PSU Review - Corsair TX850 V2

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PSU Review - Corsair TX850 V2

Introduction

Not too long ago Corsair subtly diversified towards the PSU market by releasing a handful of products, yet their reputation grew so rapidly that today their company is one of the most respected brands in the PSU market and has tens of power-related products available. Corsair owes much of that reputation to their TX power supply series, which were designed to offer great electrical performance at the best possible price to performance ratio. Today we are going to have a have a look at a power supply from their updated version of the TX series, the TX850 V2 unit.

Manufacturer’s features and specifications

• Conforms to the latest ATX12V v2.31 and EPS 2.92 standards, and is backward compatible with the ATX12V 2.2 and ATX12V 2.01 standards
• A dedicated single +12V rail offers simple configuration and maximum compatibility with the latest graphics cards and other components
• An ultra-quiet, 140mm double ball-bearing fan delivers excellent airflow with exceptionally low noise levels by varying fan speed in response to temperature
• Complies with the European Union ErP Directive (2009/125/EC) so the power consumption of the whole system, in either standby or off mode, can be less than 1W when used with a properly configured, ErP-compliant motherboard
• 80 PLUS® Bronze certified, delivering up to 85% energy efficiency under real-world load conditions
• Active Power Factor Correction (PFC) with PF value of 0.99
• Universal AC input from 90~264V
• Over-voltage, under-voltage, over-current, and short circuit protection provide maximum safety for your critical system components
• High-quality Japanese capacitors provide uncompromised performance and reliability
• A five year warranty and lifetime access to Corsair's legendary technical support and customer service
• Safety Approvals: cTUVus, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TÜV, CCC, C-tick

Packaging and bundle



The TX850 V2 unit is supplied inside a large and very sturdy cardboard package. There is little artwork around the package but there is a wealth of information about the unit itself around the sides of the box.



Inside the package, the power supply is very well secured between Styrofoam pieces and is enclosed inside a black pouch instead of a standard bubble bag, which pouch you can reuse for any purpose you see fit.



Corsair likes simple, straightforward bundles and this product is no exception. Except from the black pouch which protects the PSU and the standard AC power cable you will also receive several black cables ties, black screws, a case badge with the company logo and a well written manual.




The unit's exterior



The chassis of the TX850 V2 unit is painted matte black and there are few but noteworthy aesthetic differences from the first version of the unit. Corsair ditched the striking yellow stickers which were placed at both sides of the unit and replaced them with much more subtle stickers featuring the series and company logos. The chassis also forms a frame around the stickers, creating a much higher quality visual effect.



The sticker with the unit's electrical specifications can still be found at the top of the chassis and there is no frame surrounding it, which is understandable as it will not be visible at all inside most cases.



The rear is entirely perforated to allow for the air pushed by the cooling fan to escape towards the outside of the case. The unit uses a standard AC power cable and there is a standard rocker on/off switch at the rear, as well as another small sticker with the company and series logos. Nothing of interest can be found at the front of the chassis as this is not a modular unit. This unit offers the following number of connectors:







The Corsair TX850 V2 is still cooled by the same 140mm fan which could be found inside the original TX series units. The fan is made by Yate Loon, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, and it is a ball bearing fan with a maximum rotational speed of 2800RPM. A thin plastic sheet is covering about 20% of the fan's surface, which Corsair probably installed in an attempt to direct the airflow in a more efficient way.



The unit's interior



While the exterior of the TX850 V2 still resembles the first version of the unit, the same cannot be said about the insides of the power supply. Corsair even went with an entirely different OEM, ditching the Channel Well PSH platform for a brand new Seasonic design. It does look a little cramped, with a lot of glue securing everything tightly into place. The heatsinks appear good and perhaps a little oversized; and they better be, Corsair rated this power supply at 50°C ambient temperature.



The very strong filtering stage of the unit starts at the back of the AC plug and consists of six Y-type capacitors, two X-type capacitors, three ferrite coils and a surge suppressing MOV total.



The primary rectifier is mounted on a very good dedicated heatsink. Two Rubycon 400V/330μF capacitors can be seen at the primary side of the power supply. Most of the secondary side capacitors are made by Nippon Chemi-Con but a single Rubycon capacitor can be found right by the 5VSB transformer. There were no manufacturing and/or soldering quality problems to be found.





Testing equipment and performance

In order to provide you with the most professional and accurate reviews, we are using the following equipment to test the performance of power supplies:

• Modified SECC steel case with thermal generation and control components installed
• Custom USB controlled DC load, 2.2KW maximum power drain
• 3KVA VARIAC
• Lutron DW-6091 Power Analyzer
• USB Instruments Stingray Oscilloscope
• SL-5868P digital sound level meter
• CompuLAB interface
• MyPClab thermal interface
• Labjack U3-HV interface
• Custom calibration box
• Custom software

More information about our testing equipment and methodology can be found in this article. Power Supply Unit Testing Methodology



The Corsair TX850 V2 unit successfully completed all of our tests without any operational and/or performance problems. On the contrary, it delivered extraordinary results. There hardly was any voltage ripple on any of the power lines even under maximum load, an astonishing accomplishment for a product of this price range.



The electrical efficiency of the TX850 V2 may not be astonishing, it is however right where it was supposed to be. The power supply meets the 80Plus Bronze requirements but it appears a little more unstable when powered from an 110VAC power source and is on the verge of failing the certification under maximum load.



Much like Corsair themselves advertise, the TX850 V2 is running quite cool and relatively quiet under nominal load. Both the temperature and noise levels significantly increase while the power supply is heavily loaded, with the fan speeding up dramatically in order to catch up with the increased heat dissipation demand.




Final words and conclusion


Quality (30% of the total score)

Corsair is a company which puts a lot of weight on quality and their latest TX850 V2 power supply is no exception. It is using great quality components and it is very nicely made, with no manufacturing problems to speak of, plus it has a great filtering stage of a product of its price range. It is no coincidence that Corsair is covering this product with a 5 year warranty.

Quality Score 10/10



Performance (40% of the total score)

It does not appear that Corsair fans will be missing the older Channel Well PSH design, since the TX850 V2 demonstrated even better electrical performance than its predecessor. The stability of the voltage lines was one of the best we have ever seen and we hardly expect to meet any other similarly priced product which can compete with the TX850 V2 on that aspect in the near future. The company never claimed that the efficiency of this product would be the best money can buy, it does however meet the advertised specifications and the 80Plus Bronze certification standards. Improvements can be made to increase the top end efficiency of the unit, which in turn would improve the acoustics and thermal performance as well; we however feel that we might be asking for too much from a product designed to bridge value and enthusiast performance.

Performance Score 9.5/10



Value (20% of the total score)

Corsair’s TX850 V2 is not the cheapest 850W power supply that money can buy, however it might be the one that would give you the most out of your purchase. It is very reasonably priced, performs very well and is one of the few products which are covered by a five year long warranty, increasing the long-term value of the product dramatically.

Value Score 9.5/10



Aesthetics (10% of the total score)

We can all agree that the TX850 V2 certainly is not the most fancy looking power supply around, that however does not make it a bad looking product. On the contrary, its serious design draws just the perfect level of attention; some, but not too much. We are glad that Corsair ditched the striking yellow stickers and went with a much more subtle, serious design. This might be one of the best looking non-modular power supplies currently available.

Aesthetics Score 9.5/10