Corsair HX850 Gold Power Supply Review
Load Tests
Contents
We conducted several tests with this power supply, as described in the article, “Hardware Secrets Power Supply Test Methodology.”
First we tested this power supply with five different load patterns, trying to pull around 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of its labeled maximum capacity (actual percentage used listed under “% Max Load”), watching the behavior of the reviewed unit under each load. In the table below, we list the load patterns we used and the results for each load.
If you add all the powers listed for each test, you may find a different value than what is posted under “Total” below. Since each output can have a slight variation (e.g., the +5 V output working at +5.10 V), the actual total amount of power being delivered is slightly different than the calculated value. In the “Total” row, we are using the real amount of power being delivered, as measured by our load tester.
The +12VA and +12VB inputs listed below are the two +12 V independent inputs from our load tester. During this test, both inputs were connected to the power supply’s single +12 V rail. (The power supply’s EPS12V connector was installed on the +12VB input of the load tester.)
| Input | Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Test 4 | Test 5 |
| +12VA | 6 A (72 W) | 13 A (156 W) | 19 A (228 W) | 25.5 A (306 W) | 32 A (384 W) |
| +12VB | 6 A (72 W) | 13 A (156 W) | 19 A (228 W) | 25.5 A (306 W) | 31.5 A (378 W) |
| +5 V | 1 A (5 W) | 2 A (10 W) | 4 A (20 W) | 6 A (30 W) | 8 A (40 W) |
| +3.3 V | 1 A (3.3 W) | 2 A (6.6 W) | 4 A (13.2 W) | 6 A (19.8 W) | 8 A (26.4 W) |
| +5VSB | 1 A (5 W) | 1.5 A (7.5 W) | 2 A (10 W) | 2.5 A (12.5 W) | 3 A (15 W) |
| -12 V | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) | 0.5 A (6 W) |
| Total | 163.8 W | 342.4 W | 503.5 W | 675.2 W | 848.4 W |
| % Max Load | 19.3% | 40.3% | 59.2% | 79.4% | 99.8% |
| Room Temp. | 45.4° C | 44.9° C | 46.2° C | 47.6° C | 49.4° C |
| PSU Temp. | 42.2° C | 43.2° C | 44.2° C | 45.6° C | 48.7° C |
| Voltage Regulation | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Ripple and Noise | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| AC Power | 183.8 W | 377.2 W | 560.2 W | 764.0 W | 980.0 W |
| Efficiency | 89.1% | 90.8% | 89.9% | 88.4% | 86.6% |
| AC Voltage | 116.1 V | 114.1 V | 111.7 V | 110.0 V | 106.6 V |
| Power Factor | 0.967 | 0.986 | 0.992 | 0.995 | 0.997 |
| Final Result | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
The 80 Plus Gold certification promises a minimum efficiency of 90% at typical load (i.e., 50% load) and a minimum efficiency of 87% at light (i.e., 20% load) and full loads. The Corsair HX850 Gold presented efficiency between 86.6% and 90.8% during our tests. At the full load test, efficiency was a tad below 87%, which can be explained by the AC voltage at our lab that dropped to 106.6 V, and power supplies present lower efficiency at lower AC voltages. Therefore, we can claim the Corsair HX850 Gold passed our efficiency tests.
All positive voltages were closer to their nominal values during all tests (3% voltage regulation). The -12 V output was outside this tighter range during tests one (at -11.41 V), two (at -11.48 V), and three (-11.55 V), but still inside the allowed range. The ATX12V specification states that positive voltages must be within 5% of their nominal values, and negative voltages must be within 10% of their nominal values.
Let’s discuss the ripple and noise levels on the next page.