Deepcool PQ850M Power Supply Review

The Deepcool PQ850M achieves decent performance and it is silent.

By published

Deepcool PQ850M
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

Deepcool trusted Seasonic's trendy Focus Gold platform for the PQ-M series, which is starting to show its age, especially now that the ATX12V v3.0 is out. There is no 12+4 pin connector, so that the PQ850M won't support the upcoming GPUs, and adapters are not recommended since they don't pass through the sense signals of the 12VHPWR connectors, which will unlock the full potential of the next-generation graphics cards. 

The amount of PCIe connectors might trouble some of you. Still, nowadays, there is no need to install more than two graphics cards in gaming systems, so three PCIe connectors on dedicated cables will cover 99% of usage scenarios. There are also two EPS connectors available for power-hungry CPU and mainboard combinations. 

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The PQ850M's overall performance is not far from most competing offerings, and it is among the quietest Gold PSUs with 850W capacity. This is not enough to dethrone the mighty Corsair RM850x, which sets the performance bar high in this category. It would help if you also kept in mind that we are in a transition phase right now, where every PSU with more than 450W capacity has to be equipped with a 12VHPWR connector to support the upcoming GPUs along with the rest changes that the ATX12V v3.0 spec requires. We expect most manufacturers to update the existing PSU models soon, so you better wait if you are not in a dead hurry for a new power supply.

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Disclaimer: Aris Mpitziopoulos is Tom's Hardware's PSU reviewer. He is also the Chief Testing Engineer of Cybenetics and developed the Cybenetics certification methodologies apart from his role on Tom's Hardware. Neither Tom's Hardware nor its parent company, Future PLC, are financially involved with Cybenetics. Aris does not perform the actual certifications for Cybenetics.

Aris Mpitziopoulos
Aris Mpitziopoulos

Aris Mpitziopoulos is a Contributing Editor at Tom's Hardware US, covering PSUs.
7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Co BIY
    This category seems to show all the competitors neck-and-neck. Are they all using the SeaSonic Gold Platform ?

    I don't mind the grid pattern and perhaps it's excellent airflow allowed for less fan.

    I think it looks particularly sharp on the back.
    Reply
  • drajitsh
    It is not ideal to buy a PSU right now because we are in a transition phase from the previous ATX spec to the new one. I am likely going to be forced to buy 2 systems for my office. They will have integrated graphics to start with and will be upgraded to low end discrete graphics in 1-2 years. Does your recommendation still stand?
    Reply
  • Co BIY
    drajitsh said:
    It is not ideal to buy a PSU right now because we are in a transition phase from the previous ATX spec to the new one. I am likely going to be forced to buy 2 systems for my office. They will have integrated graphics to start with and will be upgraded to low end discrete graphics in 1-2 years. Does your recommendation still stand?

    I don't think low end cards will be requiring the new connectors in the short term. This is a necessity only for the high end cards with crazy peak power draws.

    The makers of the low end cards will also build them to match the likely customer , you and the other 500 million people running machines without the ATX3.0 PSU upgrades.

    Question: Why are PSU's built with fan grills ? None of the other fans in PCs have grills and PSU fans aren't bigger or faster . Also readily replaceable fans could be a great selling point because users want to mod.
    Reply
  • Tom Sunday
    The old story...eveyone wants a piece of the pie! Deepcool once dedicated exclusively for PC cooling now into PSU's as well. Next we have Seasonic making memory. I wish that companies would perfect theiroriginally intended product line and giving us those results, instead of just plastering their nane on products made by others. I have no respect for this as it is a quick fix to make more money and even having some people believe that they have a better product when this is absolutely not the case .
    Reply
  • Co BIY
    Tom Sunday said:
    The old story...eveyone wants a piece of the pie! Deepcool once dedicated exclusively for PC cooling now into PSU's as well. Next we have Seasonic making memory. I wish that companies would perfect their originally intended product line and giving us those results, instead of just plastering their nane on products made by others. I have no respect for this as it is a quick fix to make more money and even having some people believe that they have a better product when this is absolutely not the case .

    I agree with you if they just slap their "Premium" name and a few RGB's to something of below average quality and then throw it out there at a Premium price.

    In this case they started with a very solid platform, executed it competently and it delivers the goods quietly.

    This PSU doesn't seem like it's worth getting the pitchforks out for.
    Reply
  • Tom Sunday
    Co BIY said:
    This PSU doesn't seem like it's worth getting the pitchforks out for.

    Yes you are on the point as always! My other 'Deepcool' thought and great hope was that someday perhaps air-cooling products will equal the thermal performance of AIO’s. In part many users even with extensive experience sometimes have trouble installing AIO’s into their case. Of course for the time being the sheer profits (or in Asetek’s case the patent license fees to other manufacturers) by keeping on manufacturing AIO’s is much more profitable. Hence perhaps stifling the development or serious further $$$ investments into the ‘inventiveness’ of air-cooling. Amazing though the AIO Asetek patent, filed in November 2004 has never been significantly improved upon and just basically copied over and over again. Of course and just perhaps further CPU development in the years ahead may offer whereby no CPU cooling will ever be necessary. That would of course be the best of both worlds!
    Reply
  • Co BIY
    Tom Sunday said:
    Yes you are on the point as always!

    Thank You for the compliment!

    Tom Sunday said:
    My other 'Deepcool' thought and great hope was that someday perhaps air-cooling products will equal the thermal performance of AIO’s. In part many users even with extensive experience sometimes have trouble installing AIO’s into their case.

    I agree with you that the simplicity, reliability and cost advantages of air cooling justify continued development. Lenovo has an interesting offset stacked air cooler design on their new Threadripper workstations that I would like to see make it to the DIY market .


    Lenovo Thinkstation P620 Review (at Anandtech)
    Reply