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Gigabyte P650B 650W 80+ Bronze PSU
Review by: Jennifer Griffiths
Video & Testing by: Philip Griffiths
Introduction :
POWER! POWER! POWER! Now that I have your attention, I bet you can guess what our review will be about today. Yes, today we are talking about that component that either brings great joy or makes you want to scream, the power supply. It's an often under-estimated component. Once it's in, so long as the computer powers on, it is often forgotten and taken for granted. We all know the major makers of really cool PSUs. Chances are, you have your own personal favorite for yourself and one you trust to build with on a daily basis that is more affordable. But, there is a new kid on the block in that area that we will be focusing on this week, and that is our old friend, Gigabyte. I am always looking for a reliable PSU to build with that does not cost the earth. Usually you either pay out a lot and get something good, or pay a little and get something not worth having. What I want out of Gigabyte is somewhere in the middle on price and an awesome product. Do I have great expectations? You bet! Will the Gigabyte "start me up" or will it "bring me down"? Read on to find out...
Manufacturer statement:
The P6050B is 80 Plus certified to ensure the best power efficiency for a PSU of its class, less power waste reduces the heat and fan noise too. All capacitors used are high quality Japanese versions, this helps to provide the best performance, reliability and product life time. It also has mesh braided cables to reduce the clutter in your PC and improves the airflow in any case.
About:
Founded in 1986, GIGABYTE is committed to providing top-notch solutions that “upgrade your life”. We are regarded as a pioneer in innovation with ground breaking excitements such as Ultra Durable™ - a revolutionary technology that redefines the industry, WINDFORCE™ - exclusive heat dissipation design that builds for extreme performance, and BRIX series - a versatile mini-PC in the palm of your hand. We have also invented a premium gaming brand, AORUS - a full spectrum of gaming products for gamers and enthusiasts. GIGABYTE has continuously brought unique new ways of digital world and created marvellous products that empower you with meaningful and charming experiences. As Asia’s Top 100 Tech Company and Taiwan Top 20 Global Brand, GIGABYTE has won over 13,500 international awards including iF Design Award, Red Dot Design Award, Good Design Award , Taiwan Excellence Award and so forth. GIGABYTE is always consumer-oriented from the very beginning of product design to the end of value chain. GIGABYTE has integrated the best quality of components to ensure outstanding stability and reliability and also built up a complete service network with hundreds of customer service centres around the world. GIGABYTE has kept staying one step ahead of consumer desires to create unique connections and pursue your smile of satisfaction. GIGABYTE places strong emphasis on its corporate social responsibility through building Taiwan’s 1st Sustainable Eco Roof on the top of GIGABYTE headquarters and developing several employee volunteer programs such as Green Action Project, PC DIY Workshop and Computer Training Courses for elders. GIGABYTE has come a long way but one thing has never changed - upgrading your life is our core belief to make the world a better place.
Packaging:
The 650B comes in a standard but attractive box. It is clearly branded and all information that you could want is laid out for you in an eye friendly way. The art work stands out and is sure to please not only the customer but those who are going to stock it on their shelves. Next to some PSUs on your shelf, it will look far superior. The front shows the PSU and gives wattage, brand, 80 Plus certification and things of this nature. On the back is where you see the connection information in great detail and excellent pictures. The side of the box has information like Model, Type, Input and Output Voltage and things of this nature. I like the way the information is white text on a black background. It stands out and is very clear. The font size is large enough to read too. All around, great presentation.
