Kingwin Power Force 850 W Power Supply Review

[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

Kingwin has just released a new power supply series with the 80 Plus Bronze certification and modular cabling, dubbed the Power Force. So far, only an 850 W model was released, also called PF-850. Let’s see how it fared on our tests.

Kingwin power supplies are usually manufactured by Super Flower. The Power Force 850 W, however, is manufactured by High Power and is a rebranded DP-850 BR unit. 

Figure 1: Kingwin Power Force 850 W power supply

Figure 2: Kingwin Power Force 850 W power supply

The Kingwin Power Force 850 W is 6.3” (160 mm) deep and uses a 135 mm fan on its bottom (Globe Fan RL4ZS1352512HH).

Figure 3: Fan

The modular cabling system from this power supply has eight connectors: four red ones for video card cables and four black ones for peripheral and SATA cables. Three cables are permanently attached to the power supply, and they are protected with nylon sleeves that come from inside the unit. This power supply comes with the following cables:

• Main motherboard cable with a 20/24-pin connector, 19.7” (50 cm) long, permanently attached to the power supply
• One cable with two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, 22” (56 cm) long, permanently attached to the power supply
• One cable with one EPS12V connector, 22” (56 cm) long, permanently attached to the power supply
• Four cables, each with one six/eight-pin connector for video cards, 18.5” (47 cm) long, modular cabling system
• Two cables, each with four SATA power connectors, 18.5” (47 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors, modular cabling system
• Two cables, each with three peripheral power connectors and one floppy disk drive power connector, 18.1” (46 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors, modular cabling system

All wires are 18 AWG, which is the minimum recommended gauge.

The number of connectors is acceptable for a mainstream 850 W power supply.

Figure 4: Cables

Let’s now take an in-depth look inside this power supply.[nextpage title=”A Look Inside the Kingwin Power Force 850 W”]

We decided to disassemble this power supply to see what it looks like inside, how it is designed, and what components are used. Please read our “Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies” tutorial to understand how a power supply works and to compare this power supply to others.         

On this page we will have an overall look, and then in the following pages we will discuss in detail the quality and ratings of the components used.

Figure 5: Top view

Figure 6: Front quarter view

Figure 7: Rear quarter view

Figure 8: The printed circuit board

[nextpage title=”Transient Filtering Stage”]

As we have mentioned in other articles and reviews, the first place we look when opening a power supply for a hint about its quality, is its filtering stage. The recommended components for this stage are two ferrite coils, two ceramic capacitors (Y capacitors, usually blue), one metalized polyester capacitor (X capacitor), and one MOV (Metal-Oxide Varistor). Very low-end power supplies use fewer components, usually removing the MOV and the first coil.

In the transient filtering stage, this power supply is flawless, with one X capacitor and two Y capacitors more than the minimum required. It also uses a CM02X integrated circuit to reduce power loss by discharging the capacitors. This chip is the equivalent of the “CAPZero” chip found in some other power supplies.

Figure 9: Transient filtering stage (part 1)

Figure 10: Transient filtering stage (part 2)

On the next page, we will have a more detailed discussion about the components used in the Kingwin Power Force 850 W.

[nextpage title=”Primary Analysis”]

On this page, we will take an in-depth look at the primary stage of the Kingwin Power Force 850 W. For a better understanding, please read our “Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies” tutorial.         

This power supply uses two GBU805 rectifying bridges connected in parallel, which are attached to an individual heatsink. Each bridge supports up to 8 A at 100° C. In theory, you would be able to pull up to 1,840 W from a 115 V power grid. Assuming 80% efficiency, the bridges would allow this unit to deliver up to 1,472 W witho
ut burning themselves out. Of course, we are only talking about these particular components. The real limit will depend on all the components combined in this power supply.

Figure 11: Rectifying bridges

The active PFC circuit uses two IPW60R070C6 MOSFETs, each one supporting up to 53 A at 25° C or 34 A at 100° C in continuous mode (note the difference temperature makes), or 159 A at 25° C in pulse mode. These transistors present a 70 mΩ maximum resistance when turned on, a characteristic called RDS(on). The lower the number the better, meaning that the transistor will waste less power, and the power supply will have a higher efficiency.

