Power Supply Roundup: 730W to 900W
by Christoph Katzer on November 22, 2007 3:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Cooler Master M850 - 850W
Cooler Master sent its high-end M850 power supply, which comes with a shiny mirror finish paintjob. A large 135mm fan on the bottom is responsible for cooling. There are plenty of holes at the back to serve as an exhaust. The unit lacks a power switch, which might be a concern for some people; however, since most people use power strips for their computer and peripherals this shouldn't be a major problem. The sticker on the AC jack was unnecessary, and the residue it left after removal is something we could have done without. Next to the jack is a small LED that indicates the status of the power supply. During our high temperature stress tests, the lamp glowed red the whole time; however, the PSU still worked fine as we can see from the results.
The label shows a total of six 12V rails which are rated at 18A (four) and 28A (two); however, the combined power is only 768W. This means there is around 10A per rail with combined power. This approach of writing whatever seems convenient on the label is a new trend, as though the manufacturers want to show there's no need to worry about power requirements. Incidentally, the 1000W version of this power supply has the same ratings for its 12V rails; the only difference is a higher combined power. The only way to manage this is with OCP. With six rails - and especially with two rails rated much higher than the others - it would have been great if Cooler Master listed the exact power distribution in the manual. They have provided this information for the 24-pin, 4-pin, and 8-pin ATX connectors, but not for the equally important graphics cards connectors.
Cables and Connectors
The cables are delivered in a nice, sleek bag that can be folded up. The cables are waiting patiently to come out and play. All are sleeved and the 6/8-pin PEG connectors differ in color. With ten Molex and eight SATA connectors the Cooler Master M850 is well equipped, and the length of up to 90cm is good for larger cases.
Looking inside will make any electronics enthusiast's heart beat faster. It's just a beautiful arrangement, and the two transformers will offer a great deal of power distribution. The primary side has a huge coil with two capacitors made by Nippon Chemi-Con and rated at 420V, 270µF, and 85°C (each). The secondary caps are made by Teapo. The soldering on the PCB for the cable management could be nicer, but the rest of the inside looks very clean. The heatsinks are well sized and thick. They are able to take a lot of heat from the attached components, and the space between the fins leaves enough room for air to reach the components on the PCB. Temperature diodes attach to the secondary heatsink on both sides - the two shrinking hoses where they attach to the fins are visible.
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engman - Wednesday, January 23, 2008 - link
Can you explain beter the Voltage Ripple and Noise graphs?I really cant get it! Where is the graph scale?
engman - Wednesday, January 23, 2008 - link
I was trying to find a good PSU and found this review.When you say: "The actual Power Supply Design Guide specifies that each +12V rail should not have any ripple over 120mV and the +3.3V and +5V rails should not have any ripple over ~50mV."
Means that each power rail should not go outside this interval:
11.88V < 12V < 12.12V 120mV
3.25V < 3.30V < 3.35V 50mV
4.95V < 5V < 5.05V 50mV
Correct?
How can 12.17V fall inside the specified range? "The 12V rails of the OCZ ModXStream tended to be high, but this is still acceptable as they fall inside the specified range."
4.75V is inside the specs? and 5.13?
"The 5V rails also remain within specs, but the last two units (OCZ and Amacrox) are very close to the lower boundary at 100% load."
So what are the exac boundaries, or the voltage interval for each power rail?
thanks
yelnatsch517 - Thursday, December 6, 2007 - link
I noticed the Cooler Master reviewed was the M850 ESBA modular version of the RS 850 EMBA. Seeing as how it is impossible to find that model in the US, I am wondering if the model reviewed was either a EU version or a new model Cooler Master is planning on introducing in the near future and also whether the internals of the US EMBA 850watt version are the same.jonnyGURU - Friday, December 14, 2007 - link
The Cooler Masters are identical. Cooler Master refrains from selling the modular version in the U.S. due to Ultra's patent on the modular interface and threats to sue. You CAN buy the Cooler Master modular here in the U.S. if you get it bundled with a case. I've seen it pre-installed in some Stacker units over at Newegg.stolennomenclature - Tuesday, December 4, 2007 - link
I know im getting old and the old brain isnt what it used to be, but did'nt i read somewhere about dwindling oil reserves, skyrocketing oil prices, depletion of the ozone layer, and the need to reduce energy counsumption and be the green movement? I even thought I saw a trend with cpu makers trying to lower energy counsmption of their cpu's.You would'nt think any of this stuff was real when you see the trend towards bigger fuel guzzling SUV's and now a article like this - why on earth do we need kilowatt power supplies for a PC!
If I was in government id have these things banned or else slap an enormous tax on them.
People need to wake up and smell the roses. Its obscene that a PC should need a power supply over 300 watts. Even thats extravagant.
jonnyGURU - Friday, December 14, 2007 - link
A PSU only puts out what's asked of it. So if you're PC only uses 300W, the PSU only puts out 300W. Really the only drawback here is that larger units typically cost more to buy, and neither you nor I are in the position to tell someone how to spend their money. ;)ShadowStryder - Monday, November 26, 2007 - link
Persoanally I like the new review layout.Toadster - Saturday, November 24, 2007 - link
850W of goodness for under $190http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a...=N82E168...
recently was on sale for $119 A/R
HexiumVII - Friday, November 23, 2007 - link
Who manufactures the Antec 750?Christoph Katzer - Saturday, November 24, 2007 - link
The 850? Enhance.