Unboxing:
Opening the Gigabyte 650B we see that it is well packed with a black foam for protection against bumps in transit. The black foam looks good around it. I consider it more eye appealing than those with white and other colours around a black PSU. Besides the PSU, there is a Kettle Lead or mains lead, screws,silica gel and a leaflet. It's pretty basic but well presented. Basic is not always negative though and let's face it, unless it were modular you would not really expect any extras. The power supply itself has all required information on it and is neatly presented with a Gigabyte logo sticker on the top and informative stickers around the sides. Picking up the unit it is not heavy, quite standard in weight to be fair, the cables are braided and that makes it look really nice. I wonder why they did not carry on to the connectors though. *sigh*
Installation:
There is no special installation here. As always the four screws used for securing it in place and the 24 pin connector and 8 pin (or 4 whichever your board requires) to the board and if you have a graphics card there is a 6+2 pin connector. This is more than adequate for most. You have your Molex connectors (3) for things like lights and fans and your SATA connectors (6) for Hard Drives, Solid State Drives and or DVD Drives. The cables come with a nice black braid which really looks nice. However, I would have expected the likes of Gigabyte to continue the look on down to the connectors making the wires not so in your face colourful. I was a bit let down by this as I am someone who has a windowed case and I want my build to be something to be proud of. It's not so bad for those that do not have the window on their case, but for us that live in the world of LED, RGB, and windows, I can see this as being a negative and here's why. Most of us do our cables behind the motherboard. Translation, all of this nice braiding is hidden. Yes it is nice but it is hidden until it comes from behind the board to connect to something. Then we are greeted with these messy coloured wires. In short, do it proper or not at all. I'm not just picking on Gigabyte for this either. There are others that make a fine PSU and do this. I was just expecting more out of the brand Gigabyte as it has been around since the 80s. Another thing to note is if you have a over-sized case that the PSU sits on the bottom, you may need some extensions to run the cabling behind the board. *Note this is only in some extreme cases.* In most builds the cable length is plenty long. (600 mm for 24 pin and 8 pin to board connectors)
FYI:
We usually don't have the FYI section unless we have something of interest that warrants a separate topic header. This is where we include information from research about the products that may have gone amiss if we were not nosy. I combed around for some extra information on this PSU. It had a familiar feel to it and I felt like I was holding a re-brand, if you will. I contacted Gigabyte to ask who the OEM was and who manufactured the product. When they failed to respond, we opened it up for a look inside. Overall, the inside was neat and tidy and had a good build quality. The fan inside the P650B is a Yue Lun brand. The model number is D12SH-12 and has a hydraulic bearing. None of the part model numbers could be searched to link this PSU to any other.
Testing:
The P650B in all tests passed. It ran silent as well. Here is a look at the tests and how it scored.
5V Test = 5.1 V
12 V Test = 11.9 V
3.3 V Test = 3.3 V
all well within passing.
https://www.gigabyte.com/Power-Supply/Power-Supply#kf
Pricing:
£59.99 RRP
Suppliers:
Target Components (Reduced in price to around £50 inc Vat)
Exertis
Conclusion:
If you go by the RRP vs what you get it for at a distributor, you are lucky to get a £6 profit on the product. Considering it is not modular, not RGB ready and could be improved upon with the cables; I find it a bit steep. I did some shopping around and noticed I could get a CORSAIR VS Series VS650 Power supply - 650 Watt for £39.98 from Scan. When I compared it to another in the same price bracket I was able to get a Cooler Master MasterWatt 650W ATX Semi-Fanless 80 Plus Bronze Semi Modular PSU for £54.24 at Target. So, I would like to know what makes this PSU so special to warrant that price. So, in my opinion, Gigabyte need to rework the cables and get it looking tidier and come down on the price before I can justify it being a great value. I had really high hopes for this PSU because of the name Gigabyte. I think Gigabyte could do well to take this as constructive criticism and come out with a new revision of the PSU that ticks all of the boxes. They have our brand trust, and with some price adjusting and a few tweaks, I can expect them to come out on top in the future.
Stand out point:
Packaging is well presented and information is clear and easy to read. Very well branded and will look great on the shelf.
Pros:
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Braided Sleeve over the cables
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Attractive packaging and branding
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Clear and easy to read information on the box
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Adequate amount of connectors for most standard builds
Cons:
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Coloured wires at the connections
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If you have a big case (especially those with PSU that mounts on the bottom),you may have to use extensions to run some connections behind the board.
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Pricing is a bit much considering other products on the market of the 80 Bronze certification offer more for less.
Scores:
Shelf Appeal/Packaging: 5
Build Appeal/How it looks in a windowed build: 3
Voltage Tests: 5
Value: 3
They got a Gold Award
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