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11-07-2013

Overview and testing of power supply CHIEFTEC APS-650CB

In a recent review, we began to get acquainted with power supplies from the new CHIEFTEC A-135
series. Recall that its lineup includes eleven devices, whose power lies in the range of 400 to 1000
watts. The series itself can be divided into two subgroups: blocks with standard implementation of
power cables and with modular. Last time we considered a model with non-stalling wires. In this
review, we are waiting for an introduction to the power source, which belongs to the second
subgroup. It was called CHIEFTEC APS-650CB and has a power of 650 watts.

Specification of power supply CHIEFTEC APS-650CB:

Manufacturer CHIEFTEC
Model APS-650CB
A type ATX12V 2.3
Rated power, W 650
Power on the channel 12V, W 585
Line power + 3.3V and + 5V, W 120
Lines + 12V 2
Outputs + 3.3V - 22A, + 5V - 22A
,
 + 12V1, + 12V2 -
26A , -12V - 0.3A,
+ 5VSB (on-duty power line) - 2.5A
PCI-E connectors 2 (6 + 2-pin)
SLI ready Yes
CrossFire Certified Yes
Modular Yes
Efficiency,% > 85
Certified 80 PLUS Bronze
Power factor (PF),% > 90
Power factor compensation method Active
Input voltage, V 115 - 230
frequency Hz 50 - 60
Input current, A 10
Fan size, mm 135 x 135 x 25
Fan speed control there is
Noise level, dB Up to 29,2
Mean time between failures (MTBF),
100,000
hours
Electromagnetic safety and compatibility
CB, TUV, CE, FC
(EMI / EMC)
Protection OVP, UVP, OPP, SCP
RoHS compliance (low lead and cadmium
there is
solder content)
Dimensions (LxWxH), mm 155 x 150 x 87
power cord, fixing screws, modular
Equipment
cables, instruction manual
Weight, kg -
Guarantee 1 year
Products webpage CHIEFTEC

Prices on Chieftec APS-650C

All prices on Chieftec APS-650C

Trading system Nadavi. Publish your prices

Package, package and appearance

For all the modular units of the new A-135 series, the same package is made of solid cardboard
with quality polygraphy and a convenient handle for transportation. It looks pretty attractive,
although there is not much useful information on it. Especially noteworthy are the emblems of the
80 PLUS Bronze certificate and the ATI CrossFireX technologies and NVIDIA SLI. It would not be
superfluous to place a logo with the inscription "Intel Haswell Ready". After all, compliance with all
the requirements of Intel Haswell processors (the ability to give a minimum current of 0.05 A) is
one of the advantages of new products from CHIEFTEC.
The package includes only the most necessary components that the user will need during
installation and connection of the device:

modular cables;
power cord;
four fastening screws;
instructions.

A set of modular cables is not presented in the photo, we'll get acquainted with it in more details a
little later.

Despite the presence of modular connectors, the dimensions of the CHIEFTEC APS-650CB remained
standard - 155 x 150 x 87 mm. The power supply unit is painted black with a glossy gloss, so it will
look good in cases with a side window. The top panel is covered with a huge grill-type grill, the
front panel is made in the form of a grid with small stamped cells. Note that the "grill" is a little
"drowned" in the top cover, so installing the power supply unit on the bottom of the computer case
with the grille down should not cause any difficulties.

On the back panel are made connectors for connecting power cables. CHIEFTEC APS-650CB refers
to the so-called "semi-modular" solutions. That is, the main cables for powering the motherboard
and processor are output directly from the housing, and the wires for connecting other devices are
already made detachable.

In total, CHIEFTEC APS-650CB is equipped with six modular connectors: red ones are used for
connecting video cards, black ones are for peripherals. Note that the connectors, through which
additional power is supplied to video cards, are connected to different lines + 12V. This will allow a
more even distribution of the load and avoid a voltage drop of + 12V in the case of using highly
productive hardware, especially when overclocking.
Directly from the power supply unit, two cables are output - to power the motherboard and
additional power to the processor. They are quite tough, as they are in a nylon braid, and in some
places are shrunk by heat shrinkage.

The main 24-pin ATX power connector is made in non-separable form. For additional processor
power, a 4 + 4-pin connector is provided.
The set of detachable cables consists of six positions: wires with red connectors are used to
connect video cards, and with black - peripherals. The PCIE connectors have 6 + 2-pin design, that
is, the user can power one "top" video accelerator without using adapters. In addition, these
connectors are located on separate cables, which greatly simplifies their installation.

