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Roundup: 12 Gaming Power Supplies Compared

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Gamers demand a lot from their computers, starting with the PSU. Therefore, almost every PSU manufacturer sells products optimized for gaming PCs. We introduce ripple and noise testing in this roundup to further improve our power supply evaluations.

Corsair CMPSU-AX850

The Corsair CMPSU-850AX stands out in this roundup in two ways. First, its 850 W power rating puts it at the top with regard to output. And second, according to the manufacturer, this is a PSU suitable for professional environments, not specifically for gamers. Its performance and features surely make it suitable for gamers, just like the other power supplies. Corsair underlines its confidence in the quality of the PSU with an impressive seven-year warranty. Altogether, this is also reflected in the price of $180.

An interesting feature, just like on Seasonic's submission, is a fan that only powers up when there is at least a 20% load (around 170 W). Up until that point, it remains silent. In this way, your gaming PC stays quiet during work time, too.

All cables are modular, and the single +12 V rail can handle up to 70 A. The cable lengths and number of connectors are fairly generous.

Corsair CMPSU-AX850
AC Input90-264 V, 50-60 Hz
DC Output+3.3 V+5 V+12 V (#1)+12 V (#2)+12 V (#3)+12 V (#4)-12 V+5 Vsb
25 A25 A70 An/an/an/a0.5 A3.0 A
Individual Output6 W15 W
Rail UtilizationSysSysCPU & VGA
Combined Output125 W840 W
Total Continuous Output850 W
Peak Output??? W
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103 Comments Comment from the forums
  • FLanighan 30 December 2010 11:29
    Why not Corsair? I jizz at my tx850w :)
    Reply
  • xxsk8er101xx 30 December 2010 11:38
    Because it failed a few of the tests.

    FLanighanWhy not Corsair? I jizz at my tx850w
    Reply
  • p1n3apqlexpr3ss 30 December 2010 11:40
    Corsair has a gamer series... whyd they test one of the units from the top line aimed more at enthusiasts?
    Reply
  • V8VENOM 30 December 2010 11:45
    Odd, why isn't Silverstone reviewed at all? Most of the power supplies they looked at are junk for anyone with more than one GPU and overclocking. I dumped my PC Power & Cooling 1000 Watt PSU because it couldn't handle two ATI 5870's and overclocked CPU to 4Ghz with 1600 FSB. I put in a Silverstone 1500Watt PSU and my system has been rock solid ever since.

    The article doesn't appear to measure noise from during switching and how much noise is introduced to the CPU and bus.

    Anyway, it will be a cold day in hell before anyone gets me to switch out my Silverstone 1500 Watt PSU.
    Reply
  • scook9 30 December 2010 11:48
    V8VENOMOdd, why isn't Silverstone reviewed at all? Most of the power supplies they looked at are junk for anyone with more than one GPU and overclocking. I dumped my PC Power & Cooling 1000 Watt PSU because it couldn't handle two ATI 5870's and overclocked CPU to 4Ghz with 1600 FSB. I put in a Silverstone 1500Watt PSU and my system has been rock solid ever since.The article doesn't appear to measure noise from during switching and how much noise is introduced to the CPU and bus.Anyway, it will be a cold day in hell before anyone gets me to switch out my Silverstone 1500 Watt PSU.You are either lying or very unlucky (got a bad PSU)......I have crossfire 5870s and an i7 965 and all stock cannot exceed 650W at the wall (about 550W actually used) no matter what I try.
    Reply
  • JamesSneed 30 December 2010 11:50
    Nice tests but I came to a different conclusion. The seasonic X-750 is close to the most effiecent in the bunch and did you see that voltage ripple it looked like it was flat lining.
    Reply
  • boiler1990 30 December 2010 11:53
    For the ~$20 price difference between the Corsair 850HX and the AX850, I think I'll get the AX. It never hurts to invest in a great PSU :)
    Reply
  • juuh 30 December 2010 12:59
    V8VENOMOdd, why isn't Silverstone reviewed at all? Most of the power supplies they looked at are junk for anyone with more than one GPU and overclocking. I dumped my PC Power & Cooling 1000 Watt PSU because it couldn't handle two ATI 5870's and overclocked CPU to 4Ghz with 1600 FSB. I put in a Silverstone 1500Watt PSU and my system has been rock solid ever since.The article doesn't appear to measure noise from during switching and how much noise is introduced to the CPU and bus.Anyway, it will be a cold day in hell before anyone gets me to switch out my Silverstone 1500 Watt PSU.
    I call BS. I could run your setup with my PC power & cooling 750w unit.
    http://www.techspot.com/review/289-geforce-gtx-480-sli-versus-radeon-5870-crossfire/page9.html
    Reply
  • vanhalen 30 December 2010 13:12
    No recommendation for the Seasonic? Am I missing something?
    Reply
  • random1283 30 December 2010 13:49
    agreed no reccomendation for an x series seasonic, you guys must be mssing something, every other review of the x series said that they are simply amazing much better then any nxzt or anything.
    Reply