Corsair HX850 V2 Power Supply Review
Conclusion & Video
Published: 1st August 2012 | Source: Corsair | Price: £139.99 |
Conclusion
So when we reviewed the V1 PSU a crazy 3 years ago in 2009 we said that the HX series seemed to only get better with age. 3 years later will that statement still hold up? Well its a hard one because for the price the original was awesome and that's the reason why we adorned it with our best in class award which at the time was our highest possible award (above gold).
With the v2 Corsair have basically added a bit of spit and polish to what was already a great PSU. Its now got a Gold efficiency rating which to be frank the V1 was capable of in our original review so the main change in our eyes is the semi passive cooling. Corsair state that the fan will gradually spin up from the point when the unit is put under 170W of load, the thing is on our first set of tests we didn't manage to get the fan to budge until the unit was pulling 850w from the wall! Once we had tested it in our 50C hot box we tested again and this had dropped to around 500W which left us thinking that the fan speed is more closely linked to temperature than load (which is what it should be really but there are no official temperature limits or speed tables for us to quote from)
So now its time should you wish to take a look at TTL's video and also below that his thoughts on the aesthetics of the unit.
We did hope when we first heard about the V2 that Corsair would be rolling out the tapered edges and customisable fan surround that we recently saw on the GS line to the rest of the PSU's in their line up. Sadly not and considering that a great number of Corsairs new products have these customising options we think this is something they have missed out on. Especially with a unit that looks so similar to the old. Maybe it is just a minor revamp of the internals? You can buy individually braided cable kits to replace the modular cables which is a brilliant option but slightly hindered by the fact you still have some cables fixed to the unit. What also does not help is the cables fixed to the unit have normal multi coloured wires beneath some average braid. We understand that soldering all black cables inside a PSU could be tricky but we are sure a jig could be made up to make this possible. It would just add that extra feel of quality and remove the dated looking coloured cables, you only need to look at the modular cables which have all black wires inside just how different they look. The black cables blend into the braid like a stealth bomber blends into the sky for a radar. This is just another factor that makes us think this is just a minor revamp and not an all out overhaul.
To recap though the V1 was a class leader at the time, technology has moved on but so have prices. Corsair say the V2 will be retailing at the same price that the V1 is currently (£120) so it is still a very well priced unit that performs up their with the very best units in this price range and coupled with its 7 year warranty and Platinum specification efficiency it thoroughly deserves our OC3D Gold award. Quite a crazy price when if you consider the original HX620W PSU first retailed at £96 and only had 83% efficiency! The only reason we would upgrade to the AX850 would be if you wanted a fully modular unit, with all black cables and the possibility of being able to buy the replacement coloured cable kits. So the only reason to upgrade would be because of aesthetics. That is why if Corsair had of fixed those coloured wires on the fixed cables this unit could of been another class leader, sadly this time it just missed out.
So congratulations to Corsair for the HX850 which is still gold worthy meaning even 3 years later they have a power supply that is still giving the competition a headache!
Thanks to Corsair for the unit on test today, you can discuss your thoughts in the OC3D forums.
Most Recent Comments
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Originally Posted by tinytomlogan
we still have not found a use for the velvet bag once you have actually fitted your PSU....
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2. Cut 3 holes in the back of it for your little dog / cat's legs and tail and fasten. Now you've got an instant diaper to stop the little bastard crapping all over your house
3. Use it to store the stock fans that arrived with all your PC components that you can't bring yourself to throw away.
4. Use it to store component instructions (I actually do use my one for this)
5. Use it to store random lists.... of which this really is one
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Originally Posted by Ulijin
1. Give it to your missus as a jewelery bag
2. Cut 3 holes in the back of it for your little dog / cat's legs and tail and fasten. Now you've got an instant diaper to stop the little bastard crapping all over your house 3. Use it to store the stock fans that arrived with all your PC components that you can't bring yourself to throw away. 4. Use it to store component instructions (I actually do use my one for this) 5. Use it to store random lists.... of which this really is one |
hahaother than the colored wires under the cable braid.. it's a Corsair PSU with strength, stamina,
and style.
gaining a pretty good collection of velour PSU bags and felt Crown Royal bags.. myself
airdeano
Can hardly wait for the AX1200i review.
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Originally Posted by kilobravo
There`s some new competition,but Corsair is still up there.
Can hardly wait for the AX1200i review. |
You do still have a great PSU though, so it's not the end of the world.
Also; welcome to the forums
I wonder how much reworking was actually put in to push it up to 80+ gold?And thank you! I have been reading threads here for years so I said I might as well register
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Originally Posted by tinytomlogan
Jim has been really ill recently so we will get it up as soon as he is well enough to test it dude
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Best thoughts to Jim.
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Corsair are back with a revamp on the HX850 PSU. Will it be a huge leap forward like the original? Its time to test and find out.
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