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[nextpage title=”Introduction”]
The HIVE is the latest power supply series from Rosewill, and is available in 550 W, 650 W, and 750 W versions, featuring a partial modular cabling system, coming with the 80 Plus Bronze certification, and with the manufacturer promising that these units can deliver their labeled wattage at 40° C. Let’s see if the 650 W model is a good option.
The HIVE unit is manufactured by Sirfa/Highpower and is a rebranded Highpower DP-650 BR unit. As a matter of fact, it uses the same platform as the OCZ ZS Series 650 W, with the notable difference that the unit sold by OCZ doesn’t have a modular cabling system.
Figure 1: Rosewill HIVE 650 W power supply
Figure 2: Rosewill HIVE 650 W power supply
The Rosewill HIVE 650 W is 7.1” (160 mm) deep, using a 135 mm sleeve bearing fan on its bottom (Globe Fan RL4Z S1352512H). The OCZ ZS Series 650 W uses a ball-bearing model.
As mentioned, this unit has a modular cabling system with six connectors, two red for video card power cables and four black for peripheral and SATA power cables. The main motherboard cable and the ATX12V/EPS12V cable are permanently attached to the power supply, and they use nylon sleeves that come from inside the unit. This power supply comes with the following cables:
- Main motherboard cable with a 20/24-pin connector, 19.3” (49 cm) long, permanently attached to the power supply
- One cable with two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, 21.6” (55 cm) long, permanently attached to the power supply
- Two cables, each with one six/eight-pin connector for video cards, 18.1” (46 cm) long, modular cabling system
- Two cables, each with four SATA power connectors, 18.1” (46 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors, modular cabling system
- Two cables, each with two standard peripheral power connectors and one floppy disk drive power connector, 18.1” (46 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors, modular cabling system
All wires are 18 AWG wires, which is the minimum recommended gauge.
The cable configuration is excellent for a 650 W power supply, with two video card power connectors and eight SATA power connectors. On the other hand, there are only four peripheral power connectors, the cables are somewhat short, and you may have trouble using this power supply in some full-tower cases.
Figure 3: Cables
Let’s now take an in-depth look inside this power supply.
[nextpage title=”A Look Inside the Rosewill HIVE 650 W”]
We decided to disassemble this power supply to see what it looks like inside, how it is designed, and what components are used. Please read our “Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies” tutorial to understand how a power supply works and to compare this power supply to others.
On this page we will have an overall look, and then in the following pages we will discuss in detail the quality and ratings of the components used. As already discussed, internally, this power supply is identical to the OCZ ZS Series 650 W.
Figure 4: Top view
Figure 5: Front quarter view
Figure 6: Rear quarter view
Figure 7: The printed circuit board
[nextpage title=”Transient Filtering Stage”]
As we have mentioned in other articles and reviews, the first place we look when opening a power supply for a hint about its quality, is its filtering stage. The recommended components for this stage are two ferrite coils, two ceramic capacitors (Y capacitors, usually blue), one metalized polyester capacitor (X capacitor), and one MOV (Metal-Oxide Varistor). Very low-end power supplies use fewer components, usually removing the MOV and the first coil.
In this stage, the Rosewill HIVE 650 W power supply is flawless. It has two Y capacitors and one X capacitor more than the minimum required.
Figure 8: Transient filtering stage (part 1)
Figure 9: Transient filtering stage (part 2)
On the next page, we will have a more detailed discussion about the components used in the Rosewill HIVE 650 W.
[nextpage title=”Primary Analysis”]
On this page we will take an in-depth look at the primary stage of the Rosewill HIVE 650 W. For a better understanding, please read our “Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies” tutorial.
This power supply uses two GBU805 rectifying bridges connected in parallel, attached to an individual heatsink. Each bridge supports up to 8 A at 100° C, so in theory, you would be able to pull up to 1,840 W from a 115 V power grid. Assuming 80% efficiency, the bridges would allow this unit to deliver up to 1,472 W without burning themselves out. Of course, we are only talking about these particular components.
The real limit will depend on all the components combined in this power supply.
Figure 10: Rectifying bridges
The active PFC circuit uses two IPW60R125CP MOSFETs, each one capable of delivering up to 25 A at 25° C or 16 A at 100° C in continuous mode (note the difference temperature makes), or up to 82 A in pulse mode at 25° C, each. These transistors present a 125 mΩ resistance when turned on, a characteristic called RDS(on). The lower this number the better, meaning that the transistors will waste less power, and the power supply will achieve a higher efficiency.
Figure 11: Active PFC diode and transistors
The output of the active PFC circuit is filtered by a 330 µF x 400 V electrolytic capacitor from Teapo and labeled at 85° C. The OCZ ZS Series 650 W uses a Japanese capacitor here.
In the switching section, two SPP20N60C3 MOSFETs are used in the traditional two-transistor forward configuration. Each transistor supports up to 20.7 A at 25° C or 13.1 A at 100° C in continuous mode, or 62.1 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with an RDS(on) of 190 mΩ.
