Reviewed by: Jason Hambly
Date: May 24, 2006
Manufacturer: Mushkin
Model: XP-650
Supplied by: Mushkin
Category: Enthusiast
Price: $229
Grammatical and Spelling Editor: Sean May
Mushkin has been around since 1994 and are best known for their ?Enhanced?
memory modules. As Mushkin puts it, ?We got so good at building memory,
we decided to go on a power trip?. That is just what they did, expanding their lineup to include not only memory modules but also high end power supply units. With the enthusiast crowd finally getting
the word across that a generic PSU just doesn?t cut it in today?s
systems, the market for high end PSU?s for all of these users has taken
a huge jump and many companies are trying to capitalize on the
opportunity. Mushkin is the latest to jump into the PSU market and is
hoping to bring with it something that will catch some attention.
Today I am looking at the Mushkin XP-650 650watt power supply unit.
With its four 12v rails and modular design, let?s see if it belongs in
your case.
{mospagebreak title=Package and Specifications}
Package and Specifications:
Package:
The Mushkin XP-650 comes in a simple yet very professional looking white and green box. The sides list several features and specifications of the unit along with a couple of pictures.
Inside the box is another box, this inside box contains all of the cables for the PSU. Below the cable box is the unit itself, wrapped in a bubble wrap bag. There is plenty of open space between the unit and the outer box, but not so much that it will slide around inside.
Included in the box:
1x Mushkin XP-650 PSU
1x Instruction Manual
2x 6-pin PCIe Video Card Cables
2x 15-pinSATA HDD Cables (4 connectors per cable)
2x 4-pin Molex Cables (2 connectors per cable)
2x 4-pin Molex and 4-pin Floppy Cables (1 connector each per cable)
1x Package of 5 Velcro ties(multi colored)
Case Mounting Screws
Specifications:
Features:
QuadRail – provides four independent +12V rails for balanced power distribution.
RailFusion – responds to increased loads by automatically combining the +12V rails, providing ample power for mulit-GPU systems.
Enhanced Power Conditioning – provides ultra-low ripple (1%) and superior voltage regulation (1%) under all load levels.
Advanced Thermal & Acoustic Design – will automatically vary the PSU fan speed depending on the system load and temperature, allowing for the most stable and quiet computing environment no matter what programs are running.
VersaPlug – allows for an organized case and improves airflow by using only the required cables. Compatible with ATX, ATX12V, EPS, and BTX standards (20/24-pin ATX, 4/8-pin +12V). Includes two PCIe cables for multi-GPU systems and eight SATA power connectors.
Package and Specifications: 4.7/5
{mospagebreak title=Appearance}
Appearance:
The very first thing I noticed when I grabbed the box from the FedEx driver was the weight. I thought for a minute that there may have been two units sent, so I had to get it open fast. However there was only one unit in the shipping box and man is it heavy. Once opened I realized that the box containing all the cables was the cause for some of the weight. These are not your normal sleeved cables, these have a heavy duty sleeving on them which gives them the added weight. The power cable is even coated in the same sleeving, a very nice touch. The sleeving itself it very nice looking, it sort of has a Kevlar look to it. The only cables that do not match are the 4/8pin ATX12v connector, 20/24 pin ATX connector and the ground wire that Mushkin has chosen to include. These three cables have a black plastic nylon mesh sleeving that you commonly find on many other units. A nice feature about the 4/8pin and 20/24pin cables is that the additional 4pin connectors have their own cables straight from the PSU allowing you to get them out of the way completely if they are not being used. They come from Mushkin, zip tied neatly against the main line so the additional cable does not cause extra clutter.
The cables were not the only reason for the heavy weight of the package. The XP-650 itself is about an inch and a half longer than a standard PSU. It has a very nice mirror finish and a 80mm fan on each end. The external fan is an LED fan with a green glow. It is a nice change to see a color other than blue. There are no vents on the sides of the PSU, the only air that can move through comes in through one fan and out the other.
