XPG Pylon 650W Power Supply Review

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

Primary Rails And 5VSB Load Regulation

The following charts show the main rails' voltage values recorded between a range of 40W up to the PSU's maximum specified load, along with the deviation (in percent). Tight regulation is an important consideration every time we review a power supply because it facilitates constant voltage levels despite varying loads. Tight load regulation also, among other factors, improves the system’s stability, especially under overclocked conditions and, at the same time, it applies less stress to the DC-DC converters that many system components utilize.

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Results 1-8: Load Regulation

Load regulation is satisfactory at 12V and pretty tight at 5V and 3.3V. 

Hold-Up Time

Put simply; hold-up time is the amount of time that the system can continue to run without shutting down or rebooting during a power interruption.

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Results 9-12: Hold-Up Time

Despite the large bulk cap for this platform still, the hold-up time cannot reach 17ms. The power ok signal is accurate, at least. 

Inrush Current

Inrush current, or switch-on surge, refers to the maximum, instantaneous input current drawn by an electrical device when it is first turned on. A large enough inrush current can trip circuit breakers and fuses. It can also damage switches, relays and bridge rectifiers. As a result, the lower the inrush current of a PSU right as it is turned on, the better.

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Results 13-14: Inrush Current

The inrush current is low with both voltage inputs. 

Leakage Current

In layman's terms, leakage current is the unwanted transfer of energy from one circuit to another. In power supplies, it is the current flowing from the primary side to the ground or the chassis, which in the majority of cases is connected to the ground. For measuring leakage current, we use a GW Instek GPT-9904 electrical safety tester instrument.

The leakage current test is conducted at 110% of the DUT's rated voltage input (so for a 230-240V device, we should conduct the test with 253-264V input). The maximum acceptable limit of a leakage current is 3.5 mA and it is defined by the IEC-60950-1 regulation, ensuring that the current is low and will not harm anyone coming in contact with the power supply's chassis.

Higher leakage current than the other PSUs in the chart, but still way lower than 3.5 mA. 

10-110% Load Tests

These tests reveal the PSU's load regulation and efficiency levels under high ambient temperatures. They also show how the fan speed profile behaves under increased operating temperatures.

We pushed the PSU up to 40 degrees Celsius, and it didn't sweat, even during the overload test. Efficiency takes a big hit, though, during the full load and overload tests, with the cooling fan spinning at full speed to cope with the thermal load. Another note here is the good performance of the APFC converter. 

20-80W Load Tests

In the following tests, we measure the PSU's efficiency at loads significantly lower than 10% of its maximum capacity (the lowest load the 80 PLUS standard measures). This is important for representing when a PC is idle with power-saving features turned on.

The efficiency levels under light loads are high enough. 

2% or 10W Load Test

Intel plans on raising the ante at efficiency levels under ultra-light loads. So from July 2020, the ATX spec will require 70% and higher efficiency with 115V input. The applied load is only 10W for PSUs with 500W and lower capacities, while for stronger units we dial 2% of their max-rated-capacity.

It is very tough for any Bronze or Silver (in the Cybenetics scale) to break the 70% efficiency barrier with such a light load. 

Efficiency & Power Factor

Next, we plotted a chart showing the PSU's efficiency at low loads, and loads from 10 to 110% of its maximum rated capacity. The higher a PSU’s efficiency, the less energy goes wasted, leading to a reduced carbon footprint and lower electricity bills. The same goes for Power Factor.

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Results 15-18: Efficiency

This is an efficient platform for this category's standards, with very good performance under light loads. 

5VSB Efficiency

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Results 19-20: 5VSB Efficiency

The 5VSB rail is highly efficient. 

Power Consumption In Idle And Standby

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Results 21-22: Vampire Power

Vampire power is kept low. 

Fan RPM, Delta Temperature, And Output Noise

All results are obtained between an ambient temperature of 37 to 47 degrees Celsius (98.6 to 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

PSU's fan spins at low speeds up to around 400W loads, even under high operating temperatures. With higher loads and high ambient temperatures, it quickly increases its RPM. 

The following results were obtained at 30 to 32 degrees Celsius (86 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit) ambient temperature.       

The fan's noise is low at up to 400W loads under normal operating temperatures, and it exceeds 40 dBA with higher than 490W loads.

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