EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G5 Power Supply Review: The Sweet Spot

We Test the SuperNOVA G3 Series Successor

Introduction

EVGA recently updated their SuperNOVA power supply lineup to include four models in the new G5 Series: 650W, 750W, 850W and 1000W, which are designed to deliver excellent performance with quiet operation. All G5 power supplies come with fully modular cables, meet the 80 Plus Gold criteria for high efficiency and feature a large 135mm cooling fan with a Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) for quiet and reliable operation. We will be taking a detailed look at the 750W G5 in this review.

EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G5 PSU Key Features:

• 80 Plus Gold certified for high efficiency
• Fully modular cable design
• Large 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) fan
• EVGA ECO mode for fan-less operation at low to mid power
• 100% Japanese electrolytic capacitors (105°C)
• 100% Aluminum solid state capacitors on modular boards
• NVIDIA SLI and AMD Crossfire Ready
• DC-to-DC converters for tight 3.3V/5V stability
• Active PFC with Universal AC Input
• Full protections: OCP, OVP, UVP, OPP, SCP and OTP
• MSRP for 750W G5: $109.99 (with $30 Mail-in Rebate)
• 10-Year warranty

Specifications

Packaging and Parts

The EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G5 power supply arrived packed inside a retail box showcasing the unit’s features and specifications. The power supply is wrapped in a plastic bag and protected by thick foam inserts.

In addition to the power supply, the box contains a power cord, mounting screws, cable ties, a User Manual, power-on self-tester, and a bundle of modular cables.

Eleven modular cables handle the power distribution, all of which are sleeved for easy routing and a clean look. (See table above for specific cable lengths and connector counts).

A Detailed Look

The EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G5 power supply enclosure is painted black with a dark green fan grill. The back panel includes a unique lighted logo, an AC receptacle, On-Off switch, ECO Mode switch, and an open honey-comb grill.

The power supply uses a 135mm ZP Series B fan made by Protechnic Electric for cooling. The fan (MGA13512HF-A25) is rated for 0.28A at 12 VDC and features a Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) for quiet operation and long life. The front panel on the 750W G5 incorporates twelve modular cable connectors, all nicely keyed and labelled.

Here are a few pictures showing the layout and components inside the SuperNOVA 750W G5 power supply. EVGA is using FSP this time as their OEM. The overall layout, soldering, and build quality appear to all be very good.

The power supply features a modern circuit design to meet the 80 Plus Gold criteria for high efficiency and uses DC-to-DC converters on the secondary to produce the +3.3V and +5V rails from the +12V output. All of electrolytic capacitors are Japanese made 105°C parts with additional solid polymer caps used throughout. For example, the main bulk capacitor is made by Rubycon and rated for 390uF, 450V, and 105°C.

Testing Methodology

Establishing an accurate load is critical to testing and evaluating a PC power supply. PCPerspective’s power supply test bench can place a precise DC load on the PSU under test. Each power supply is tested under controlled, demanding conditions up to its maximum rated load (at 40ºC). Our current suite of tests includes:

• DC Load Regulation
• AC Ripple and Noise
• Efficiency
• Differential Temperature
• Noise

The EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G5 power supply was evaluated on both features and performance. A full range of equipment was used to test the power supply under controlled load conditions.

• (2) CSI3710A Programmable DC load (+3.3V and +5V outputs)
• (4) CSI3711A Programmable DC load (+12V1, +12V2, +12V3, and +12V4)
• (2) 200W Precision resistor load bank (+12V5 and +12V6)
• Switchable precision resistor load bank (-12V and +5VSB)
• Agilent 34401A digital multimeter (Accuracy ±0.0035% vDC)
• Extech 380803 Power Analyzer (Accuracy ±0.5% of full scale)
• DS1M12 “StingRay” digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC)
• Extech Model 407738 digital sound level meter (Accuracy ±1.5 dB)

The following cables/connectors were used to connect the power supply to the PC Perspective power supply test equipment.

• (1) 20+4 pin ATX
• (2) 8-pin EPS/ATX12V
• (6) 6-pin PCI-E
• (6) SATA
• (3) Molex

Test Results

DC Output Load Regulation

To simulate demanding and maximum loading conditions, the EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G5 power supply was connected to the load testers and supplied with a constant 120 VAC. In this test we are interested in seeing how well a PSU can maintain the various output voltages while operating under different loads.

The ATX12V V2.2 tolerance for voltages states how much each output (rail) is allowed to fluctuate and has tighter tolerances now for the +12V outputs. We have included a second table of expanded tolerances (±1% to ±6%) for reference.

The following tables list the DC voltage results for the EVGA 750W G5 PSU while operating on 120 VAC, 60 Hz.

The power supply produced excellent voltage regulation on all of the DC outputs with the three main rails staying within ±1% of the recommended ATX guidelines. Like many of the top-tier power supplies on the market today, the EVGA G5 Series uses remote voltage sensing (at the 24-pin ATX connector) on the key rails to keep the voltages very tight.

AC Ripple and Noise on the DC Outputs

The amount of AC ripple and noise present on the DC outputs was checked using a digital oscilloscope. This AC component may be present in the KHz range where most switching power supplies operate or it may be more prevalent at the 60 Hz line frequency. We adjust the O-scope time base to look for AC ripple at both low and high frequencies. The ATX12V V2.2 specification for DC output noise/ripple is defined in the ATX12V Power Supply Design Guide.