Figure 12: The active PFC diode and the two active PFC transistors

The output of the active PFC circuit is filtered by one 560 µF x 400 V Japanese electrolytic capacitor from Matsushita (Panasonic), labeled at 105° C.

Figure 13: Capacitor

In the switching section, two FMP20N60S1 MOSFETs are employed using the traditional two-transistor forward configuration. Each transistor supports up to 20 A at 25° C or 12.6 A at 100° C in continuous mode, or up to 60 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of 190 mΩ.

Figure 14: The two switching transistors

The active PFC and the switching transistors are controlled by the famous CM6800 integrated circuit.

Figure 15: Active PFC/PWM controller

Let’s now take a look at the secondary of this power supply.[nextpage title=”Secondary Analysis”]

The Kingwin Power Force 850 W uses a synchronous design, where the Schottky rectifiers are replaced with MOSFETs. Also, the reviewed product uses a DC-DC design in its secondary. This means that the power supply is basically a +12 V unit, with the +5 V and +3.3 V outputs produced by two smaller power supplies connected to the main +12 V rail. Both designs are used to increase efficiency.

The +12 V output uses four AOT480 MOSFETs, each one supporting up to 180 A at 25° C or 134 A at 100° C in continuous mode, or up to 500 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of 5.5 mΩ.

Figure 16: Two of the +12 V transistors and the +5VSB diode

As explained, the +5 V and +3.3 V outputs are produced by two DC-DC converters, each located on an individual printed circuit board. Each converter is controlled by an FP6329 integrated circuit and uses four IPD060N03L G MOSFETs, each one supporting up to 50 A at 100° C in continuous mode, and up to 350 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of 6 mΩ. 

Figure 17: One of the DC-DC converters

Figure 18: One of the DC-DC converters

The outputs of the power supply are monitored by a PS223 integrated circuit, which supports over voltage (OVP), under voltage (UVP), and over current (OCP) protections. This chip offers four +12 V channels, but the manufacturer decided to use only one of them, resulting in this unit having a single +12 V rail.

Figure 19: Monitoring circuit

The electrolytic capacitors available in the secondary are also Japanese, from Chemi-Con, and labeled at 105° C, as usual. A couple of solid capacitors are also used.

Figure 20: Capacitors

[nextpage title=”Power Distribution”]

In Figure 21, you can see the power supply label containing all the power specs.

Figure 21: Power supply label

As you can see, this unit has a single +12 V rail configuration, so there is not much to talk about here.

Let’s find out how much power this unit can deliver.[nextpage title=”Load Tests”]

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, the +12VA and +12VB inputs were connected to the power supply’s single +12 V rail. (The +12V2 input was connected to the power supply’s EPS12V connector.)

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	166.5 W	348.3 W	512.8 W	688.4 W	852.8 W
% Max Load	19.6%	41.0%	60.3%	81.0%	100.3%
Room Temp.	45.6° C	45.3° C	45.8° C	48.3° C	49.4° C
PSU Temp.	44.2° C	44.8° C	45.8° C	47.6° C	50.5° C
Voltage Regulation	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
Ripple and Noise	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
AC Power	197.2 W	401.4 W	595.2 W	814.0 W	1,042.0 W
Efficiency	84.4%	86.8%	86.2%	84.6%	81.8%
AC Voltage	117.6 V	115.6 V	113.7 V	111.3 V	108.9 V
Power Factor	0.940	0.971	0.980	0.984	0.987
Final Result	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass

The Kingwin Power Force 850 W was approved on our tests. The 80 Plus Bronze certification promises efficiency of at least 82% at light (20%) and full (100%) loads, and at least 85% at typical (50%) load. The reviewed power supply was able to match those numbers. (At full load, we saw 81.8% efficiency, which we can round up to 82%, especially because we test power supplies at high temperatures, and the tests for the 80 Plus Certification are conducted at low temperatures; efficiency drops as temperature increases.)

Voltage regulation was also outstanding, with all voltages within 3% of their nominal values, except for the -12 V output during test five, which was at -12.41 V, 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.

[nextpage title=”Ripple and Noise Tests”]

Voltages at the power supply outputs must be as “clean” as possible, with no noise or oscillation (also known as “ripple”). The maximum ripple and noise levels allowed are 120 mV for +12 V and -12 V outputs, and 50 mV for +5 V, +3.3 V and +5VSB outputs. All values are peak-to-peak figures. We consider a power supply as being top-notch if it can produce half or less of the maximum allowed ripple and noise levels.