Appearance: 4.6/5
{mospagebreak title=Installation}
Installation:
The installation of the Mushkin XP-650 proved to be slightly more difficult than a normal PSU, because it is about an inch and a half longer than a standard PSU. This was easily noticed when installing it into my Thermaltake Armor chassis. Once the unit is installed, the modular cables are very easy to connect and secure. Each cable uses a 6 pin PCIe type connector at the PSU end and is secured by the same type of clip normally found on these plugs.
The modular wires are very sharp looking with their tip to tip sleeving. The sleeving is very thick and stiff. This caused a slight problem when I was connecting the SATA hard drives. I had three drives in one drive cage and the cables are so stiff that they didn?t want to bend to stay connected to the drives properly. I had to work the cables a bit to soften them up, in order to prevent the SATA plugs from pulling out. This was a minor complaint considering there are four SATA connectors on each cable.
There are two dedicated PCIe connectors, set aside for your video cards with EMI shielding, so that your cards get the cleanest power possible. These turned out to be just long enough to reach from the PSU to the video cards.
{mospagebreak title=Performance}
Performance:
To test the performance of the Mushkin XP-650 I ran it on a dual-core/SLI/water cooled machine. All voltages were recorded using a digital multi meter. Voltages were recorded in the BIOS, idling in Windows, under load in Windows, and gaming. To load the system I used Folding@Home, rthdribl video stress test, and burned a DVD. Battlefield 2 was used for the gaming test.
Test System
DFI LP UT SLI-DR Expert
AMD Opteron 165 @ 2.5
Corsair TwinX PT 2x512MB
2x Leadtek 7800GT TDH Extreme in SLI
LG Super-Multi DVD+-RW
2x Samsung 80GB SATA 3G in RAID 0
2x Seagate 750GB 7200.10 SATA 3G in RAID 0
1x Seagate 500GB 7200.9 SATA3G
Danger Den Water-cooling
The following chart shows the results that were recorded during testing.
Each of the four 12V rails are assigned to the following:
+12V1 = 20/24pin ATX connector
+12V2 = 4/8pin +12V connector
+12V3 = PEG connectors
+12V4 = Molex, FDD, SATA connectors
One thing to note with the 12V rails is that they can not be loaded with 20A each all at once. The maximum load at one time is 44A across the four rails.
Performance: 4.8/5
{mospagebreak title=Price/Warranty}
Price/Warranty:
Mushkin lists the price of the XP-650 as $229. This is by no means a cheap PSU, however you get what you pay for; reliable clean power for your PC. This price is in the upper end of the power supply market and may be a slight road block for Mushkin to become a mainstream PSU maker. Over time as Mushkin works to prove themselves as a quality PSU manufacturer, as they have with memory, a high end price like this will be easier to swallow. You do have to keep in mind that this unit offers features that are not generally found in the less expensive PSU?s on the market.
Mushkin backs up their new line of PSU?s with a three year limited warranty.
Price/Warranty: 4.25/5
{mospagebreak title=Conclusion}
Conclusion:
After running the Mushkin XP-650 for several days my test machine, I have found the XP-650 to have been the most stable PSU that I have tested to date. The rails barely moved at all between idle and load. With 20 Amps on each of the four 12v rails there is plenty of power left over for any future expansions to the system. When I first saw that it only had two 80mm fans for cooling, I expected to hear it over everything else but this turned out not to be the case at all. Although not silent, it is only about as loud as a standard case fan. The green LED fan on the rear of the unit gives off a nice glow to break up the sea of blue around my desk. If anyone is looking for a high performance power supply to power their newest performance rig then Mushkin has just the PSU for you.
Pros:
- 4x 12volt rails
- 650w Continuous power (700w peak)
- 8x SATA connectors
- Quiet operation
Cons:
- Price
Package and Specifications: 4.7/5
Appearance: 4.6/5
Performance: 4.8/5
Price/Warranty: 4.25/5
Overall: 18.35/20
The Mushkin XP-650 power supply receives our Best on the Planet Award.
Acknowledgements:
We would like to thank Mushkin for sending us this power supply for testing.