Figure 12: Switching transistors
The primary is controlled by the popular CM6800 active PFC/PWM combo controller.
Figure 13: Active PFC/PWM controller
Let’s now take a look at the secondary of this power supply.
[nextpage title=”Secondary Analysis”]
In the secondary, the Rosewill HIVE 650 W uses the traditional configuration with Schottky rectifiers.
The maximum theoretical current each line can deliver is given by the formula I / (1 – D) where D is the duty cycle used and I is the maximum current supported by the rectifying diode. As an exercise, we can assume a duty cycle of 30 percent.
The +12 V output uses four S30D45C Schottky rectifiers (30 A, 15 A per internal diode at 125° C, 0.70 V maximum voltage drop), giving us a maximum theoretical current of 86 A or 1,029 W for this output.
The +5 V output uses two PFR30L45CT Schottky rectifiers (30 A, 15 A per internal diode at 120° C, 0.52 V maximum voltage drop), giving us a maximum theoretical current of 43 A or 214 W for this output.
The +3.3 V output uses another two PFR30L45CT Schottky rectifiers, giving us a maximum theoretical current of 43 A or 141 W for this output.
Figure 14: The +12 V, +5 V, and +3.3 V rectifiers
This power supply uses a PS223 monitoring integrated circuit, which supports over voltage (OVP), under voltage (UVP), and over current (OCP) protections. There are two +12 V over current inputs available on this chip, but the manufacturer decided to use only one of them, making this power supply a single-rail unit.
Figure 15: Monitoring circuit
The electrolytic capacitors available in the secondary of the main printed circuit board are also from Teapo and are labeled at 105° C, while the electrolytic capacitors that are available on te modular cabling system are Japanese, from Chemi-Con. The OCZ ZS Series 650 W uses Japanese capacitors here.
[nextpage title=”Power Distribution”]
In Figure 16, you can see the power supply label containing all the power specs.
Figure 16: Power supply label
This power supply has a single +12 V rail, so there is not much to talk about here.
How much power can this unit really deliver? Let’s find out.
[nextpage title=”Load Tests”]
We conducted several tests with this power supply, as described in the article, “Hardware Secrets Power Supply Test Methodology.”
First we tested this power supply with five different load patterns, trying to pull around 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of its labeled maximum capacity (actual percentage used listed under “% Max Load”), watching the behavior of the reviewed unit under each load. In the table below, we list the load patterns we used and the results for each load.
If you add all the powers listed for each test, you may find a different value than what is posted under “Total” below. Since each output can have a slight variation (e.g., the +5 V output working at +5.10 V), the actual total amount of power being delivered is slightly different than the calculated value. In the “Total” row, we are using the real amount of power being delivered, as measured by our load tester.
The +12VA and +12VB inputs listed below are the two +12 V independent inputs from our load tester. During this test, the +12VA and +12VB inputs were connected to the power supply’s single +12 V rail.
| Input | Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Test 4 | Test 5 |
| +12VA | 5 A (60 W) | 10 A (120 W) | 14.5 A (174 W) | 19 A (228 W) | 23.5 A (282 W) |
| +12VB | 5 A (60 W) | 10 A (120 W) | 14 A (168 W) | 19 A (228 W) | 23 A (276 W) |
| +5 V | 1 A (5 W) | 2 A (10 W) | 4 A (20 W) | 6 A (30 W) | 8 A (40 W) |
| +3.3 V | 1 A (3.3 W) | 2 A (6.6 W) |
4 A (13.2 W) | 6 A (19.8 W) | 8 A (26.4 W) |
| +5VSB | 1 A (5 W) | 1.5 A (7.5 W) | 2 A (10 W) | 2.5 A (12.5 W) | 3 A (15 W) |
| -12 V | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) |
| Total | 142.2 W | 273.4 W | 393.4 W | 521.2 W | 650.2 W |
| % Max Load | 21.9% | 42.1% | 60.5% | 80.2% | 100.0% |
| Room Temp. | 44.8° C | 44.6° C | 44.9° C | 46.9° C | 49.8° C |
| PSU Temp. | 47.2° C | 46.1° C | 46.3° C | 47.9° C | 51.7° C |
| Voltage Regulation | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Ripple and Noise | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| AC Power | 168.5 W | 318.7 W | 461.6 W | 623.4 W | 791.0 W |
| Efficiency | 84.4% | 85.8% | 85.2% | 83.6% | 82.2% |
| AC Voltage | 119.2 V | 117.5 V | 116.1 V | 114.5 V | 112.7 V |
| Power Factor | 0.947 | 0.969 | 0.981 | 0.988 | 0.992 |
| Final Result | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
The Rosewill HIVE 650 W passed our tests with flying colors.
Efficiency was between 82.2% and 85.8% during our tests, correctly matching the values promised by the 80 Plus Bronze certification. If you follow our power supply reviews, you know that several products with the 80 Plus Bronze certification can’t provide 82% minimum efficiency when delivering their labeled wattage under a real-world scenario. We were happy to see that this is not the case with the HIVE 650 W.
