Introduction
PCCOLER may not be a name many have heard of until very recently, but that is likely to change soon. What has started as another Chinese company is now looking to make a name for themselves in other parts of the world? PCCOOLER has a nice range of Cases, Coolers, Fans, and as we are taking a look at one today, Power Supplies. The PCCOLER GI-P 650W PSU features a new 7-Defense system. The 7-Defense system is said to help and protect against things that may be out of the user’s control. From insects to dust and static prevention, the PCCOOLER GI-P 650 7-Defense protection system will help keep your PSU as safe as possible. Alongside its protection, PCCOOLER has added some other great features that we will go ahead and take a look at!
Packaging and Accessories
The outside of the box has a bit of flash going on but not without a bit of helpful information. We can see that this PSU features an 80PLUS Gold rating and has the 7-Defense system when mentioned in the introduction. We can also see that we have the 650W model and some of the RGB motherboard manufacturers that this PSU is compatible with.
On the side of the box we can see exactly what cables it comes with, their lengths, and some more detailed specifications of the GI-P 650W power supply.
The back of the box goes into a bit more of an explanation of how the 7-Defense system works. It also lets us know a bit more about some of the other features it has to offer.
Opening the box and we can see the GI-P 650W Power Supply is packaged quite nicely. Alongside the PSU and cables coming in their own bags, there is also plenty of foam padding to protect the PSU from getting damaged during transit.
Getting everything out of the box and we can get our first proper look at the power supply itself, the modular cables and there is also another small bag. This small bag has the RGB sync cable so you can connect the PSU to your motherboard and it also has the screws so you can secure it to your case.
Cable List
- 1 – Motherboard 20+4 Pin (600mm)
- 2 – CPU 4+4 Pin (650mm)
- 2 – PCI-E 6+2 Pin (650+150mm)
- 2 – SATA Power (450+150+150+150mm)
- 2 – IDE/Molex (450+150+150+150mm)
- 1 – FDD Adapter (150mm)
GI-P 650 Closer Look
On the top of the PSU is that horrid sticker we have all come to put up with on electronic products such as power supplies. This sticker is a requirement for all companies to include on power supplies and as such, there really isn’t much they can do about it except try and hide it. As this is an RGB PSU, I would imagine PCCCOLER is thinking that most users will have the PSU showing in the build which would mean that you won’t even see this side of the PSuy once it is installed in the case.
This is likely going to be the side of the PSU most are going to want to show off in their case. While it may not look like much at the moment, when the RGB gets lit up, it does look rather nice!
Down the side, we have the 7D Power Supply which to me, seems a bit of a marketing scheme. While most of the 7-D’s sound OK, one of them in particular sticks out!
- Safe From Dust
- Resist Humidity
- Anti-Vibration
- Insect-Proof
- Flame Retardant
- Corrosion-Free
- Static Prevention
While most of these sound good, I have never heard of a PC power supply being insect-proof. While I am grateful for the extra protection, it is a bit of an odd one. Personally, I have never had issues with insects in my power supplies but maybe PCCOOLER knows something we don’t. Either way, I’ll chalk it up to their marketing team trying to use some new buzzwords.
Around to the back where the power cable will plug in and we have a standard power button and another button that will allow us to control the RGB of the GI-P 650W PSU. This PSU is compatible with most RGB motherboards and as we will see it comes with the sync cable, but for those who don’t have an RGB motherboard, you can at least still change the color of the PSU with this button.
All of the cables for the GI-P 650W power supply are modular. All of the connectors on the PSU itself are labeled for easy installation so you know exactly where every cable goes.
As mentioned the GI-P 650W PSU is compatible with a number of RGB motherboards from most manufacturers on the market. Simply plug this small cable into the PSU and connect the other end to your motherboard and you will be able to sync it with your all RGB hardware.
Now, this is where things get interesting! PCCOOLER has added a layer of high thermal performance silicon rubber to the inside of the GI-P range of power supplies. This rubber layer is going to add an extra layer of protection to the PSU and is likely where the insect-proof feature comes from. It is also said that this silicon layer has amazing thermal conductivity and can lower the power supplies temp by up to 5c. Unfortunately, I was unable to test these claims at this time as it would be impossible for me to remove this silicon layer without damaging the PSU. This is a nice touch from a newer manufacturer and it will be interesting to see if others follow suit and start doing this, or if they already are.
GI-P 650 RGB
As mentioned the PCCOLER GI-P 650W power supply features RGB. Both the fan and the side of the PSU have RGB zones and can easily be synced with compatible motherboards. This will allow users to make sure their RGB effects are flowing nicely through their whole build and if you are a fan of RGB, motherboard sync is a must! While most RGB software is crap, it’s good to see more and more compatible hardware if nothing else.
Final Words
Well, it’s the moment of truth and I’ve got mostly nice things to say about the PCCOOLER GI-P 650W power supply, except for the price. Reaching out to PCCOOLER and they sent over a complete price list which has this PSU prices at $198USD! This is absolutely shocking in my opinion. We did mention this to them and they said there will be another cheaper model coming soon at around $100. However, the GI-P is 2-3x more expensive than most standard 650W 80+ GOLD Rater power supplies and around 2x more expensive than similar RGB ones. While I can appreciate the extra coasts of the internal rubber coating for the 7-Defense system, it doesn’t warrant such a price. Also, the GI-P only comes with a 3-year limited warranty whereas most of the similar cheaper ones come with 5 or 7-year warranties.
As mentioned this unit only comes backed by a 3-year warranty. For an 80PLUS gold-rated power supply at this price, one would hope for it to at least have a 5-year warranty, if not a 7 or 10-year warranty! The PSU is a critical part of any build and if the manufacturer doesn’t have the faith in it to extend the warranty by a couple more years, why should anyone else have the faith in putting it inside their system? While I don’t have the facility to test this for 3-years or stress it that much, I would assume from the little amount of testing I have done that it will last more than 3-years during general use. In what testing I could complete with it, it performed as it should, and all readings were fine and in line with other similar power supplies.
One of the features I like the most is the low power mode. Basically, the PSU fan will shut off if the PSU is being used under 30%. This will help the longevity of the fan which is normally one of the issues people run into with power supplies. I know personally, I have changed a number of PSU fans over the years and they have continued to work. Fan bearings wear down and while we are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were years ago, they still don’t quite last forever!
All in all, I have no problem recommending the PCCOOLER GI-P power supply on a performance level. It looks nice, performs well, and should be a good addition to almost any system! While some of the marketing terms seem a bit funny, the unit itself is solid and hopefully, we will see betting pricing and extended warranties from PCCOOLER in the near future. The product may be innovative in a sense of the word, but it is fixing an actual issue? Or is it just a gimmick? Personally, I have never had an issue with insects in my PSU so would not be willing to pay twice the price to own this VS a similar PSU with a better warranty.
