Cooler Master XG Series Platinum 650 Review

The XG Platinum and XG Platinum Plus lines are the first Cooler Master PSUs using an in-house platform. Most brands just go to a factory (aka OEM), get a platform, and put their badge on it after some minor changes (different caps, fan, etc.) This is not the case with the XG lines because Cooler Master has a team of PSU engineers who designed and developed their platform. CM wants to do more in the PSU market and having an entire team of engineers is a great start. Since CM doesn’t have a factory to produce its PSUs, for the XG line, it went to Fusion Power which is also known as Xin Hui Yuan Tech or XHY.

The differences between the XG and XG Plus lines are the built-in screen, the ARGB fan, and the compatibility with the MasterPlus+ software. The XG Plus units have a digital communications bridge allowing them to “talk” with the system. Users can use the MasterPlus+ software to control the ARGB lighting, change the fan speed profile and control the information shown on the LCD screen. You will have to pay more to get the XG Plus units, so I expect that most users will opt for the plain XG ones, which use the same platform without the extra gimmicks which affect the price.

In today’s review, I will look at the XG650, so let’s not lose any more time and move to the main subject.

OCP triggering points are set high on the 12V rail, and the same applies to over power protection. Usually, high-end, low, and mid-capacity PSUs have high OCP and OPP to deal with nasty power spikes.

Parts Description

It is always nice to see new players on the field. After years of design and tuning, CM finally delivered its first platform, a full in-house design. The design is clean, and the PCB is large enough to allow for good airflow. The number of electrolytic caps on the secondary side is satisfactory, and CM also used a large number of polymer ones to reduce ripple. The solder side of the PCB doesn’t look complex, and the soldering quality is good.

The bulk cap in the APFC converter is not provided by a top Japanese brand, which usually is the case in high-end PSUs, but the one used has a high voltage rating, which is beneficiary for its lifetime.

Load Regulation

Load regulation is tight on all rails.

Ripple Suppression

Ripple suppression is not among the best I have seen so far; still, it is pretty good.

Transient Response

I would like to see within 1% transient response at 12V and below 3% at 3.3V. More capacitance is required on the secondary side and probably faster feedback to improve transient response.

Hold Up Time

The hold-up time is long, and the power ok signal is accurate, so I have nothing to complain about here.

Efficiency Measurements

Efficiency with 2% should be above 70%. In general, CM should increase efficiency with light and super-light loads.

Average Efficiency

The average efficiency is high enough.

Average Efficiency 5VSB

The 5VSB rail is efficient.

Average PF

There is room for improvement in the APFC converter’s performance with 230V input.

Average Noise

Average noise is crazy low! It is so low that I think that my sample probably had a problem with the fan speed control since the fan barely worked, even under extra-tough conditions.

Timings

The PSU supports Alternative Low Power Modes, which the ATX 3.0 spec requires.

Overall Performance

The overall performance is almost on par with the RM650x, and this is noteworthy given that this platform was entirely developed by CM’s team. It is not easy to make something as good with the first try, and with some more tuning, the XG650 can go even higher in this chart.

Epilogue

It took CM long enough to build its platform, but the result is good. Meeting the Corsair RM650x eye-to-eye is not easy, and CM’s engineers should be proud of their work. Indeed there are several things that need fixing, the most important being the transient response. The more expensive version of this unit, the XG Plus, looks interesting, and the fact that it allows you to set your fan speed profile is a nice feature, but it costs more, so I am not sure if most users will prefer it. I remember that Corsair also had a more advanced version of the RMx line, called RMi, which eventually was pulled out from the market because most preferred the RMx units. Most PC parts are already over-complicated, offering tons of options through the corresponding applications, so users want a PSU that works well, is reliable and has high efficiency.