Corsair RM850x (2018) power supply review

PSU - Power Supply Units 108 Page 8 of 8 Published by

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Final Words & Conclusion

Final Words & Conclusion

Corsair revamped, well better put, updated the 2015 RM850x, or RMx series, towards 2018. There's nothing revolutionary to be found other than the PSU internally has some smaller components, and the 850 Watt model for example now isn't 18, but 16cm in length. We have no doubt about the quality, stability, and efficiency of this PSU series. It really performed spot on where it needs to be. That said, Corsair did something for the new RMx series that should interest you. The warranty was already at an excellent 7-years. But somebody at Corsair got the 7-year itch, and a decision was made to extend that warranty even further, towards an amazing 10 years. Amazing really, let me put it this way, if as a company you do not 100% trust your product, then you certainly will not give it a warranty for 10 years. So while an incremental update that places focus on improved, yet mostly internally, you also need to realize that this PSU is very silent. With the 850W model we tested, up-to 340 Watt the fan doesn't even spin, and I can tell you that a modern age PC with a modern graphics card will likely not even reach that value. Next to that, a big important factor these days are the looks, and yeah the RMx series looks great in its black/grey design. A huge plus is a totally modular design with nice all black cables and connectors. It is a PSU series designed for the high-end PC DIY builders who want a bit of extra over a regular power supply, the guys with an X or Z370 based system and say a fairly high-end processor combined with a nice high-end to enthusiast class dedicated graphics card. The efficiency of the RMx series seems spot on gold certification compared to other PSUs in this category, next to the modular design this, without doubt, is a very aesthetically pleasing PSU series. 
 

A word about efficiency

As with any power supply, half the maximum load rating is the point of equilibrium, the sweet-spot where it'll be the most efficient and in this case that is 92% efficiency (at 230 Volts). As such, the 325~450 Watt range is actually a sweet-spot as your average gaming PC with one dedicated (yet high end) graphics card would consume roughly that during a hefty gaming session. Let's assume 175 Watts for the GPU + 100 Watts for CPU and cooling and then add to that the mobo chipset and your connected devices.

So how much money do you actually save each year if you have a gaming PC compared top all these efficiency certifications? Well, Let's create a showcase. Ranging from Bronze too platinum you can buy more efficient power supplies. Over the years, it has become a bit of a marketing thing really as differences a few percents really is the margin what we are talking about here. That's also the same percentual difference in your electric bill.


50% Load in Watt 80plus Bronze Silver Gold Platinum
350 420 402,5 392 385 378
3 Hours per day 0,25 0,24 0,24 0,23 0,23
5 Days week/year 65,52 62,79 61,15 60,06 58,97

So above you can see a quick chart I created. Let's say you game 3 hours per day, 5 days a week for a full year. During gaming, you'll consume 350 Watts (= a fairly high-end setup with perhaps a bit of overclocking right?). We assume you pay 20 cents for each KWh of energy (the average going rate in the EU). As you can see, from Bronze to Platinum the difference really is to give or take 6 euros at best for over a thousand hours of gaming. That's a full year calculation.  Overall, my advice, go with silver or gold if priced nicely, the Platinum power supplies often carry a big price premium. I do want to state though that efficiency also says something about build quality. Follow your instinct I'd say. Now, this chart was based on gaming, of course, if you'd have your PC active 24/7, you'll want an efficient as possible PSU! We spotted this 850 model for 135 EURO the product might feel on the pricey side, but it is well worth that money for the warranty, efficiency and silent operation alone. Looks, acoustics, and quality matter and again, that extremely nice 10-year warranty is just awesome. As far as the ODM goes, this Corsair design was outsourced to what seems to be a CWT origin.


 

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Stability

Stability wise we have very little, actually nothing, to complain about as at half load, say 350~400 watts, voltages remained to drop dead in sync. But we'll trust that some other reviews will offer you some ripple tests yet have no doubt the product will come out totally clean. Kick-ass is obviously the option for four rails, the tested 850W model has enough power to handle two fairly high-end graphics cards. Realistically for a PC with a single graphics card, a 650 or 750 model would likely be better suited as a recommendation. If you are an overclocker/tweaker .. leave some reserve and go with 750 or this 850W model. 
 

Aesthetics

The Rmx series looks great with its dark accents and all black cabling. The PSU sticks to a new smaller ATX length at 16 cm. The cables are delivered in a dark black coating including all dark connectors, which is nice to see. Modular designs are the way to go. You use what you need in terms of wiring, keeping the innards clean and tidy, plain and simple. And overall it is a great looking power supply.

  
 

 Final words

The higher power supplies go into efficiency, the more expensive they get. Within that mindset, the table I created at the top of this page should be your guideline. For a gamer, gaming a few hours per day you need to wonder if you need a Platinum or even Titanium power supply as the price premium might be way more then what it will cost you in energy. Looking at it from the other side, the less power you consume the better, of course. But that choice would come at a price premium. Also if you have a PC that is powered on most part of the day, here I'd advice a more energy efficient power supply as well, the volume in usage hours is pretty much the deciding factor if you ask me. The RMx price might be a notch higher overall compared to more 'regular' power supplies. But here's why that money is well invested; it's a gold rated PSU, perfectly in balance of what you seek efficiency wise. Then the magnificent 10-year warranty just screams out loud how much Corsair trusts this product.

You simply cannot go wrong with the RM850x, at least not by what we can measure. It ticks all the right boxes from dark design, being modular, efficient and incredibly silent. That and the jawbreaking long warranty make the RM850x what is labeled on its box, pure gold. Ergo, it's worth that cash.

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