Conclusion
The Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD is the first SFX power supply we have seen here at TheFPSReview from Cooler Master. However, Cooler Master has been one of the biggest names in the enthusiast community for various components including cases, cooling, and power supplies over the last 10 to 20 years or so. So, while power supplies may not be the only thing they are known for, their business model does have a good emphasis on power supplies which means we have high hopes for their products. So, we hope that the chances for success seem to be not only rather high today, but also likely. The question is; do our hopes translate into reality? Let’s see.
Build Quality
Today’s Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD starts things off with a build quality that is very good/excellent for its market position. The exterior represents a well-branded and labeled approach that looks like what we have seen from many better-known OEMs previously. The integration is about as clean as it can be with this design in such a small space and the topology is modern. The component selection features Nichicon standard electrolytics and FPCAP solid electrolytics. There is also an FDB fan used to cool this unit. Lastly, the documentation with this unit is very basic but the 10-year warranty is an excellent length.
Load Testing
Today’s Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD started off testing in very good shape. We saw voltage regulation of up to 0.19v on the 12v rail, 0.06v on the 5v rail, and 0.06v on the 3.3v rail. These numbers would be very good for any unit. However, this unit is an SFX-sized unit and it is also mixed with both ATX12v/EPS 650W units we have seen before (Seasonic FOCUS GM-650 and GIGABYTE P650B). So offering these values in this form factor is definitely getting a bit of a bump to this unit’s testing record today.
Moving on, we saw efficiency values that ranged from 87.35% to 89.26% efficient at 120v AC input and 86.51% to 88.53% at 100v AC input. When it came to the 80 Plus efficiency numbers, we did see the V650 SFX GOLD fall a bit short of its stated efficiency at 50% load. On the flip side, the V650 SFX GOLD did pass our Torture Test.
When we look at the Transient Load Tests results for the Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD, we see that the results are excellent. When directly loaded, the 12v rail showed a peak change of ~320mV, and the 5v rail had a peak change of ~40mV. During the 12v load, the unloaded 5v rail saw a peak change of ~30mV. In absolute terms, these results are in the specification and excellent overall. That is particularly important given that this is an SFX power supply and not a normal-sized ATX12v/EPS unit. In relative terms, this unit bests the ATX12v/EPS Seasonic FOCUS GM-650 and the GIGABYTE P650B.
DC Output Quality
The DC Output Quality results for the Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD were excellent. Overall, we saw peak ripple/noise values of just ~30mV of ripple/noise on the 12v rail, ~10mV on the 5v rail, and ~10mV on the 3.3v rail during our regular load tests. These values are well within specification limits and that means, at a minimum, good in absolute terms. In relative terms, these results are going to be excellent given they best both the GIGABYTE P650B and Seasonic FOCUS GM-650 which are ATX12v/EPS form factor units rather than SFX sized units.
Noise
Today’s Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD is a smaller capacity unit but it is also a smaller form factor unit. With that being the case, even though this unit has a large overhead fan and very good efficiency, it is constrained in a number of ways that make noise output more of an issue. One final good point for this unit is that it does feature a hybrid fan controller which means that it is going to be running fanless up to 15% load.
When testing this unit, it was rather quiet overall given all of the caveats surrounding this unit. That said, the V650 SFX GOLD did become apparent in our load testing environment starting at the 75% load level. From that point on, the noise it produced continued to increase. So, this unit seems to be a good option for folks looking for a quiet product offering in this market segment.
Final Points
The Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD is a very good mainstream 650W power supply no matter its form factor, and today that form factor is very small. From a Build Quality that looks very good to voltage regulation and Transient Load tests results that are very good/excellent, this unit was hitting on all cylinders early on in testing. Then, the DC Output Quality also comes through at very good/excellent status extending the streak of positive results from this unit today. The only quibble we might be able to have is in the efficiency realm where this unit did ok in our tests but was outside the claimed 80 Plus parameters. So, what is this very nice SFX unit going to cost us?
Today, we find that the Cooler Master V650 SFX GOLD is $119.99 at Amazon with Free Prime Shipping. Now, if this was, say, an ATX12v/EPS unit this would be a bit of a tough price to swallow. However, this is an SFX unit. When you shrink things down that price goes up. As such, this is not a bad deal these days and we can not fault Cooler Master for where this unit is landing with pricing.
Users looking for a good SFX 650W unit with a long warranty need not look any farther than the Cooler Master v650 SFX GOLD. It does everything it should do, and it does everything it should do well. Sure it isn’t super flashy in the process, but rarely does one look for such things in SFX products.
Discussion
