Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
The Seasonic FOCUS SGX-650 650W has some thematic resemblance with the Seasonic FOCUS Plus 850 Gold 850W my colleague Aaron Lai reviewed last year, except the FOCUS Plus 850 Gold is a full-size ATX power supply, while the FOCUS SGX-650 I am reviewing today is in the SFX-L form factor. Just like other models in the FOCUS series, the SGX-650 is visually simple. At 12.5cm deep, it is 2.5cm longer than the standard SFX specification, but it is reasonably sized for the performance grade and wattage it is designed for. Most modular power supplies are longer than non-modular units by a centimeter or so, as the extra length is needed to accommodate its connector board at the back. We will take a look inside the PSU on the next page. For most modern SFX chassis, the extra length should not be much of a problem, if at all. However, if you have an SFX case that takes only standard power supplies, the longer length may cause fitment issues, so be sure to measure everything out in your chassis first. Of course, if you want to put this into a full-size case, the length is going to pose absolutely no issues; Seasonic includes an ATX adapter out of the box should that interest you.
From our view above, Seasonic's logo is located dead center on the multi-slit fan grille. The full branding is implemented on both sides, where you can spot Seasonic's logo and FOCUS Gold branding prominently displayed. The branding is not always right side up after installation, as the orientation of it is the same on both side. This is compared to the orientation of it is different on both sides, so whatever side facing the user after installation will always be correct. Its classical SECC construction gives it a subtle appearance. Residing behind the multi-slit fan grille is a massive 120mm fan that generates airflow by drawing air from the bottom of the power supply over its internal components to keep the temperatures in check. Exhaust heat is allowed to leave at the back of the power supply through the large secondary honeycomb mesh opening. Meanwhile, eight screws secure the power supply case together; where one screw has a warranty seal over it, so you cannot open the Seasonic FOCUS SGX-650 650W without voiding its ten-year warranty.
Starting from the back part of the power supply, we have the honeycomb circular mesh design as aforementioned; what you will find here is a horizontally aligned male connector for power input on the western edge along with an on/off switch next to it. The low resistance mesh design is implemented to maximize airflow and minimize air resistance. This is done as heat needs to leave the power supply as easily and efficiently as possible, because the FOCUS SGX-650 incorporates only one 120mm fan at the bottom with no auxiliary fan. It is implemented in a very efficient manner, as the power input block takes up no more than the necessary amount of room physically required. As with all active PFC power supplies, the Seasonic FOCUS SGX-650 650W has an automatic full range (100 to 240V) AC line voltage selection, so the user does not have to worry about manually selecting input voltage.
Like many power supplies we cover here at APH Networks, the FOCUS SGX-650 is a fully modular power supply. This means all cables are completely detachable from the main unit. While it is somewhat questionable with regards to why this is necessary, since cables such as the ATX 24-pin and ATX 4-pin/EPS 8-pin have practically an 100% chance of being connected at all times, it may prove to be beneficial to an extent when building your computer initially.
The rear cable connection panel is done nicely. Similar connectors are grouped together and are laid out in a very logical manner. To ensure you know what is going on, they are all grouped and clearly labeled for minimal ambiguity. From the left to right and top to bottom, we have the motherboard 24-pin, one ATX/EPS 4+4 pin, three Molex/SATA, and three PCI Express headers. The motherboard section supports an ATX 24-pin connector by two separate blocks next to each other. Incompatible outputs will not physically fit into each other, so I think Seasonic has done a great job in this regard. This is a reasonable array of outputs in correspondence to the number of connectors on each modular cable, which should be sufficient for casual users and power enthusiasts on the SFX platform alike.
The external build quality of Seasonic's FOCUS SGX-650 650W power supply is excellent as always -- a good indication the company is serious about the product they are selling. We will take it apart in just a moment. Fit is done well with minimal panel gaps, and all edges are nicely finished off. The level of refinement with regards to the external build quality is right up there with all the other high-quality PSUs I have used in the past. As aforementioned, we will crack open the power supply to see what components are inside in the following section.
The voltage specification label is located on the top panel of the Seasonic FOCUS SGX-650 650W. There are two main virtual rails. Up to 20A can be delivered via the +3.3V rail for a total of 66W; while the 20A on the +5V rail brings the output to 100W in this area. The total combined output for the +3.3V and +5V rail is 100W. In other words, your power allocation combination must fall within the limits of the listed specifications. Meanwhile, a single powerful +12V rail delivers up to 54A (648W) to reduce operating overhead compared to multiple +12V rails. Overall, the combined power output for the whole Seasonic FOCUS SGX-650 650W is... well, 650W haha. Again, your power distribution in your system must fall within the limits provided -- it must not exceed 66W on the +3.3V rail, 100W on the +5V rail and 100W combined for both, 648W on the +12V rail, and 650W combined between the +12V and +3.3/+5V rails. It does sound a bit confusing to understand how this works at first, but generally speaking, this configuration allows very flexible power demands and should be sufficient to accommodate most users. The overall distribution is very reasonable for an 650W power supply.
The Seasonic FOCUS SGX-650 650W is 80 Plus Gold certified, which means that it is certified to be at least 87%, 90%, 87% efficient at 20%, 50%, and 100% load, respectively. Higher certifications available for power supplies of this type include 80 Plus Platinum and 80 Plus Titanium at press time.
A total of seven modular power cables are included out of the box. All modular cables are flat and easy to bend, making them extremely easy to work with. All wires are 18 AWG. Usually, manufacturers will fatten the wires of ATX and PCIe cables up to 16 AWG, but Seasonic opted out on that.
The following modular cables are included out of the box:
- 1x ATX 20+4 pin, 35.0cm
- 1x ATX/EPS 4+4 pin, 40.0cm
- 2x PCIe 6+2 pin, 2 connectors each, 40.0cm to first connector, 10.0cm spacing thereafter
- 2x SATA, 3 connectors each, 30.0cm to first connector, 20.0cm spacing to second connector, 10.0cm spacing to third connector
- 1x Molex, 3 connectors, 20.0cm spacing thereafter
A 10cm long Molex to Floppy adapter is included for those who find it useful. These are measurements I have conducted. Most users should have no problems with Seasonic's FOCUS SGX-650 650W, even if your SFX case has a bottom power supply mount. However, most cables are probably too short for many modern ATX cases.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
