Chieftec A-80 Series 650W Non-Modular Power Supply Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing

The Chieftec A-80 650W PSU has an MSRP of $61 USD, in the UK we are seeing pricing of about £45. Retail availability is still fairly primitive at this time as this product is very new to market, as a result of that we could expect to see pricing fall a bit in the coming months as stock proliferates. The Chieftec A-80 650W has a 2 year warranty when sold within the EU.

Conclusion

Chieftec’s A-80 power supply does exactly what it says on the tin: great performance without a significant price tag. Even though we are not 100% sure of the OEM used I can still say with confidence that the Chieftec A-80 650W is a quality power supply. It uses high quality capacitors internally, has a high quality fan and the build quality is good too. This is reflected in the efficiency, which beats the 80 Plus Bronze this unit is certified for, and in the voltage regulation where this unit performs better than some much more expensive units we’ve seen. In fact, it manages +-1% on all rails which is better that the +-2% Seasonic pledge on their Platinum series products. The performance doesn’t stop there either: there was also solid ripple suppression and high power factor correction. The unit was fairly quiet too staying at a fairly inaudible level until 80-100% when things kick up a bit but are still not too bad.

Of course, this PSU has a few negatives. The obvious one is it just looks cheap: unsleeved cables and a silver design mean any case with a side panel window will be ruined by this power supply. This is definitely a power supply for a system where looks do not matter, or where cost is of the essence. I also feel like there are not enough cables: I would like to have seen maybe four PCIe 6+2 pin cables, or some extra molex. I’m not sure that two is enough to properly use 650W. I also think the 2 year warranty is on the stingy side, but then for the price to have a warranty of 2 years is nice enough. I know for some of the other brands in this price point you’ll be lucky if the PSU has anywhere near the same level of quality. The Chieftec A-80 650W certainly isn’t a looker but it’s one hell of a performer.

Pros

• Excellent voltage regulation
• Quiet operation under most loads
• Good ripple suppression
• High PFC
• Low price
• Betters its 80 Plus Bronze certification

Cons

• Not the nicest exterior (of the cables or unit)
• Could do with more PCIe
• 2 year warranty is a little short

“The Chieftec A-80 650W may not be the best looking or most feature packed PSU, but for the price it offers a great level of performance and would make a solid foundation for any value-orientated system.”

Thank you to Chieftec for providing this review sample.