Specifications and Packaging
The Corsair HX850 Platinum power supply is rated for a combined, continuous output power of up to 850 watts at 50°C operating temperature. The PSU incorporates a powerful +12V rail that can deliver up to 100% of the rated output (70.8A). As noted earlier, the PSU has a small switch on the front panel that allows selecting either Single or Multiple +12V rail output mode. The PSU includes universal AC line input (automatically adjusts the AC line voltage 100-240 VAC) and active PFC, which makes the unit more environmentally friendly to the local power grid.
Corsair HX850 Platinum Power Supply Specifications: (from the Corsair website)
Packaging and Parts
The Corsair HX850 power supply arrived packed inside a large retail box showcasing the unit’s features and specifications.
The power supply comes wrapped in a black felt bag with the Corsair logo and protected by thick foam inserts.
In addition to the power supply, the box contains a power cord, mounting screws, a User Manual, Warranty Guide, wire ties, Corsair case badge, and a package of modular cables.
(1) 24-pin ATX, (2) ATX12V/EPS 4+4 pin and (3) PCI-E
(4) SATA cables, (2) Peripheral cables and (1) FDD adapters
The HX850 power supply comes with a good assortment of twelve modular cables and one 4-pin Molex to 4-pin FDD adapter. (See photo above for connector count and cable lengths.)
PSU reviews are immensely
PSU reviews are immensely boring.
While the number of
While the number of spectacular PSU failures has markedly decreased, reviews such as this excellent example are incredibly important when making purchasing decisions. Have a little respect for the work that Lee has put into this review.
Maybe reviewers could spice
Maybe reviewers could spice up the format by testing PSUs to the point of failure. I would like to see what it takes to physically destroy these things. Can one take a 850W PSU to 1000W? What happens if I short an active power cable? What happens to thermals without the fan active? Can I add a waterblock to it in a custom cooling loop? There are so many interesting questions.
Virtually all enthusiast
Virtually all enthusiast grade PSUs have built in safety circuits that are designed to protect the PSU from catastrophic failure. I have only had one PSU actually explode (fireball, sparks and smoke) during testing over the last fifteen years. Over Current protection or Over Power protection should shut the PSU down if too heavy a load is applied to a particular rail or the total output power is exceeded. Short circuit protection should shut it down if a short occurs on one of the outputs. And if the cooling fan fails, Over Temperature protection should shut the PSU down before it self destructs. Boring but safe!
And water-cooling a PSU is possible (although maybe not practical). I have done this in the past by attaching several custom made water blocks to the PSU's existing aluminum heat sinks. I chose a PSU that was designed to operate fanless, removed the cover and attached three custom water blocks. Use your imagination… 🙂
Maybe I missed it but I read
Maybe I missed it but I read through the review and didn’t see any info about what the 12v real switch actually does other then switching between single rail and multi rail mode.
Does this have any impact at all on the operation? Is effeciency affected? What kind of scenarios exist in which that feature is even useful? I can’t really think of one, although I’m not a die-hard PSU junkie.