INTRODUCTION

   As far back as i can remember power supply units have always been the first "casualty" when someone goes out to get a brand new PC whether that's a custom configuration (piece by piece) or prebuilt by a system builder. Fortunately, things today have changed for the best if not because consumers are now more "aware" of the importance of having a good quality PSU in their systems then certainly because there aren't that many models of questionable quality and performance by second rate manufacturers available in the market (or at least nowhere close to 10 or 20 years ago). Of course, there are always some unknown manufacturers which have improved their products over the years to achieve a good level of quality and performance and although they still don't offer everything what you're getting by the popular and leading brands they sometimes represent a good choice for people on tight budgets. Today’s review is about one such product and more specifically the AG-650M 650W Power Supply Unit by ApexGaming.

 Apextechusa has been specialized in the computer/electronic business in the United States for over 20 years. And Solytech Cooperation, a listed company in Taiwan with 30 years expertise in computer products manufacture, is a well-recognized manufacturer by most of the well-known gaming brands. ApexGaming is the win-win joint venture of these two leading companies. From product development, manufacture, marketing to sales, the vertical business integration provides the scale needed to support the best quality products to customers with the agility of a focused, efficiently-structured organization.

   Neither Apextechusa or Solytech are very popular in the industry but we've heard the name of the latter quite a few times in the past (if I’m not mistaken, they used to be the OEM for some brands although I can't recall which ones) so we were very interested to see what they've been up to lately. The AG-650M is part of their AG family of power supply units which includes both fully modular (AG-650/750/850M) and semi-modular (AG-650/750/850S) 80 Plus Gold certified (up to 92% electrical efficiency) models. The AG-650M model which we have here with us today features a maximum continuous output of 650W (819W peak), strong 54A single +12V rail (can deliver up to 99% of the units total continuous power output), 140mm sleeve bearing silent fan, Japanese primary capacitors (Rubycon) and a very wide range of electrical protections including OCP (over charge protection), OVP (over voltage protection), UVP (under voltage protection), SCP (short circuit protection) and OPP (over power protection). Finally, ApexGaming also covers the entire AG line of power supply units with a 10 year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The main product features are listed at the front of the box beneath the company logo and next to a product picture.

Both the specifications and electrical table of the device are printed on the left side.

On the right side we find two graphs one showcasing the efficiency levels of the device and one its noise levels.

Moving at the rear we find the features list printed in 9 languages and a table with all the available power connectors.

The PSU is wrapped with a plastic bag and placed in two pieces of cardboard.

ApexGaming ships the AG-650M with its power cord and modular cables placed inside a synthetic cloth pouch, 6 cable ties, 4 mounting screws, warranty guide paper, certifications papers and the safety information paper.

THE AG-650M EXTERIOR

ApexGaming uses flat modular power cables with the AG-650M.

Measuring 160mm in length, 150mm in width and 86mm in height the AG-650M follows the ATX standard.

An 140mm intake fan is located at the top (or base depends how you look at it) of the enclosure.

The model name is placed on two stickers located on both sides of the chassis.

A large sticker with the units electrical table is located on the base.

All of the modular ports are not only different in shape but also tagged.

At the rear we find the typical honeycomb design along with the power port and the on/off switch.

THE AG-650M INTERIOR

The 140mm fan used in the AG-650M can spin up to 1000RPM to produce up to 79.66CFM of airflow with up to 5.26mmH2O of static pressure and up to 39.98dBA of noise.

The interior of the unit is very clean and features two primary capacitors.

These capacitors are indeed manufactured by the Japanese Rubycon and are certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

Although the two primary capacitors are manufactured by Rubycon the secondary ones are manufactured by the Chinese Elite and Su'scon brands (although these are also rated for use up to 105 degrees Celsius).

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

     Using a dedicated measurement instrument such as a Chroma or a SunMoon to test power supply units is without doubt the most ideal and accurate way (not to mention the fastest) to do that currently. However, it's certainly not the only way there is and so pretty much anyone can test a power supply unit just by using a computer. Certainly, limitations do apply and so you can't really test a 1000W power supply if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why many years ago i put aside certain hardware components for the purpose of building a dedicated PSU test rig. True it may not be as accurate as the above mentioned solutions but it comes really close and is in fact closer to real world usage. So as always, we ran several games with maximum graphic options enabled at a resolution of 2560x1600 in order to stress every hardware component and increase the overall power demands of the system. The Passmark BurnIn Test was also used to overstress the components in an effort to provide the most accurate results possible. As a final test we also used the latest OCCT 4.4 software and its dedicated PSU testing suite since it can really bring a power supply to its knees after inside a few minutes.

     Rail stability was checked/measured with the CPUID Hardware monitor and a Metex multimeter which also recorded the system load in idle and in load. As always try to remember that the power consumption numbers listed in the graph are the highest (Peak) ones recorded during the entire duration of the tests and not the average ones. Noise levels coming from the fan were recorded using the high precision HD600 ExTech Sound dBA Meter from the rear of the unit and at a range of no more than 5-10cm. Readings under load are recorded the exact moment we manually switch the fans of all graphics cards from full speed to almost zero, that way the fan of the power supply does not have enough time to slow its RPM and so by doing this we get very accurate noise level readings. Needless to say, in order to get 100% accurate readings, you need to have a noise isolated room for that exact purpose, something which is quite impossible unless you are working inside a real lab (some people use very small noise insulated boxes but due to their size both heat and noise exceed normal levels and so the results can't really be considered to be 100% accurate). Also do take into account that since all noise measurements take place from just 5-10cm away the final noise levels to reach your ears will be considerably less.

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   The AG-650M PSU is the very first model by Solytech to ever reach our lab (at least to my knowledge) and although we didn’t expect much, we weren’t really disappointed. Rail stability is very good, the 80 Plus Gold Certification ensures high electrical efficiency levels, the electrical protections are on par with what we see from all the “popular” models and both the +12V primary and secondary rails are quite strong for this type of power supply unit. Our two only problems are with the Chinese capacitors used (lifespan – although the 10-year warranty has you covered in that event) and the noise levels of the fan which almost hit 43dBA and that without maxing out the output of the unit (it should be even louder at 650W). Granted I doubt anyone would purchase a 650W PSU if a system could climb even up to 600W but our tests are the same for every model and clearly the AG-650M is among the loudest ones we’ve ever tested (honestly, we weren’t expecting this from an 1000RPM fan).

   At the end of the day price is what defines products like the AG-650M by ApexGaming and with a current price tag set at USD78.35 inside the USA (Amazon.com) things are looking great. On the other hand, the AG-650M retails for just 55Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk – limited offer while supplies last) making it the ideal choice for people on very tight budgets. Bottom line although the AG-650M 80 Plus Gold Power Supply Unit by ApexGaming wasn’t able to secure an award it still comes highly recommended by us especially for residents of the EU who are looking for a budget friendly model accompanied by an excellent warranty.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- Very Good Rail Stability
- 80 Plus Gold Certified
- Peak Output (858W)
- Electrical Protections (OCP/OVP/UVP/SCP/OPP)
- Fully Modular
- 10 Year Warranty
- Current Price (EU)

CONS

- Noise Levels
- Secondary Capacitors Quality
- Price (USA)