Ideally we would like to see no AC ripple (repetitive) or noise (random) on the DC outputs – the cleaner the better! But in reality there will always be some present. I measured the amplitude of the AC signal (in millivolts, peak-to-peak) to see how well the power supply complied with the ATX standard. The following table lists the ripple/noise results during all of the load tests for the main output voltages of interest.

Even at full load the EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G5 power supply exhibited very good AC ripple and noise suppression with the results staying well below the ATX recommended guidelines, even at full load.

Efficiency

Efficiency is defined by the power output divided by the power input and is usually expressed as a percentage. If a PSU were a 100% efficient (which none are) 750 watts of AC power going in would result in 750 watts of DC power coming out (with no waste heat to dissipate).

In the real world there are always inefficiencies and power is lost in the form of heat during the conversion process. Newer revisions to the ATX12V Power Supply Design Guide V 2.2 have continued to increase the efficiency recommendations for PC switching mode power supplies and now lists both required and recommended minimum efficiencies.

We measured the AC power input to the 750W G5 power supply with an Extech power analyzer while the total DC load was found by adding all the individual +3.3V, +5V, +12V, -12V and +5VSB loads together.

The overall efficiency of the SuperNOVA 750W G5 is very good and easily meets the 80 Plus Gold guidelines, even when operating on 120VAC and at elevated temperatures.

80 Plus Program:

Note: Tests conducted at room temperature (25°C).

Differential Temperature and Noise Levels

To simulate a demanding environment, some of the warm exhaust air from the PSU under test is recirculated back to the intake through a passive air duct, which allows the PSU air inlet temperature to increase with load, up to 40°C.

The differential temperature across the power supply was calculated by subtracting the internal case air temperature (T in) from the temperature of the warm exhaust air flowing out the back of the power supply (T out).

Thermocouples were placed at the air inlet and exhaust outlet. The ambient room air temperature was 23ºC (74ºF) +/- 0.5ºC during testing.

• T out = temperature of air exhausting from power supply
• T in = temperature of air entering power supply
• Delta T = T out – T in

Sound pressure level readings were taken 3’ away from the rear of the case in an otherwise quiet room. The ambient noise level was ~28 dBA.

*Fan not spinning (ECO mode enabled)

The EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G5 power supply started out silent and stayed that way through the first two tests. The fan started spinning as soon as we entered the 50% load test but remained quiet. At full load with an elevated ambient temperature, the cooling fan noise became noticeable but we couldn’t get a SPL measurement due to all the programmable DC load cooling fans cycling on and off in the background.

*Fan not spinning (ECO mode enabled)

The EVGA SuperNOVA 750W G5 power supply started out silent and stayed that way through the first two tests. The fan started spinning as soon as we entered the 50% load test but remained quiet. At full load with an elevated ambient temperature, the cooling fan noise became noticeable but we couldn’t get a SPL measurement due to all the programmable DC load cooling fans cycling on and off in the background.

Final Thoughts and Conclusions

The EVGA SuperNOVA G5 Series is built for performance and quiet operation and in our opinion, occupies a sweet spot among PC power supplies, with 80 Plus Gold rated efficiency and a good balance of features, performance and price. The SuperNOVA 750W G5 power supply exhibited excellent voltage regulation with low AC ripple and easily met the criteria for the 80 Plus Gold efficiency rating. The 750W G5 features a very good assortment of sleeved modular cables with enough connectors to support both NVIDIA SLI and AMD Crossfire GPUs.

We also really like having the option to enable or disable fan-less mode thanks to the small ECO switch on the back panel. At low power in ECO mode the PSU is silent. At higher loads, once the fan started to spin, it remained relatively quiet thanks to a high-quality 135mm fan with a Fluid Dynamic Bearing. For folks (like me) who would rather have the fan spinning all the time, that option can easily be selected. Note: the larger 135mm fan is one of the more obvious differences between the new G5 series and previous SuperNOVA G3 models.

And last but not least is a full suite of protection circuits along with a 10-year warranty.

MSRP for 750W G5: $139.99, $109.99 USD after $30 Mail-in Rebate from EVGA. Currently $133.90 on Amazon.com (as of 12/20/19)

Strengths:

• 80 Plus Gold certified for high efficiency
• Excellent voltage regulation and AC ripple suppression
• Fully modular cable design
• Two 4+4 pin EPS and six PCI-E connectors
• NVIDIA SLI and AMD Crossfire Ready
• Large 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) fan
• EVGA ECO mode for fan-less operation at low to mid power
• ECO mode selector switch to enable or disable fan-less mode
• 100% Japanese electrolytic capacitors (105°C)
• Protections: OCP, OVP, UVP, OPP, SCP and OTP
• Compact chassis: 150mm (5.9”) deep
• 10-Year warranty

Weaknesses:

• None noted

If you are in the market for a power supply for your next build, one of the new EVGA SuperNOVA G5 series power supplies might be just what you are looking for; easily recommended.

Our thanks to EVGA for sending us the 750W G5 PSU to review.