All available types of connectors, as well as the length of the wires are listed in the table:

Length of wires to
Types of connectors amount connector (s), cm
Cables output directly from the power supply unit
24-pin ATX power connector 1 45
4 + 4-pin power connector ATX12V 1 55
Modular (detachable) cables
6 + 2-pin PCIE connector 2 45
three SATA connectors 2 45-60-75
two PATA connectors and one FDD
connector
On the back wall the manufacturer placed a label with technical characteristics. The power of the
channel + 12V is 585 W; lines + 3.3V and + 5V have a maximum total power of 120 W and are
capable of withstanding a load of 22 A each. The channel + 12V is divided into two lines, each of
which is designed for a load of 26 A.

For energy efficiency, the CHIEFTEC APS-650CB power supply complies with the 80 PLUS Bronze
standard, as indicated by the image on the label. Recall that power supplies are standardized by 80
PLUS Bronze, if their efficiency for 230V at 20%, 50% and 100% does not fall below 81%, 85%
and 81% respectively.

Also worth noting is the wide range of input voltages - from 115 to 230V, which allows to refuse
external power supply voltage stabilizers in conditions of unstable power network.

Internal organization
The process of disassembling the power supply is quite simple, you just need to unscrew the four
fastening screws on the top cover. However, in this case you run the risk of losing the warranty on
the device itself. This is also reminiscent of a sticker, pasted on one of the screws.

To cool the internal components of the power supply unit, a 135 mm GLOBE FAN RL4Z S1352512H
fan is used. The letter "S" in the marking indicates that a sliding bearing is used here.

A more complete specification of the fan is given below in the table:

Fan GLOBE FAN RL4Z S1352512H

Type of bearing slip
Supply voltage, V 12
Current, A 0.33
Power, W 3.96
Maximum rotation speed, rpm 1500
Airflow, CFM 106.86
Noise level, dB up to 29,2
Dimensions, mm 135 x 135 x 25
Weight, g 136

To optimize the airflow inside the power supply, a small transparent plastic plate is attached to the
fan.
The CHIEFTEC APS-650CB uses the same platform that we saw in another representative of the
new A-135 series - the CHIEFTEC APS-550SB . True, there are differences. First of all, they touched
the passive part of the cooling system. Radiators, on which the power elements are attached, have
become noticeably larger, so the effective heat dissipation area has increased. In addition, there is
another board with modular connectors located on it. But to determine the differences in the
element base can only be detailed in each node separately.

At the entrance there is a filter for smoothing out the high-frequency noise emitted to the network
by the power unit. This is a standard node for high-quality power supplies, so we are more
interested in the set of elements used. There are no special remarks, a little embarrassing the size
of the chokes, but otherwise complete order. Also I liked how carefully the manufacturer
approached the isolation of the filter components.
The rectifier bridge of the high-voltage circuit and the active power factor correction (APFC) module
are located nearby. A rather large aluminum radiator is used to cool APFC keys. The PFC controller
APFC is decoupled on the back of the PCB.

The power part of the APFC consists of two field effect transistors ( AP20S60I ) and a Schottky
diode (its value could not be considered).
The input capacitor is the same as in the CHIEFTEC APS-550SB. And not only the name of the
manufacturer (Taiwanese company Kuan Kun Electronic Enterprise, more known under the Su'scon
brand), but also the element rating (330 uF x 400 V, working temperature up to 85 C) is identical.
The main converter is built in the usual half-bridge scheme with two keys, which are cooled by a
separate aluminum radiator. The power transformer is quite large, corresponding to the power of
the power source.

Since the platform for both units (CHIEFTEC APS-650CB and CHIEFTEC APS-550SB) is the same,
the device of the low-voltage part has not undergone any changes. The main stresses are also
formed by means of diode assemblies. For a similar topology, the efficiency corresponding to the 80
PLUS Bronze standard is a pretty good indicator. In total in the low-voltage part we counted six
diodes, although how many of them are allocated to each of the lines, it was not possible to
determine.

The system of voltage stabilization is organized according to the group principle, as indicated by a
large coil with windings of channels + 5V and + 12V. A separate throttle of a smaller size is
provided for the + 3.3V line. To filter the output voltage, a lot of capacitors are used from the high-
temperature series (up to 105 C). The manufacturer is the same company Kuan Kun Electronic
Enterprise (Su'scon). The quality of its products can be estimated as an average.
The board with modular connectors is rather small. We did not find any additional smoothing
elements here.

