Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
This Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold 850W unit is typical with its all-black exterior. However, the size is the thing that makes this unit stand out, especially when we see how diminutive in size this PSU is compared to ATX ones. One aesthetic difference you may notice is not displayed on this side, but it is an indented opposite side panel for a neat effect. It is purely for show, but I appreciate the slight difference considering many power supplies look very similar. The surface is a slightly gritty surface and it is resistant to scratches. Otherwise, the top shows off a relatively large opening with a large hole and a grille made up of concentric rings. The Cooler Master logo can be found right in the middle. A 92mm fan sits underneath this area for intake of air. Four screws surround this top area to ensure the whole power supply is connected and another four screws are found here for mounting the fan to the unit.
The Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold 850W has typical SFX dimensions with a depth of 10.0cm, width of 12.5cm, and a height of 6.35cm. I wish I had a banana to show you how small this unit is, but you are just going to have to take my word for it. This is a modular unit, which makes the size even more impressive. Most modular power supplies are longer than non-modular units to accommodate its connector board at the back. Even for smaller media PC enclosures, this length should not be a problem. Instead, you may run into some length issues with respect to the included cables, as you will see further down in this page.
As usual, we have a typical honeycomb mesh with the hexagonal pattern appearing in many power supplies as well as on other ventilation areas. This is often used because it maximizes airflow while minimizing air resistance without compromising on structural integrity. The ventilation area plays an important role to let heat flow out the back. Most modern power supplies have an automatic full range 110V to 240V AC line voltage selection, so there is no need for a manual switch as seen on older power supply units. Therefore, the back has just a power switch and a standard power input. There is no fanless switch here, as this is controlled by temperature.
Like other power supplies we have covered here at APH Networks, the Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold 850W is a fully modular power supply. This means all cables are completely detachable from the main unit. While it is somewhat questionable with regards to why this is necessary, since cables such as the ATX 24-pin and ATX 4-pin/EPS 8-pin practically have an 100% chance of being connected at all times, it may prove to be beneficial to an extent when building your computer initially.
The rear cable connection panel is clean with similar connectors grouped together and laid out logically. Each grouping is labeled so you know where to plug your cables in. On the top row, we have one half of our motherboard connectors consisting of a 10-pin connector. Next to this, we have four PCI Express or CPU connections. Any of these 8-pin connection points can be used for either PCI Express or ATX/EPS connections. The bottom row has the other half of the motherboard connection in the form of an 18-pin connection. Finally, we have three 5-pin connections for peripheral outputs such as SATA or Molex connections. Incompatible outputs will not physically fit into each other, so I think Cooler Master has done a great job in this regard. This is a pretty reasonable set of plugs for this wattage.
Overall, the external build quality of the Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold 850W is great. Gaps between the metal panes are kept to a minimum and everything seems to fit quite snugly together. All of the edges are smooth enough so that users should not accidentally cut themselves while handling or installing the power supply.
The voltage specification label on the top panel of the Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold 850W. There are two main virtual rails. Up to 20A can be delivered via the +3.3V rail for a total of 66W; while the 20A on the +5V rail brings the output to 100W in this area. The total combined output for the +3.3V and +5V rail is 120W. In other words, your power allocation combination must fall within the limits of the listed specifications. Meanwhile, a single powerful +12V rail delivers up to 70.8A (849.6W) to reduce operating overhead compared to multiple +12V rails. Overall, the combined power output for the whole V850 SFX Gold 850W is an unsurprising 850W. Again, your power distribution in your system must fall within the limits provided -- it must not exceed 66W on the +3.3V rail, 100W on the +5V rail and 120W combined for both, 849.6W on the +12V rail, and 850W combined between the +12V and +3.3/+5V rails. It does sound a bit confusing to understand how this works at first, but generally speaking, this configuration allows fairly flexible power demands and should be sufficient to accommodate most users. The +3.3V and +5V rails are on the weaker side for an 850W power supply, as we have seen these maximum ratings on much lower wattage units.
The Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold 850W is 80 Plus Gold certified, which means that it is certified to be at least 87%, 90%, 87% efficient at 20%, 50%, and 100% load, respectively. Higher certifications available at press time include 80 Plus Platinum and 80 Plus Titanium.
A total of eight modular cables are included out of the box. All modular cables are flat and easy to bend, making them extremely easy to work with. Most of the wires are 18 AWG. However, Cooler Master has fattened the higher current PCI Express cables to 16AWG.
The following modular cables are included out of the box:
- 1x ATX 20+4 pin, 30.0cm
- 1x ATX/EPS 4+4 pin, 45.0cm
- 1x ATX/EPS 8 pin, 45.0cm
- 2x PCIe 6+2 pin, 2 connectors, 40.0cm to first connector, 12.0cm spacing thereafter
- 2x SATA, 4 connectors, 10.0cm to first connector, 11.5cm spacing thereafter
- 1x Molex, 4 Molex connectors each, 10.0cm to first connector, 11.5cm spacing thereafter
While these cables are also pretty short compared to ones included with modular ATX power supplies, these are somewhat expected for SFX units. If there was one cable I would like to see lengthened, it would definitely be the SATA and Molex cables, as 10.0cm to the first connector is a bit too short to use the first connector in a slightly larger case.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
