By: Jonathan Kwan
January 11, 2019
"At what speed will a reindeer's antlers generate enough lift for it to take off and fly?" asks a guy who was hosting the trivia section of a Christmas party I attended last month. I was a little confused by this question, even though I have taken exactly zero classes on aerodynamics. Regardless of whether you have a background in aerospace engineering, it is pretty obvious the antlers of a reindeer have no aerodynamic properties that will allow it to generate sufficient lift for flight. I looked over at my friend Joel, who actually has quite a bit of experience in this area, and he looked equally as confused. Not to anyone's surprise, no one in the room was able to provide his expected answer of 97 km/h. Immediately, Joel raised his hand and indicated his disagreement. "I got the equation from the NASA website." the host explained. "I would like to see this equation," Joel replied. After reviewing the information he provided, it was obvious his assumptions were all wrong. Still, he was not convinced, insisting because he got the equation from the NASA website, he must be right. (For the record, he has no science or engineering background.) As it can be seen in this case, when we make the wrong assumptions or when things do not apply in a situation, then your outcome will always be wrong. Today, we have the Seasonic FOCUS SGX-650 650W for review, an SFX-L power supply that looks like a miniature version of the excellent Seasonic FOCUS Plus 850 Gold. Is it safe to assume they are similar on the inside as it is on the outside, and as such will deliver comparable performance just as its full-sized variant? Read on to find out!
It has been almost a year since I have last reviewed a power supply from Seasonic, with that being the excellent Seasonic PRIME Titanium 850W currently providing power silently to the computer I am using right now. Our review unit of the Seasonic FOCUS SGX-650 650W came in a medium sized, brown corrugated cardboard box from Newegg's warehouse in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. Richmond Hill is yet another town in the Greater Toronto Area with majority population who are ethnically Chinese. Without crossing any international borders, everything arrived safely to us here in Calgary, Alberta via Canada Post for our review today.
The Seasonic FOCUS SGX-650 650W comes in a relatively small retail box. The otherwise ubiquitous black color scheme of the box is made unique by the use of sleek lines at various angles, as shown in our photo above. The box art is clean in appearance, and it gets the message across very well. At the top left corner, we can see Seasonic's logo, while an 80 Plus Gold badge can be see along the western edge. Across the middle is the FOCUS SGX-650 650W power supply branding prominently displayed. The lines "fully modular" and "smart and silent fan control" gives you a brief idea of what is going on. The box further suggests this power supply comes with a generous ten-year warranty at the bottom right corner. Feature highlights and specifications can be found on the remaining sides of the box.
Before we move on, let us take a look at the specifications of the Seasonic FOCUS SGX-650 650W, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
80PLUS: Gold
Cybenetics Efficiency Level: TBA
Cybenetics Noise Level: TBA
Form Factor: Intel SFX 12 V / ATX 12 V
Dimensions: 125 mm (W) x 125 mm (L) x 63.5 mm (H)
Fan Information:
- Fan Size: 120 mm
- Fan Control: Premium Hybrid Fan Control
- Fan Bearing: Fluid Dynamic Bearing
- Life Expectancy: 50,000 hours at 40 °C, 15 % - 65 % RH
Cable Information:
- Modularity: Fully Modular
- Cable type: Flat black cables
Electrical Features:
- Operating Temperature: 0 - 50 °C (derating from 100 % to 80 % from 40 °C to 50 °C)
- MTBF @ 25 °C, excl. fan: 100,000 hours
- AC Input: Full Range
- Protection: OPP, OVP, UVP, OCP, OTP, SCP
Safety and Environmental:
- Safety and EMC: cTUVus, TUV, CB, CCC, BSMI, EAC, CE
- Environmental Compliance: Energy Star, RoHS, WEEE, ErP Lot 6, REACH
Warranty: 10 Years
The Seasonic FOCUS SGX-650 650W's retail packaging can be opened by a flap attached on the right. Upon opening the box, you will find everything neatly organized. The power supply is located inside a drawstring nylon bag on the right, cables in a nylon bag on the left, and everything else inside resealable transparent plastic bags. Out of the box, you will receive the FOCUS SGX-650 650W power supply itself, modular cables, AC power cable, Velcro straps, zip ties, nine screws, SFX to ATX adapter bracket, and a manual. I found it quite odd -- literally -- that they included nine screws as opposed to eight, but I am not complaining.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
