Thermaltake Smart Pro RGB 850W PSU Review

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Load Regulation, Hold-Up Time & Inrush Current

To learn more about our PSU tests and methodology, please check out How We Test Power Supply Units. 

Primary Rails And 5VSB Load Regulation

Load Regulation testing is detailed here.

Hold-Up Time

Our hold-up time tests are described in detail here.

The hold-up time we observed is higher than 17ms. However, the power-good signal doesn't exceed 16ms. At least it's accurate.

Inrush Current

For details on our inrush current testing, please click here.

We measured almost the same inrush current with both 230V and 115V input. Readings above 60A are quite high; we'd like to see inrush currents lower than 50A.

Load Regulation And Efficiency Measurements

The first set of tests reveals the stability of the voltage rails and the SPR-0850F-R's efficiency. The applied load equals (approximately) 10 to 110 percent of the PSU's maximum load in increments of 10 percentage points.

We conducted two additional tests. During the first, we stressed the two minor rails (5V and 3.3V) with a high load, while the load at +12V was only 0.1A. This test reveals whether a PSU supports Intel's C6/C7 power states or not. In the second test, we determined the maximum load the +12V rail could handle with minimal load on the minor rails.

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Test #12V5V3.3V5VSBDC/AC (Watts)EfficiencyFan SpeedFan NoiseTemps (In/Out)PF/AC Volts
15.158A1.975A1.978A0.981A84.80281.804%1420 RPM36.0 dB(A)38.56°C0.960
12.256V5.070V3.329V5.085V103.66542.45°C115.11V
211.351A2.959A2.985A1.184A169.65886.219%1475 RPM37.5 dB(A)39.03°C0.983
12.228V5.060V3.314V5.062V196.77645.08°C115.10V
317.928A3.467A3.514A1.385A254.88887.372%1600 RPM38.7 dB(A)39.81°C0.983
12.205V5.049V3.299V5.039V291.72744.98°C115.09V
424.505A3.972A4.014A1.593A339.77687.476%1660 RPM40.3 dB(A)40.69°C0.986
12.185V5.037V3.285V5.015V388.42047.14°C115.09V
530.775A4.973A5.045A1.801A424.67187.124%1680 RPM40.9 dB(A)41.18°C0.988
12.159V5.026V3.270V4.990V487.43348.87°C115.08V
637.075A5.983A6.085A2.011A509.65386.493%1760 RPM42.8 dB(A)42.08°C0.989
12.134V5.015V3.253V4.965V589.24051.30°C115.08V
743.390A7.001A7.138A2.225A594.61685.639%1795 RPM43.6 dB(A)42.89°C0.990
12.111V5.004V3.236V4.938V694.32753.91°C115.07V
849.746A8.018A8.201A2.441A679.51884.639%1815 RPM43.7 dB(A)43.67°C0.991
12.084V4.990V3.218V4.910V802.84048.06°C115.07V
956.554A8.539A8.767A2.446A764.57383.728%1825 RPM43.8 dB(A)44.63°C0.992
12.059V4.978V3.205V4.899V913.16757.46°C115.07V
1063.129A9.067A9.313A3.093A849.33182.421%1825 RPM43.8 dB(A)45.08°C0.992
12.033V4.965V3.189V4.844V1030.48056.38°C115.06V
1170.325A9.088A9.355A3.103A934.35981.131%1825 RPM43.8 dB(A)46.45°C0.992
12.011V4.951V3.175V4.830V1151.66555.29°C115.05V
CL10.100A17.022A17.003A0.005A143.26879.120%1740 RPM42.0 dB(A)44.76°C0.986
12.204V5.087V3.260V5.106V181.07744.96°C115.11V
CL270.793A1.003A1.003A1.002A865.76582.652%1825 RPM43.8 dB(A)46.28°C0.993
12.043V4.954V3.224V4.993V1047.48651.08°C115.06V

Load regulation on the +12V and 5V rails is within 3%. It's quite loose at 3.3V, though. Moreover, during tests #10 and #11, this rail drops its voltage below 3.2V. While the 3.3V rail is only lightly used, it still needs to stay as close as possible to the nominal voltage. Load regulation at 5VSB is quite bad, landing to close to 6%.

The SPR-0850F-R operates trouble-free under very high ambient temperatures. However, during the full-load and overload tests, its efficiency takes a huge hit. What's more, the fan profile is too aggressive under increased operating temperatures, so don't expect this PSU to be quiet once you stress it. Given the low efficiency rating, we completely understand why Thermaltake preferred an aggressive fan profile. The long warranty also plays a role, since this PSU has to last at least seven years. That won't be easy if it's subjected to high loads most of the time.

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Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

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