Corsair Professional Series HX850 Power Supply Review

Corsair HX850 Final Thoughts & Conclusion

Six years ago Corsair’s HX PSUs were
amongst the most popular in the market and for a good reason; we were glad to
find out that the latest HX units live up to the reputation of the series which
introduced the company into the PSU market. In collaboration with CWT, an OEM
which is behind a large number of Corsair’s most popular units, the company
today offers a modular PSU combining high quality and performance. As a matter
of fact, Corsair is so certain about the quality of the HX850 that dares to
offer the PSU with a 7 year warranty. Without a doubt, the HX850 is very well
built and the components are top class. Improvements, such as larger or better
heatsinks, would most likely be more about the improvement of the unit’s
overall performance rather than its longevity.

As it can be seen from the graphs
and tables of the two previous pages, the overall performance of the HX850 unit
is well above average. Electrically, the power supply displayed very good
voltage line regulation in conjunction with low ripple, plus it satisfied the
efficiency requirements of an 80Plus Gold certified unit. The thermal
performance is also very good, especially considering the lack of heatsinks
providing any noteworthy heat dissipation surface. Only the fan speed profile
of the HX850 is a little bizarre but in a good way, as it obviously keeps the
unit cool enough while managing to allow for silent operation, at least for as
long as the HX850 is not heavily loaded.

Model	Watts	Price
Corsair HX650	650W	$99.99
Corsair HX750	750W	$134.99
Corsair HX850	850W	$154.99
Corsair HX1050	1050W	$194.99

Value is the only real drawback of
the HX850. Yes, Corsair offers it with a 7 year warranty and it is a modular
power supply able to deliver great performance; still, the MSRP price of
$199.99 is quite hefty, even for all of the unit’s features and advantages.
Fortunately, the actual retail price of the HX850 is lower as we found it for $154.99 after rebate, a competitive price for such a
product. If such offers keep springing up, a product like the HX850 certainly
is an excellent long-term investment.

Legit Bottom Line: The Corsair Professional Series HX850W Power Supply proved to a solid power supply and was able to meet the 80Plus Gold efficiency ratings!