Chieftec PowerPlay Gold GPU-650FC

Japanese reliability

Chieftronic PowerPlay Gold GPU-650FC is the power supply unit of the new 650W Chieftec gaming line. It uses exclusively Japanese Nichicon and Nippon Chemicon capacitors. They minimize current ripple and achieve the highest efficiency of 92 percent. For this, the PSU deservedly received the 80 PLUS Gold energy efficiency certificate.

Honest watts

The power of the main line +12 volts, from which the processor and video cards are powered, in the PowerPlay Gold GPU-650FC is 54 amps or 650 W, that is, 100 percent of the claimed total power. Another 22 amps is supplied through the +3.3 and +5 V lines (up to 120 W in total), which serve to power the motherboard, drives and fans. The cables of this PSU are absolutely all removable (modular design), and it is proposed to store the extra ones in an elegant handbag.

flat noodles

In addition, the PowerPlay Gold GPU-650FC has very long wires. So, the length of the often short 4 + 4-pin processor power cable is an unprecedented 70 cm (with the standard 55 cm). There are two power connectors for 6 + 2-pin video cards, nine SATA, three Molex, and even one Floppy connector, which is still needed, for example, to power some sound cards. All wires are made in the form of a thin flat "noodle", which simplifies cable management inside the PC case.

hybrid cooling

Another distinguishing feature of the Chieftronic PowerPlay Gold GPU-650FC are two cooling modes, switching between which is done by a button on the case. The first mode is normal with an always active 14 cm fan with automatically controlled rotation speed, and the second is semi-passive. Up to 30 percent of the load, the fan does not turn on, thereby extending the life of its bearing and making the PSU absolutely silent. There are other noteworthy power supplies in the Chieftec lineup: the very affordable Chieftec Core BBS-600S and the Chieftec Photon Gold GDP-650C-RGB decorated with RGB lighting.