Voltage regulation was very good, with all voltages closer to their nominal values than required (three percent regulation), except on test five, where the -12 V output was at -12.38 V, the +3.3 V output was at +3.17 V, and the +5VSB was at +4.78 V. These outputs were still inside the allowed range. The ATX12V specification states that positive voltages must be within 5% of their nominal values, and negative voltages must be within 10% of their nominal values.
Let’s discuss the ripple and noise levels on the next page.
[nextpage title=”Ripple and Noise Tests”]
Voltages at the power supply outputs must be as “clean” as possible, with no noise or oscillation (also known as “ripple”). The maximum ripple and noise levels allowed are 120 mV for +12 V and -12 V outputs, and 50 mV for +5 V, +3.3 V and +5VSB outputs. All values are peak-to-peak figures. We consider a power supply as being top-notch if it can produce half or less of the maximum allowed ripple and noise levels.
The Rosewill HIVE 650 W provided very low ripple and noise levels, as you can see in the table below.
| Input | Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Test 4 | Test 5 |
| +12VA | 17.2 mV | 25.2 mV | 32.2 mV | 42.4 mV | 50.4 mV |
| +12VB | 20.6 mV | 28.8 mV | 39.6 mV | 51.6 mV | 61.6 mV |
| +5 V | 11.4 mV | 11.2 mV | 12.4 mV | 13.2 mV | 16.2 mV |
| +3.3 V | 12.6 mV | 10.4 mV | 11.6 mV | 12.4 mV | 13.8 mV |
| +5VSB | 8.6 mV | 9.8 mV | 11.4 mV | 14.8 mV | 13.8 mV |
| -12 V | 37.4 mV | 43.4 mV | 49.2 mV | 56.8 mV | 61.0 mV |
Below you can see the waveforms of the outputs during test five.
Figure 17: +12VA input from load tester during test five at 650.2 W (50.4 mV)
Figure 18: +12VB input from load tester during test five at 650.2 W (61.6 mV)
Figure 19: +5V rail during test five at 650.2 W (16.2 mV)
Figure 20: +3.3 V rail during test five at 650.2 W (13.8 mV)
Let’s see if we can pull more than 650 W from this unit.
[nextpage title=”Overload Tests”]
Below you can see the maximum we could pull from this power supply. We couldn’t pull more, as the power supply would shut down, showing that its protections are present and working fine. During this extreme configuration, noise and ripple levels were still very low. The +5 V, +3.3 V, and +5VSB outputs dropped below the minimum allowed, at +4.51 V, +3.05 V, and +4.72 V, respectively. The -12 V output dropped to -12.51 V, still inside the allowed range.
| Input | Overload Test |
| +12VA | 28 A (336 W) |
| +12VB | 28 A (336 W) |
| +5 V | 15 A (75 W) |
| +3.3 V | 15 A (49.5 W) |
| +5VSB | 3 A (15 W) |
| -12 V | 0.5 A (6 W) |
| Total | 789.2 W |
| % Max Load | 121.4% |
| Room Temp. | 49.9° C |
| PSU Temp. | 54.1° C |
| AC Power | 997 W |
| Efficiency | 79.2% |
| AC Voltage | 110.4 V |
| Power Factor | 0.993 |
[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]
The main specifications for the Rosewill HIVE 650 W power supply include:
- Standards: ATX12V 2.31 and EPS12V 2.92
- Nominal labeled power: 650 W continuous at 40° C
- Measured maximum power: 789.2 W at 49.9° C
- Labeled efficiency: 80 Plus Bronze certification
- Measured efficiency: Between 82.2% and 85.8% at 115 V (nominal, see complete results for actual voltage)
- Active PFC: Yes
- Modular Cabling System: Yes, partial
- Motherboard Power Connectors: One 20/24-pin connector and two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector
- Video Card Power Connectors: Two six/eight-pin connectors on two cables
- SATA Power Connectors: Eight on two cables
- Peripheral Power Connectors: Four on two cables
- Floppy Disk Drive Power Connectors: Two on two cables
- Protections (as listed by the manufacturer): Over current (OCP), over voltage (OVP), under voltage (UVP), over power (OPP), over temperature (OTP), and short circuit (SCP)
- Are the above protections really available? Yes.
- Warranty: Three years
- More Information: https://www.rosewill.com
- Average Price in the US*: USD 85.00
* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.
[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]
The Rosewill HIVE 650 W proved to be an excellent power supply for the average user, with efficiency between 82% and 86%, low noise and ripple levels, very good voltage regulation, and an excellent cable configuration. Costing only USD 85, it provides a terrific price/performance ratio.
In this review, we discovered that the Rosewill HIVE 650 W and the OCZ ZS Series 650 W are based on the same platform. The only differences between the two are the use of a modular cabling system on the Rosewill model, and the use of Japanese capacitors on the OCZ model.
By the way, the product box says “High Quality Japanese Primary Capacitor,” information that is not correct.