Seasonic Focus SGX-650 Power Supply review - Certification and efficiency

Name: Seasonic Focus SGX-650 Power Supply review
Brand: Seasonic Focus SGX-650

by Krzysztof Hukalowicz on: 01/03/2019 10:32 AM [

] 2 comment(s)

Energy efficiency certification

Seasonic markets the SGX series as their 80 Plus Gold power supplies. Certification is performed by an organization called (yes, you guessed it right) 80 PLUS. But what does this mean “on paper”? It’s a program that was introduced in 2004, and intended to promote efficient energy use in computer power supply units (PSUs). Only products that have more than 80% efficiency at 20, 50, and 100% load, and a power factor of 0.9 or more, are eligible. This means that the PSU will waste 20% or less electric energy as heat, reducing power consumption and bills as compared with less efficient designs.

80 Plus test type	115 V internal non-redundant				230 V EU internal non-redundant
Percentage of rated load	10%	20%	50%	100%	10%	20%	50%	100%
80 Plus		80%	80%	80%		82%	85%	82%
80 Plus Bronze		82%	85%	82%		85%	88%	85%
80 Plus Silver		85%	88%	85%		87%	90%	87%
80 Plus Gold		87%	90%	87%		90%	92%	89%
80 Plus Platinum		90%	92%	89%		92%	94%	90%
80 Plus Titanium	90%	92%	94%	90%	90%	94%	96%	94%

As you can see above, there are 80 Plus, Bronze, Silver, Gold (these three are from 2008), Platinum (2009), and Titanium (2012) certificates. Nowadays most computers with a single GPU don’t need more than a 600-650 W PSU, as power consumption has dropped over the years. The PSU tested today is the most efficient at 50% load (375 W), but the differences above and under this threshold are not significant. You don’t need to keep it exactly at half load, but for better noise performance, longevity, etc., it’s better to stay below the maximum wattage. The reviewed sample is 80 PLUS GOLD certified - up to 87~90% efficiency (at 20~100% loads), and has active PFC with a power factor of up to 0.99. It consumes < 0.3 W in its off-mode, complying with the ERP standard. If you want to check the Seasonic FOCUS SGX-650’s measurements taken by the 80 Plus organization, you can have a look at them here.

Technical Specs below


Model	650
Type	Intel SFX 12 V / ATX 12 V
Certifications	80PLUS GOLD
Dimension	125 × 125 × 63.5 mm (W × L × H)
Output Capacity	650W
Input Voltage	Full Range (100 V - 240 V)
Current:	9 - 4.5 A
Input Frequency Range	47~63Hz
Fan Size	120 mm Premium FDB FAN
Fan Life Expectancy	50,000 hours at 40 °C, 15 % - 65 % RH
Efficiency	90% Under Typical Load
Protection	OPP, OVP, UVP, OCP, OTP, SCP
Operation Temperature	0~50°C (derating from 100 % to 80 % from 40 °C to 50 °C)
Safety and MEC	cTUVus, TUV, CB, CCC, BSMI, EAC, CE
Environmental Compliance	Energy Star, RoHS, WEEE, ErP Lot 6, REACH
MTBF @ 25 °C, excl. fan	100,000 hours

“The long-awaited new line of Seasonic's FOCUS SGX is versatile in its application, and powerful with a small footprint. The FOCUS SGX is shipped with an SFX to ATX adapter bracket in the box, which allows the power supply to be mounted not only in the SFX form factor chassis, but also a standard ATX chassis should the user prefers to reserve more space for airflow inside the PC case. The Seasonic hybrid fan control is always enabled to optimize the cooling according to necessity. The FOCUS PLUS Gold Series achieves 80 PLUS® Gold certification with its 90 % efficiency at 50 % system load. The versatile FOCUS SGX measures at only 125 mm in both length and width. This super-compact size allows it to fit into various sized computer cases.”

Package contents

SGX Series High-Performance SFX-L Power Supply
AC power cord
DC Modular cable storage bag
SFX-L to ATX frame
PSU tester
Velcro straps
Case screws
DC Modular cable set

Regarding the last item, below you can find a list of the supplied cables and the maximum power per rail. As you can see, the unit has enough power even for CF/SLI setups (of course not with 1080Ti/2080Ti cards). This 650W model can be spotted with a street price of ~120 USD. Let’s see if it’s worth it. Next page, please.

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