EVGA BQ Series 850W PSU Review

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.

By Aris Mpitziopoulos
published

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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
Test12V5V3.3V5VSBPass/Fail
10% Load20.9mV14.7mV10.1mV7.5mVPass
20% Load29.2mV15.7mV11.9mV9.0mVPass
30% Load33.7mV17.5mV12.5mV9.2mVPass
40% Load34.2mV18.8mV13.8mV9.9mVPass
50% Load39.9mV21.7mV16.3mV10.9mVPass
60% Load45.8mV24.4mV18.9mV11.2mVPass
70% Load48.9mV28.0mV22.8mV12.2mVPass
80% Load50.7mV32.0mV26.7mV15.6mVPass
90% Load52.0mV37.0mV30.2mV17.6mVPass
100% Load56.6mV42.6mV36.0mV21.8mVPass
110% Load58.7mV47.9mV41.0mV26.7mVPass
Cross-Load 128.2mV21.6mV15.1mV11.0mVPass
Cross-Load 256.6mV42.0mV33.6mV18.0mVPass
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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.

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

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Ripple At 110-Percent Load

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Ripple At Cross-Load 1

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Ripple At Cross-Load 2

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Aris Mpitziopoulos
Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

Aris Mpitziopoulos is a Contributing Editor at Tom's Hardware US, 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