Early Verdict
Another B3 unit that died during our tests and this makes us very skeptical about the whole B3 line. This time we didn't have a spectacular failure but still a 100 bucks PSU should not break during the protection features evaluation.
Pros
- +
Affordable
- +
Full power at 46°C
- +
Ripple suppression
- +
Load regulation
- +
Hold-up time
- +
Accurate Power Ok signal
- +
Silent enough
- +
Fully modular
- +
6x PCIe connectors
- +
5-year warranty
- +
Selectable semi-passive operation
Cons
- -
Didn't start again after the OPP test
- -
Efficiency
- -
Soldering quality
- -
3.3V Transient Response
- -
Sleeve bearing fan
- -
Short distance among the peripheral connectors
- -
Packaging protection
- -
Single EPS connector
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Features & Specifications
[Update, 10/13/2017: EVGA informed us that as of today all B3 units come from Superflower, not RSY]
We can't say that our experience with EVGA's 450 B3 was a positive one. Although the PSU achieved good overall performance in our review, it blew up spectacularly as we were evaluating its protection features. Of course, it's a shame to see a respected brand's product fail in such a questionable way. Since we didn't have a second sample for re-testing, we decided to try our luck with this family's flagship, the 850 B3.
According to EVGA, its 850 B3 only uses Japanese capacitors for increased reliability. We do find the same cooling fan armed with a sleeve bearing inside (not an ideal choice). But thankfully, the company implements a semi-passive mode that should shoulder some of the fan's burden, even if lower efficiency levels won't allow for extended periods of passive operation.
The 850 B3 is fully modular and equipped with a large number of PCIe connectors, making it attractive to gamers and entry-level cryptocurrency miners. Its dimensions are quite compact, given 850W of capacity. And Super Flower is responsible for the platform. It looks like the same one used on EVGA's 750 B3, since both PSUs sport the same 16cm depth. In comparison, the lower-capacity models are 15cm deep.
Corsair's CX850M is the 850 B3's nearest competitor. Besides the same price, it offers identical efficiency levels and is also fully modular. Unfortunately, that's also the only member of Corsair's CX-M family we haven't tested yet, so we have to compare the 850 B3 to other similar-capacity power supplies.
Specifications
In addition to its 80 PLUS Bronze certification, the 850 B3 also has ETA-A- efficiency and LAMBDA-S++ noise ratings from Cybenetics (the evaluation report is available here). Contrary to the 450W-650W models, the 750 and 850 B3 have 50°C temperature ratings, again pointing to the utilization of a different platform.
EVGA includes a complete set of protection features. But as you'll soon see, they don't always work the way EVGA describes them. Based on our previous experience, you could say we had a spate of bad luck with our B3-series samples. It's unfortunate for EVGA that we decided to buy these PSUs from retail, as the company suspiciously wasn't making review units available, to us at least.
A 130mm sleeve bearing fan handles cooling, and EVGA covers the 850 B3 with a five-year warranty. That's completely satisfactory for a mid-range PSU like this one.
Power Specifications
| Rail | 3.3V | 5V | 12V | 5VSB | -12V | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max. Power | Amps | 24 | 24 | 70.8 | 3 | 0.5 |
| Watts | 120 | 849.6W | 15 | 6 | ||
| Total Max. Power (W) | 849.6W |
The minor rails are quite strong, while the +12V rail can provide more than 70A. Capable of 3A maximum current output, the 5VSB rail meets the needs of most PCs.
Cables And Connectors
| Modular Cables | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Cable Count | Connector Count (Total) | Gauge |
| ATX connector 20+4 pin (600mm) | 1 | 1 | 18-22AWG |
| 4+4 pin EPS12V (600mm) | 1 | 1 | 18-22AWG |
| 6+2 pin PCIe (550mm+150mm) | 3 | 6 | 18-22AWG |
| SATA (500mm+100mm+100mm) | 3 | 9 | 18-20AWG |
| Four-pin Molex (500mm+100mm+100mm) | 1 | 3 | 18AWG |
| FDD Adapter (+105mm) | 1 | 1 | 20AWG |
We are very pleased to see six PCIe connectors on a budget-oriented 850W power supply. However, we're hugely disappointed about the 850 B3's one EPS connector. High-end motherboards and CPUs automatically out-class this PSU's capabilities, as we do not recommend four-pin Molex to EPS adapters under any circumstance.
EVGA's cable length is satisfactory, though a 65 or 70cm EPS cable wouldn't hurt. The distance between peripheral connectors is too short at 10cm, though. It seems like EVGA has a hard time making proper peripheral cables, even though it sells cases and should know that a majority of components requiring four-pin Molex connectors are usually spaced far apart from each other.
Power Distribution
Since this PSU features a single +12V rail, we do not have anything to say about its power distribution.
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