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

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

Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

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

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Rail3.3V5V12V5VSB-12V
Max. PowerAmps202054.130.5
Watts110649.2156
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

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Modular Cables
DescriptionCable CountConnector Count (Total)GaugeIn Cable Capacitors
ATX connector 20+4 pin (600mm)1118-22AWGYes
4+4 pin EPS12V (600mm)1118-22AWGYes
6+2 pin PCIe (550mm+150mm)1218-22AWGYes
6+2 pin PCIe (550mm) 1118-22AWGYes
SATA (500mm+100mm+100mm)2618-20AWGNo
Four-pin Molex (500mm+100mm+100mm)1318AWGNo
FDD Adapter (+105mm)1124AWGNo
AC Power Cord (1400mm) - C13 coupler1118AWG-

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

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Manufacturer (OEM)Super Flower
Max. DC Output650W
Efficiency80 PLUS Bronze, ETA-A- (85-88%)
NoiseLAMBDA-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
Cooling130mm 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)
Weight1.28 kg (2.82 lb)
Form FactorATX12V v2.4, EPS 2.92
WarrantyFive 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.

MORE: Best Power Supplies

MORE: How We Test Power Supplies

MORE: All Power Supply Content

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