The Kingwin Power Force 850 W provided low ripple and noise levels, as you can see in the table below.

Input	Test 1	Test 2	Test 3	Test 4	Test 5
+12VA	32.2 mV	31.6 mV	35.2 mV	44.2 mV	52.8 mV
+12VB	31.8 mV	32.6 mV	36.2 mV	48.0 mV	54.8 mV
+5 V	7.8 mV	11.0 mV	13.8 mV	17.0 mV	21.6 mV
+3.3 V	9.0 mV	13.2 mV	16.8 mV	21.4 mV	26.4 mV
+5VSB	11.6 mV	14.8 mV	19.8 mV	25.0 mV	31.2 mV
-12 V	97.2 mV	96.2 mV	95.2 mV	95.4 mV	105.4 mV

Below you can see the waveforms of the outputs during test five.

Figure 22: +12VA input from load tester during test five at 852.8 W (52.8 mV)

Figure 23: +12VB input from load tester during test five at 852.8 W (54.8 mV)

Figure 24: +5V rail during test five at 852.8 W (21.6 mV)

Figure 25: +3.3 V rail during test five at 852.8 W (26.4 mV)

Let’s see if we can pull more than 850 W from this unit. [nextpage title=”Overload Tests”]

Below you can see the maximum we could pull from this power supply. The objective of this test is to see if the power supply has its protection circuits working properly. This unit passed this test, since it shut down when we tried to pull more than what is listed below. During this test, noise and ripple levels were still low at all positive outputs, but at -12 V they surpassed the maximum allowed, at 129.8 mV. The +3.3 V was touching the minimum allowed, at +3.13 V.

Input	Overload Test
+12VA	33 A (396 W)
+12VB	33 A (396 W)
+5 V	20 A (100 W)
+3.3 V	20 A (66 W)
+5VSB	3 A (15 W)
-12 V	0.5 A (6 W)
Total	967.4 W
% Max Load	113.8%
Room Temp.	47.8° C
PSU Temp.	49.8° C
AC Power	1,236 W
Efficiency	78.3%
AC Voltage	106.6 V
Power Factor	0.989

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

The main specifications for the Kingwin Power Force 850 W power supply include:

• Standards: ATX12V 2.2 and EPS12V 2.92
• Nominal labeled power: 850 W
• Measured maximum power: 967.4 W at 47.8° C
• Labeled efficiency: 85% minimum at typical (50%) load, 80 Plus Bronze certification (minimum of 82% at light/20% load, 85% at typical/50% load, and 82% at full/100% load)
• Measured efficiency: Between 81.8% and 86.8%, at 115 V (nominal, see complete results for actual voltage)
• Active PFC: Yes
• Modular Cabling System: Yes, partial
• Motherboard Power Connectors: One 20/24-pin connector, two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, and one EPS12V connector, permanently attached to the power supply
• Video Card Power Connectors: Four six/eight-pin connectors on four cables, modular cabling system
• SATA Power Connectors: Eight on two cables, modular cabling system
• Peripheral Power Connectors: Six on two cables, modular cabling system
• Floppy Disk Drive Power Connectors: Two on two cables, modular cabling system
• Protections (as listed by the manufacturer): Over voltage (OVP), under voltage (UVP), over current (OCP), over power (OPP), over temperature (OTP), and short-circuit (SCP) protections
• Are the above protections really available? Yes.
• Warranty: Five years
• Real Model: High Power DP-850 BR
• More Information: https://kingwin.com
• Average Price in the U.S.*: USD 110.00

* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

The Kingwin Power Force 850 W proved to be an excellent mainstream 850 W power supply, with very good efficiency for its class, voltages closer to their nominal values than required (3% voltage regulation), and low noise and ripple levels.

Its price is excellent for what it has to offer. It costs the same as the XFX PRO 850 W but doesn’t have a modular cabling system. Other good 850 W power supplies with the 80 Plus Bronze certification and modular cabling, such as the Corsair TX850M and the Seasonic M12II 850 W, cost more, making the Kingwin Power Force 850 W a no-brainer.