Infinite ST9S313A-DAG supervisor is also responsible for monitoring the output voltages (UVP /
OVP) on all three channels (+ 3.3V, + 5V, + 12V), which is familiar to us on the CHIEFTEC APS-
550SB unit.
The quality of the soldering is pretty good, no streaks or critical flaws.

Testing

Cross load characteristics

According to the ATX12V standard, the permissible voltage deviation range for all power lines is
5% of the line rating.
During the cross-load tests on the main power lines, the following voltage variations were
recorded:

line + 3.3V: from -5% to + 3%;

line + 5V: -4% to +4%;
line + 12V: from -3% to + 2%

In general, the stabilization system has demonstrated itself well in this test. On all lines, the
voltage deviation range does not exceed the limits of the permissible norms.

Noises and ripples in the entire voltage range

For the ATX12V standard, the following allowable norms are applicable, concerning the ripple level
(peak-to-peak):

lines + 3.3V and + 5V: 50 mV;

line + 12V: 120 mV.
According to the above diagrams, on the + 3.3V and + 5V power lines, the ripple level did not
exceed 50 mV, and on the + 12V line - 75 mV. We pay attention to the excellent state of the line +
12V, where the noise was well below the allowable 120 mV.

Standby power line + 5VSB

The status of the power line on the CHIEFTEC APS-650CB is quite good. Depending on the load
voltage on it varies in the range from 5.16 V to 5.00 V.

PFC

Table showing the change in PFC depending on the load of the power source:

Load, W 60 130 210 280 340 450 550 650

Load*,% 9 20 32 43 52 69 85 100
PFC 0.67 0.87 0.89 0.94 0.96 0.98 0.98 0.98

Load * - load as a percentage of the rated power of the power unit.

The power factor correction module of the power unit CHIEFTEC APS-650CB is very good at its
task. As can be seen from the table, even when the load reaches 280 W, the PFC coefficient
overcame the mark of 0.9, the maximum value (0.98) was recorded at loads exceeding 450 W.

Efficiency
The test of real efficiency under different loads confirmed the conformity of the power unit
CHIEFTEC APS-650CB to the standard 80 PLUS Bronze for 230 V. As can be seen from the graph, at
20%, 50% and 100% of the rated power, the efficiency of the power supply unit exceeds 81%, 85
% and 81% respectively.

Cooling system and temperature mode

Indirectly, the noise level of the device can be determined from the fan speed at different load
values. The time interval after which the rotation speed was measured and the subsequent increase
in power was about twenty minutes. The measurement results are marked with dots on the graph.
The ambient temperature for the power supply was approximately 27 C. It should be noted that
the air inside the computer case can be much hotter, in particular, the temperature of 40 C is
quite acceptable. At the same time, the load created by the computer system is variable, which
facilitates the temperature regime of the power source.
Up to 150 W power source CHIEFTEC APS-650CB works very quietly. Overload of 150 W the noise
level slightly increases, but it remains quite comfortable.
But, as a remuneration for low noise, the components became poorly cooled. Above is a map of the
temperatures of the power source at 550 watts (85% of the rated power) after 20 minutes of
operation. During the experiment was noticeable strong heating power transformer and voltage
stabilizing group throttle + 5V and + 12V. But it was not even the maximum load. The
manufacturer clearly miscalculated when choosing a fan. The installation of a more powerful
"turntable" could improve the situation. Still, overheating of components is not the price that is
worth paying for a low noise level.

OverLOAD

Despite the poor cooling system, we still decided to check the CHIEFTEC APS-650CB for overload.
It turned out that the power supply can work stably even at a load of 680 watts, which equals an
increase of + 4.6% to the nominal power. At a load of 690 watts, the supply voltages at the output
were taken as values that did not fit within the permissible limits. Therefore, it was pointless to
continue the experiment further.

Practical tests on an actual configuration

To build a real computer system, a powerful 6-core Intel Core i7-3930K processor was used,
overclocked to 4.3 GHz with a voltage rise to 1.36 V. As a video accelerator, we used the ZOTAC
GeForce GTX 480 AMP! consider the most "gluttonous" among video cards.

