EVGA 650W N1 Power Supply Review

Affordable, but unimpressive.

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EVGA 650W N1
(Image credit: © Tom's Hardware)

Tom's Hardware Verdict

The EVGA 650W N1 is a low-performance PSU with incorrect OCP and OPP and weak efficiency.

Reasons to buy

  • +

    Full power at 36 degrees Celsius

  • +

    Satisfactory transient response at 12V

  • +

    Low inrush and leakage currents

  • +

    Long hold-up time

  • +

    Efficient 5VSB rail

  • +

    Enough connectors

  • +

    Rifle bearing fan

Reasons to avoid

  • -

    12V OCP and OPP are not configured correctly

  • -

    Low overall performance

  • -

    Low efficiency

  • -

    Noisy

  • -

    20AWG gauges on the PCIe and 4-pin Molex connectors

  • -

    Lousy transient response at 3.3V

  • -

    Low-end capacitors in both primary and secondary sides

  • -

    High EMI emissions

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The EVGA 650 N1 is a low-end PSU with low overall performance, low efficiency, noisy operation, and low-end parts at its internals. It managed to deliver, though, full load at 36 degrees Celsius, and its transient response at 12V is satisfactory, while the hold-up time is longer than what the ATX spec requires. Its build quality is low, and you should be careful not to overload its +12V rail since OCP is not correctly configured. This is definitely not stuff for our best PSU picks article, and you should get a Corsair CX650 or a CV650 instead. If you can pay more, you should also look at the Cooler Master MWE Bronze with similar capacity. 

The EVGA N1 line consists of three members with capacities ranging from 550W to 750W. These PSUs aim for the mainstream market, so they don't have any modular cables, and according to EVGA, they can deliver full power at a low ambient temperature, 25 degrees Celsius. Typically, high-end PSUs can deliver full power continuously at 50 degrees Celsius. Still, they use higher quality components to achieve this, which cost way more than the parts that EVGA and HEC used for the N1 models. 

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Aris Mpitziopoulos
Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

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

4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Archaic59
    Just another POS on the endless pile that we have to warn people about. Who could even use it? It's not for a gaming system and how many people really need 650 watts in a home office system? I remember when I used to recommend EVGA power supplies regularly. Yeah, the Super Flower days, which are long gone. RIP EVGA.
    Reply
  • DSzymborski
    In fairness, even when EVGA had PSUs made by Super Flower and SeaSonic, the N series still totally sucked then as well.
    Reply
  • greatmaharg
    To be clear, is this a review for the 80+ White rated W1, or unrated N1?
    Reply
  • maxamillionfeettall
    "EVGA states that the PSU's fan has a sleeve bearing, but I broke it apart and found an inferior rifle bearing."

    Rifle bearing is just a modified sleeve bearing and is superior to plain sleeve bearings iirc. It's even stated in the psu 101 article, so idk why it's stated as inferior to plain sleeve bearing this time around.
    Reply