By: Ben Joubert
April 12, 2024
My wife and I recently moved into a new house. To clarify, the house is old, but it is new to us. Living somewhere new always comes with the quirks of moving in. At first, everything is novel. It takes time to get used to the layout and figure out how we will set up the place to suit our needs. Next, you might start discovering hidden and deeper quirks of the house. One thing we found to be different was the lights. On any given day, two of the five dining room light bulbs will fail to turn on. However, it is always two different light bulbs. At least we know the bulbs themselves are fine, but something with the electrical wiring must be off, whether it is the way the power is supplied or physical wires themselves. Our kitchen lights have also started to act slightly erratically, as one of the four light bulbs will occasionally flicker. There is seemingly no rhyme nor reason for when it flickers, since it does so at different times of the day or sometimes never at all. These small inconveniences have made me thankful for the often-overlooked PC component, the power supply. How annoying would it be if only some of the computer components turned on? Or if the power delivery flickered somehow? Admittedly, it would be a massive problem. These power supplies provide the necessary stability and power provision to ensure your computer components run as smoothly as possible. Today, we have the Cooler Master GX III Gold 850W, which promises a whole slew of features to be an excellent choice for your power supply needs. We will see if it delivers the same consistent performance I hope for.
The Cooler Master GX III Gold 850W arrived in a medium sized brown corrugated box. The box was rather large, providing ample room for the product inside, but requiring a lot of padding to ensure the power supply does not bounce around too much inside. The box shipped all the way from Ontario, California, USA, to Calgary, Alberta, Canada via FedEx International Ground. The shipping box arrived in good condition with no damage on the exterior to indicate anything amiss inside.
The Cooler Master GX III Gold 850W has a mostly purple retail box, featuring some other colors in the same shade. An image of the power supply can be seen on the front with the name of the product listed in bold white lettering. The ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 readiness is pasted front and center. The sides of the box list the different features of the power supply, while the back of the box highlights a few important features of the GX III Gold 850W. Before we continue and investigate many of these claims, here is a list of specifications from the manufacturer’s website:
ATX Version: ATX3.0, ATX 12V Ver. 3.0
PFC: Active PFC
Input Voltage: 100-240V
Input Current: 10-5A
Input Frequency: 50-60Hz
Dimensions (L x W x H): 160 x 150 x 86 mm
Fan Size: 135mm
Fan Bearing: HDB
Fan Speed: 1900RPM
Efficiency: ≥ 90% @ Typical Load
80 PLUS Rating: 80 PLUS Gold
ErP 2014 Lot 3: Yes
Operating Temperature: 0-50°C
Power Good Signal: 100 - 150 ms
Hold Up Time: ≥16ms
MTBF: >100,000 Hours
Protections: OVP, OPP, SCP, OCP, UVP, OTP, Surge and Inrush Protection
Regulatory: TUV, cTUVus, CE, FCC, BSMI, CCC, EAC, UKCA
ATX 24 Pin Connectors: 1
EPS 4+4 Pin Connectors: 1
EPS 8 Pin Connector: 1
SATA Connectors: 8
Peripheral 4 Pin Connectors: 4
PCI-e 6+2 Pin Connectors: 3
12VHPWR Connector: 1
Series: GX Series
80 Plus: Gold
Modular: Full Modular
The inside of the retail box for the GX III Gold 850W is fairly simple. Some high-quality foam is in place to protect the power supply from any bumps and bruises. This type of foam is crucial for transporting heavy components, so seeing it in place is excellent. The rest of the components are the varying cables for the modular design. There are plenty of modular cables for whatever need you have. One addition of note from the standard cables is the 12VHPWR connector for your graphics card, even featuring a 90-degree connector. All in all, the Cooler Master GX III Gold 850W has everything you need out of the box for a pleasant installation experience.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
