1046.296A8.980A9.012A3.044A649.50484.300%1910 RPM42.1 dB(A)45.46°C0.996
12.091V5.017V3.295V4.925V770.46950.05°C115.20V
1151.723A8.984A9.019A3.050A714.48083.454%2003 RPM43.0 dB(A)46.63°C0.996
12.079V5.013V3.292V4.915V856.14051.39°C115.19V
CL10.097A13.021A13.003A0.004A110.06180.138%1447 RPM33.5 dB(A)44.16°C0.980
12.159V5.043V3.322V5.098V137.33946.88°C115.22V
CL254.018A1.003A1.003A1.001A666.71684.894%1910 RPM42.1 dB(A)46.44°C0.996
12.095V5.029V3.291V5.019V785.35549.73°C115.20V

Load regulation was tight on every rail except 5VSB, though that really doesn't matter so long as it's within the ATX specification's range. Moreover, the 650 B3 easily delivered its full power (plus more) under high operating temperatures.

The only downside was an aggressive fan profile once the ambient temperature climbed above 40°C.

It's worth noting that EVGA had no trouble satisfying the 80 PLUS Bronze program's requirements. With a bit of tuning, the 650 B3 could have achieved 80 PLUS Silver efficiency.

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Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

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

  • logainofhades
    Definitely priced too high, when you can get a G3 650 for a similar cost.

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
    Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Amazon)
    Total: $69.99
    Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when availableGenerated by PCPartPicker 2018-07-16 09:21 EDT-0400
    Reply
  • redgarl
    Phhh, EVGA doesn't equal quality. My Supernova B3 blew up with my EVGA 1080 FTW because my 1080 FTW was defective and my other power supply prevented this whole fiasco.

    EVGA, never again, overated like Corsair!
    Reply
  • logainofhades
    The B3 have known issues. The G2 and G3 are solid though.
    Reply
  • docswag
    21146687 said:
    The B3 have known issues. The G2 and G3 are solid though.
    G3 has similar issues to the B3 based off of Tom's reviews. I'd personally stay away from them.
    Reply