Tuniq Potency 650W Power Supply

Conclusion:

The Tuniq Potency 650W power supply is a no nonsense unit that will get the job done on a basic computer system without wasting your money on bells and whistles. It has decent specifications, was able to power the test configuration without issue, and it remains cool and quiet during operation. Running cool may have eliminated the ability to check out one of the features touted with the Potency power supply; the fan delay off function. I will assume that it never got hot enough to need to keep the fan spinning after powering down, as I could not make it happen!

The main issue I have with this unit is related to another feature prominently displayed on the box and on the Tuniq website. Claims are made that it is SLI Certified, SLI Certificated, or SLI Ready (depending on where you look), and I wonder if either of the two actual designations are accurate. The SLI Zone website doesn't indicate it is SLI Certified, and both PCI Express power connections are on one of the two 25A 12V rails.

The price may be one of the more compelling reasons to buy this power supply... If you can deal with mail in rebates. Newegg.com currently sells this unit for $86.99, which is on the verge of being too expensive for a unit with these specifications, but there is a $40 mail in rebate available for the whole month of February. While other units tested in this general range of total power outputs may cost more, they generally tend to offer more. But, for $46.99 this is a decent unit to power your mid-range desktop or lower end gaming rig.

Pros:

» Decent option for a mid-range desktop or lower end gaming rig
» Performed respectably in all tests
» 80+ efficiency
» Quiet
» Plenty of drive connections (six SATA, six 4-pin Molex)
» Inexpensive (after rebate)

Cons:

» Is it SLI Certified, Ready, or Certificated? Or perhaps none of the above.
» Only two PCI Express power connections, and both are on the same cable / 12V rail
» Nothing to hold the 20+4-pin power connection together
» Motherboard power cables are rather short
» Never got to see the fan delay off function in action

Special thanks to Tuniq for providing the Tuniq Potency 650W Power Supply to Bigbruin.com for review!