Power Supply Roundup: 730W to 900W
by Christoph Katzer on November 22, 2007 3:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Silverstone OP850 - 850W
We have seen already two other versions of this unit before in the 650W class. The 850W version doesn't differ too much, and from the outside it looks the same. On the inside, however, there are plenty of changes, including a new topology. The power supply comes in a black housing with a large 120mm fan.
As we have seen before the OP850 has just a single 12V rail which supports up to 70A.
Cables and Connectors
All the cables are sleeved as usual. The mesh starts outside of the power supply which is not as attractive. If a company pays for the additional costs of adding sleeves, they should do the job correctly and start the mesh inside the power supply chassis. Other than aesthetics, though, there's no disadvantage in this approach. The cable harnesses are very long and have a maximum length of 110cm for the floppy connectors and 100cm for the Molex connectors. There are six Molex and SATA connectors, which is enough though a few more wouldn't have hurt.
The inside is nicely arranged and makes a good impression. There are two large heatsinks that reach from front to back. The fins are thick and should provide ample cooling. However, our measurement of up to 90°C in the heat-chamber is quite high. With an exhaust temperature of just 58°C, it appears the airflow isn't removing heat from the heatsinks. Instead, heat builds up inside the housing, which is not the intended result. Still, the power supply did complete our tests and we couldn't find any major problems.
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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.