BitFenix Fury 650W Gold Modular Review

1. Introduction2. BitFenix Fury 650W (Bundle & Cables)3. BitFenix Fury 650W (External)4. BitFenix Fury 650W (Internal)5. BitFenix Fury 650W (High Res Gallery)6. Testing Methodology & Results7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

Additional technical assistance: Peter McFarland and Jeremy Price.

Correctly testing power supplies is a complex procedure and KitGuru have configured a test bench which can deliver up to a 2,000 watt DC load. Due to public requests we have changed our temperature settings recently – previously we rated with ambient temperatures at 25C, we have increased ambient temperatures by 10c (to 35c) in our environment to greater reflect warmer internal chassis conditions.

We use combinations of the following hardware:
• SunMoon SM-268
• CSI3710A Programmable DC load (+3.3V and +5V outputs)
• CSI3711A Programmable DC load (+12V1, +12V2, +12V3, and +12V4)
• Extech Power Analyzer
• Extech MultiMaster MM570 digital multimeter
• SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa)
• Digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC)
• Variable Autotransformer, 1.4 KVA

DC Output Load Regulation
Combined DC Load	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		+5VSB		-12V
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
152W	2.08	3.37	2.04	5.03	10.14	12.24	0.50	5.01	0.20	-12.04
270W	3.05	3.34	3.07	5.03	19.16	12.22	0.50	5.00	0.30	-12.07
400W	4.05	3.30	5.05	5.02	29.18	12.18	1.00	5.00	0.30	-12.06
523W	6.08	3.28	7.06	5.02	38.31	12.02	1.50	5.01	0.30	-12.05
650W	8.00	3.26	9.02	5.01	48.00	11.82	2.50	5.00	0.30	-12.06

Load regulation is decent, although we noticed quite a fluctuation on the +12V rail, dropping to 11.82 at full load.

BitFenix Fury 650W	Maximum Load
	689W

The power supply would shut down at 689W, gracefully. The protection circuitry worked well.

Next we want to try Cross Loading. This basically means loads which are not balanced. If a PC for instance needs 500W on the +12V outputs but something like 30W via the combined 3.3V and +5V outputs then the voltage regulation can fluctuate badly.

Cross Load Testing	+3.3V		+5V		+12V		-12V		+5VSB
	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V	A	V
590W	1.0	3.36	1.0	5.04	48.0	11.76	0.2	-12.06	0.50	5.02
145W	12.0	3.23	15.0	5.01	2.0	12.23	0.2	-12.08	0.50	5.03

Cross load results are at best ‘ok' and fall within safe parameters. Again there is quite a big drop on the +12V rail when we hit the supply quickly with 48 Amps. Far from the best results we have seen in recent months.

We then used an oscilloscope to measure AC ripple and noise present on the DC outputs. We set the oscilloscope time base to check for AC ripple at both high and low ends of the spectrum. ATX12V V2.2 specification for DC output ripple and noise is defined in the ATX 12V power supply design guide.

ATX12V Ver 2.2 Noise/Ripple Tolerance
Output	Ripple (mV p-p)
+3.3V	50
+5V	50
+12V1	120
+12V2	120
-12V	120
+5VSB	50

Obviously when measuring AC noise and ripple on the DC outputs the cleaner (less recorded) means we have a better end result. We measured this AC signal amplitude to see how closely the unit complied with the ATX standard.

AC Ripple (mV p-p)
DC Load	+3.3V	+5V	+12V	5VSB
152W	20	10	25	10
270W	20	15	30	10
400W	25	20	35	10
523W	30	25	40	15
650W	35	25	60	15

Ripple suppression rates as decent, although we would have liked to see a better result that 60mV from the +12V rail at full load. The +3.3V rail registered a peak of 35mV at full load, which again is a little higher than we would like to see. That said, none of the results are dangerous or outside industry specifications.

Efficiency (%)
152W	90.55
270W	92.18
400W	91.88
523W	90.89
650W	90.08

Efficiency is actually very good, peaking at around 92.2 percent at 50 percent load. At full load, this drops to close to 90 percent.

We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.

Today to test the Power Supply we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter (6-130dBa) one meter away from the unit. We have no other fans running so we can effectively measure just the noise from the unit itself.

As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.

KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 Player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

Noise (dBA)
152W	31.3
270W	32.5
400W	33.8
523W	35.8
650W	38.8

The power supply is reasonably quiet until about 350 watts is demanded, then the fan starts to spin up. At 500 watts the fan spins faster to compensate for rising temperatures. At full load the fan spins quite hard and is noticeable and a little intrusive. That said, it is hardly practical to be running at full load for a long time.

We feel if the power supply was equipped with bigger heatsinks, then the fan wouldn't have had to work quite so hard under higher load situations.

Temperature (c)
	Intake	Exhaust
152W	36	41
270W	39	46
400W	42	52
523W	43	55
650W	45	58

At full load, the exhaust temperature rose to 58c.

Maximum load	Efficiency
689W	89.8

Pushing the power supply above its rated limits generates an ultimate efficiency level of around 89.8%. This is not a viable ‘real world’ situation, but it is interesting nonetheless.

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