EVGA BQ Series 850W PSU Review

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One of EVGA's most affordable power supply families, the BQ, includes five unique models. The higher-capacity ones are made by HEC and the rest come from Andyson. Today we're testing the flagship 850 BQ.

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Ripple Measurements

To learn how we measure ripple, please click here.

The following table includes the ripple levels we measured on the 850 BQ's rails. The limits, according to the ATX specification, are 120mV (+12V) and 50mV (5V, 3.3V, and 5VSB).

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Test 12V 5V 3.3V 5VSB Pass/Fail
10% Load 20.9mV 14.7mV 10.1mV 7.5mV Pass
20% Load 29.2mV 15.7mV 11.9mV 9.0mV Pass
30% Load 33.7mV 17.5mV 12.5mV 9.2mV Pass
40% Load 34.2mV 18.8mV 13.8mV 9.9mV Pass
50% Load 39.9mV 21.7mV 16.3mV 10.9mV Pass
60% Load 45.8mV 24.4mV 18.9mV 11.2mV Pass
70% Load 48.9mV 28.0mV 22.8mV 12.2mV Pass
80% Load 50.7mV 32.0mV 26.7mV 15.6mV Pass
90% Load 52.0mV 37.0mV 30.2mV 17.6mV Pass
100% Load 56.6mV 42.6mV 36.0mV 21.8mV Pass
110% Load 58.7mV 47.9mV 41.0mV 26.7mV Pass
Cross-Load 1 28.2mV 21.6mV 15.1mV 11.0mV Pass
Cross-Load 2 56.6mV 42.0mV 33.6mV 18.0mV Pass

Ripple suppression at +12V is decent for a value-oriented PSU like this one. However, it could be better on the minor rails. Under full load, the 5V rail is pretty close to its limit. On the other hand, we were pushing the 850 BQ pretty hard in a 45+°C environment.

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Ripple Oscilloscope Screenshots

The following oscilloscope screenshots illustrate the AC ripple and noise registered on the main rails (+12V, 5V, 3.3V, and 5VSB). The bigger the fluctuations on the screen, the bigger the ripple/noise. We set 0.01 V/Div (each vertical division/box equals 0.01V) as the standard for all measurements.

Ripple At Full Load

Ripple At 110-Percent Load

Ripple At Cross-Load 1

Ripple At Cross-Load 2

Aris Mpitziopoulos
Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

Aris Mpitziopoulos is a contributing editor at Tom's Hardware, covering PSUs.

25 Comments Comment from the forums
  • joz
    At $85 I can get a G2 650W; or even a G2750W on sale.
    Reply
  • Metteec
    Thanks for the review. Looks like I will be avoiding this one.
    Reply
  • Metteec
    Also, for $20 more, you can pick up an equivalent gold rated PSU or maybe even a platinum one on sale and after rebates. It is the halcyon days for competition in quality PSUs.
    Reply
  • _TheD0ct0r_
    19020704 said:
    Thanks for the review. Looks like I will be avoiding this one.

    Why is that?
    Reply
  • Metteec
    @_THEDICTOR_, for $85, there are so many other better options. EVGA could have been more competitive model if they made quieter version. Instead, you get a PSU with fixed cables, low efficiency, high power variances, and noise like a mini-vacuum. While the higher quality capacitors and warranty are nice, the lack of utility does not make this a good value. 3-years ago, this would have been a great PSU, but times have changed. It is a great day to buy a PSU, just not this one.
    Reply
  • MasterMace
    appears to be another terrible unit. I'll have to read back and see if it's an Andyson or a HEC
    Reply
  • Dark Lord of Tech
    Considering the OEM is HEC , not surprised by this review.
    Reply
  • Nuckles_56
    I would have thought that EVGA could have pushed HEC a bit harder and got a much better unit out of them than this
    Reply
  • lunyone
    I would personally like to see more 450-550w PSU reviews, not the cherry picked and delivered 750w+ ones that seem to make the rounds. It is just that most people are only going to need 450-550w PSU's for their 1 dGPU based systems.
    Reply
  • Aris_Mp
    This is not a cherry-picked sample. It comes directly from a store shelf and not from EVGA.

    As for more 450-550W PSU reviews, I am currently working on a 500W unit (which however isn't affordable).
    Reply