DeepCool PQ850M 850W Power Supply Review

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DC Output Quality

For those of you that are curious as to some of the reasoning and equipment behind our PSU testing program here at TheFPSReview, we have put together an introduction for you that shares a lot of the behind-the-scenes of the program. This program is based on what the author developed at [H]ardOCP and utilizes the equipment bequeathed to the author by Kyle Bennett. The testing we are conducting today is exactly as described in that document and will continue with our examination of the DC Output Quality.

Control Test Graphing

This image is the blank background control test on an unused connector from our SM-8800 during the testing of the DeepCool PQ850M. This lets us determine what the background noise looks like during testing.

120v Input

100v Input

Test #1 is equal to approximately 25% of the rated capacity of the DeepCool PQ850M at 45c. This makes Test #1 equal to 220W by loading the 12v rail to 16a, the 5v rail to 2a, the 3.3v rail to 1a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. The PQ850M is starting off in decent shape. The 12v rail is peaking at ~20mV of ripple/noise while the minor rails are peaking at less than ~10mV of ripple/noise.

120v Input

100v Input

Test #2 is equal to approximately 50% of the rated capacity of the DeepCool PQ850M at 45c. This makes Test #2 equal to 432W by loading the 12v rail to 32a, the 5v rail to 4a, the 3.3v rail to 3a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. Test #2 sees no real changes as the 3.3v and 5v rails are coming in at ~10mV of ripple/noise while the 12v rail is coming in at ~25mV of ripple/noise.

120v Input

100v Input

Test #3 is equal to approximately 75% of the rated capacity of DeepCool PQ850M at 45c. This makes Test #3 equal to 641W by loading the 12v rail to 48a, the 5v rail to 6a, the 3.3v rail to 4a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. Test #3 sees the 12v rail coming in at ~25mV of ripple/noise while the minor rails are coming in at ~15mV of ripple/noise.

120v Input

100v Input

Test #4 is equal to approximately 100% of the rated capacity of the DeepCool PQ850M at 45c. This makes Test #4 equal to 860W by loading the 12v rail to 68a, the 5v rail to 2a, the 3.3v rail to 2a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. In the final regular test, we see the 12v rail peaking at ~30mV of ripple/noise while the 5v rail is peaking at ~10mV of ripple/noise and the 3.3v rail is peaking at ~15mV of ripple/noise.

Torture Test

The Torture Test is equal to approximately 80% of the rated capacity of the DeepCool PQ850M at 45C. This makes the Torture Test equal to 671W by loading the 12v rail to 50a, the 5v rail to 7a, the 3.3v rail to 5a, the +5vsb to 2a, and the -12v to 0.3a. At the end of the Torture Test, we see the 12v rail peaking at ~25mV of ripple/noise while the 5v and 3.3v rails are peaking at ~10mV of ripple/noise.

DC Output Quality Summary

The overall DC Output Quality of the DeepCool PQ850M is excellent. The ripple/noise values started the day off in good shape and only changed slightly during our testing. Overall, the PQ850M ended up posting a peak trace amplitude on the 12v rail of ~30mV followed by ~15mV on the minor rails. None of these values exit the ATX12v specification limits or even approach those limits. Indeed, the worst value only hit ~30% of the ATX12v specification limit. Now in a relative sense, this unit trailed the SilverStone DA850 Gold and the ASUS ROG THOR 850W, tied the Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W, and was mixed against the MSI MPG A850GF.

Overall then, this unit did well. While it may not be the absolute best 850W unit on the market in this regard we have seen it is not that far off. Let’s move on now and see how all of this wraps up!

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Paul Johnson
Paul is a long time PC hobbyist and tech enthusiast having gotten his start when he broke his first C64 quickly followed by breaking his first IBM XT. Most notably however, for 12 years, he served as the Power Supply Editor for one of the truly early, groundbreaking, and INDPENDENT PC enthusiast sites ([H]ardOCP) until its mothballing in April of 2019. Paul now brings the same flair and style of his power supply reviews to The FPS Review.

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