Overview
The DeepCool PQ850M packaging is different from what we have seen from any other unit to date. The actual packaging comes as a plain brown box with a white sleeve over a portion of that box. On this sleeve, we find all of the printed information from the packaging. The front of the package is devoid of information save for the 80 Plus Gold seal. The rear of the packaging gives us most of the information we usually find. Indeed, there is a fan noise graph, efficiency graph, some advertising, the power label (reproduced below), and the connector count (reproduced below). It also mentions that this unit carries a 10-year warranty.
The PQ850M is advertised as being a single 12v rail power supply with a capacity up to 70A (or ~99% of the unit’s capacity) if necessary. The minor rails (5v and 3.3v) have a capacity of 20A each and the combined capacity of those two rails is 100W. Combined with these outputs, we find that this unit has just 3 PCIe connectors, 10 SATA connectors, and 3 Molex connectors. Given the low total 5v and 3.3v capacity, this makes for a strange arrangement. It is like this unit is meant to be used in systems with stacks of hard drives by the connector count but is then chocked by the power available to those drives.
Once we open the DeepCool PQ850M packaging we find the power supply, mounting screws, modular cables, the power cord, some Velcro straps, and the user manual. The user manual is very short and not informative in the least. Let’s move on to the unit itself now.
Discussion (6 replies)
Join Discussion →Thanks for the review! Interesting to see them put out a PSU. I know they've been in the cooler business for a while now but didn't know they did PSUs as well.
That, my friends, is where this unit runs headlong into a house while speedballed out of their mind like Anne Heche in an Austin Mini.
Damn that’s cold. Hilarious, but the dirt hasn’t even settled on the grave yet.
Some times the inspiration just slams right into you.
I find this interesting and if I were in the market for a 850 watt power supply I would want platinum or titanium rated personally. Getting every ounce of efficiency will be critical with new modern parts at least in my mind.
Hmm, I don't know that the effiency matters much.
The wattage is based on DC side - so an 850 Titanium will deliver the same 850W that a 850 Bronze will -- they will be identical as far as the computer load you can throw on them goes.
Granted, the bronze would pull a bit more from the wall... but it's only a difference of 8% (82% vs 90%) - or 80W... at 85%.
And if you have no qualms about a 500W+ Graphics card or 250W+ CPU (Not saying you personally Grim, just the general "making a point") -- then that extra 8% is nothing. Maybe if you are rocking one of those 1500W+ PSUs, and then that extra 8% may be the difference between throwing a breaker or not - and that would be a legitimate reason for a gamer or home computer user to care.
Buy a power supply for the voltage quality, the warranty, the bells and whistles that you like -- but the Plus rating is mostly just a marketing badge. It might matter in a server situation where it's going to sit under load for long stretches of time (like 24x7), or maybe if you are mining full time, but it needs to be on at a healthy load for a long time if you ever want to recoup that price difference.
I'll grant you that higher tier PSUs tend to be better units, but it isn't because they are higher tier rated. The tier rating is a good reason for the manufacturer to put a higher markup on a product, but you shouldn't pay extra for just that. Pay extra for stuff that matters, like good voltage quality or cable management or 10 year warranty. It's a shame that stuff is hard to sleuth out if all you have is the box on the shelf to go by - which is why I love sites like this one.
I agree with everything you said. I consider warrranty and reputation as well. When I got my 1300 watt I wanted high efficiency. I didn't even realize titanium rated was a thing or I would have looked for it. (hard to find mind you.) And I know I over paid for my power supply but for me that piece out lives dang near every other component of my system. My old 850 watt that ran my 3900x is being given to a friend with the 3900x cpu and motherboard and the 1 tb nvme drive I had in it to boot. so it will see more life.