Final Thoughts and Conclusions
Both the SuperNOVA 550 GS and 650 GS power supplies exhibited very good voltage regulation on the three primary outputs (+3.3V, +5V and +12V) with relatively low AC ripple and noise. The power supplies feature an excellent assortment of all modular cables and deliver very good efficiency, easily meeting the 80Plus Gold criteria. The 550 GS and 650 GS PSUs incorporate EVGA’s ECO Intelligent Thermal Control System, which allows the power supplies to operate in silent, fan-less mode at low to mid power levels. During our testing the two GS power supplies were virtually silent up to mid-power range, even with the ECO fan-less mode turned off. On the down side, we were disappointed to see the warranty reduced to 5-years along with an increase in price (the SuperNOVA 650 G1 comes with a 10-year warranty and is currently selling for $79.99, newegg.com). The 550 GS and 650 GS proved to be very good power supplies, but they did not deliver the same level of outstanding performance we saw in the two EVGA models we tested a year ago (SuperNOVA 750/850 G2 Gold, which are built on the Superflower Leadex Gold platform).
The new EVGA SuperNOVA 550 GS and 650 GS power supplies should start entering retail channels this spring 2015.
• MSRP for the 550 GS Gold PSU : $89.99 USD
• MSRP for the 650 GS Gold PSU : $99.99 USD
Strengths:
• 550W or 650W Continuous DC output at up to 50°C
• Excellent assortment of fully modular cables (flat ribbon-style)
• 80 PLUS Gold certified, with up to 90% (115VAC) / 92% (240VAC) efficiency
• Tight voltage regulation (±2%) on the three primary outputs
• Very quiet 120mm cooling fan
• ECO Intelligent Thermal Control allows silent, fan-less operation at low power
• NVIDIA SLI & AMD Crossfire Ready
• Compliance with ErP Lot 6 2013 Requirement
• Compact chassis only 150mm (5.9”) deep
Weaknesses:
• Higher price and shorter warranty period than current SuperNOVA 650W G1
• Doesn't support EVGA's SuperNOVA monitoring software
EVGA SuperNOVA 550GS and 650GS Power Supplies
Our thanks to EVGA for sending us the 550GS and 650GS PSUs to review – thanks!
Do you know which Seasonic
Do you know which Seasonic platform EVGA is using? XP2S? Do they compare to the Corsair AX series (I think that’s the same platform, maybe not)? Are there any other supplies on the same platform for a compare/contrast?
These aren’t XP series.
These aren’t XP series. These are a derivitive of the G Series.
Why not use the latest Power
Why not use the latest Power Supply Design Guide for Desktop Platform Form Factors, Revision 1.31, April 2013 (http://cache-www.intel.com/cd/00/00/52/37/523796_523796.pdf)? It calls for ENERGY STAR compliance, which are tighter than the 2.2 standard you use.
Note in Table 15, for 100%, 50% and 20% loads:
REQUIRED Minimum Efficiency 70% 72% 65%
RECOMMENDED Minimum Efficiency 82% 85% 82%