Motherboard ASUS P9X79 PRO (Socket LGA 2011, Intel X79

Express)
CPU Intel Core i7-3930K (LGA2011, 3.2 GHz, L3 12 MB)
 @ 4.3 GHz, 1.36 V
Cooler Thermalright TRUE Spirit 120M
RAM 4 x DDR3-1333 4096 MB Transcend PC3-10600
Video Cards ZOTAC GeForce GTX 480 AMP!
HDD Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB (WD10EALX)
Housing Spire SwordFin SP9007B with two 120 mm fans
Wattmeter Seasonic PowerAngel
Multimeter MASTECH MY64

The measurements were performed in two modes: a simple and maximum load, which was created
by the Linpack and FurMark utilities 1.10.4. During the test, the total power consumption of the
system was measured using a Seasonic PowerAngel device, voltage on + 12V power lines; + 5V; +
3.3V was measured with the MASTECH MY64 multimeter.

As a result of measuring the supply voltage at the output power lines, the following values were
obtained:

Seasonic M12II-650
CHIEFTEC APS-650CB CHIEFTEC APS-550SB
Bronze
Mode Value, V Deviation,% Value, V Deviation,% Value, V Deviation,%
+ 12V
Idle 12.12 +1.0 12.20 +1.7 12.21 +1.8
Burn 11.90 -0.8 11.95 -0.4 12.21 +1.8
+ 5V
Idle 5.18 +3.6 5.20 +4.0 5.20 +4.0
Burn 5.19 +3.8 5.18 +3.6 5.18 +3.6
+ 3.3V
Idle 3.39 +2.7 3.38 +2.4 3.42 +3.6
Burn 3.39 +2.7 3.37 + 2.1 3.40 +3.0
Input power consumption, W
Idle 135 136 132
Burn 680 685 671

The voltage stabilization system coped well with the powerful gaming configuration. All the
stresses, regardless of the nature of the load, remained within the permissible limits. A small
voltage drop was observed only on the + 12V line, but a deviation of -0.8% can hardly be called
significant.

The level of input power consumption in CHIEFTEC APS-650CB in different modes of operation
("Idle", "Burn") is comparable with the performance of other power supplies that comply with the
standard 80 PLUS Bronze.

Power consumption in idle and off mode

Power consumption in W mode

Power supplies
Sleep Power Off
CHIEFTEC APS-650CB 7th 3
CHIEFTEC APS-550SB 7th 3
Seasonic M12II-650 Bronze 7th 3
The same can be said about the power consumption of the power unit CHIEFTEC APS-650CB when
the computer is off and in sleep mode. By this parameter, it can also be placed on a par with other
"bronze" devices.

conclusions

As a result of testing, it can be safely stated that CHIEFTEC APS-650CB has all chances to
become a "people's" power supply. At a relatively low cost, it is characterized by a good condition of
output power lines under different types of loads, as well as high efficiency (81 - 85%). I liked the
internal structure of this model. Unlike budget blocks, all the necessary nodes are present here,
and the element base is not of the worst quality. CHIEFTEC APS-650CB has a rated power of 650
watts and two 6 + 2-pin PCIE connectors, which will allow it to operate in fairly powerful systems.
In the latter, we made sure in practice during testing. In addition, almost all cables are made
detachable, which greatly simplifies their installation.

But, this model has one serious drawback, which for some users can cross out all its advantages.
It's about the cooling system, more likely even about its active part - the fan. Yes, it works very
quietly, but at the same time it is not efficient enough. For large continuous loads, we observed
overheating of some components. So, when buying CHIEFTEC APS-650CB, you should also pay
great attention to the ventilation of the case.

In general, CHIEFTEC APS-650CB can be called a good choice in its price segment. But, here to get
the status of the "best" it does not prevent the best implementation of the cooling system.

Pluses:
 relatively high efficiency (80 PLUS Bronze);
partial modular cable management;
presence of two 6 + 2-pin connectors for additional power supply of video cards;
good voltage condition on the power lines + 12V, + 5V, + 3.3V under heavy load;
Low power consumption in sleep mode and when the computer is off;
low noise level over the entire range of loads;
full support for the Intel Haswell family;
the ability to work in a wide range of mains voltage;
active reactive power compensation method.

Disadvantages:

The pre-installed fan does not cope with the cooling of components for long continuous loads.

Author: Sergey Meshenchuk

We express our gratitude to CHIEFTEC for the power supply provided for testing.

We express our gratitude to the companies ASUS , Intel , Thermalright , Transcend , Western Digital
and ZOTAC for the equipment provided for the test stand.

published on 11-07-2013
Material is printed from the site http://gecid.com/
The original article is located at http://en.gecid.com/power/chieftec_aps-650cb/