Conclusion
The Seasonic VERTEX GX-850 ATX 3.0 is the second power supply we have seen here at TheFPSReview from Seasonic. However, Seasonic has been one of the biggest names in the enthusiast community for power supplies over the last 10 years or so and one of the older OEM providers in general. So, power supplies are their business.
The previous Seasonic unit that we reviewed was the absolutely outstanding Seasonic PRIME PX-1600 ATX 3.0 1600W Platinum. Now, while, literally, nothing can compete with that unit right now the fact that Seasonic can put out such a unit gives us a lot of confidence in today’s VERTEX GX-850 ATX 3.0. The question is; are we being overconfident about this unit? Or, are we right on? Let’s see.
Build Quality
Today’s Sesonic VERTEX GX-850 ATX 3.0 starts things off with a build quality that is excellent. The exterior represents a revised but well-branded and labeled approach that looks very nice and fairly high-end. We, of course, can not skip out on the real star of the show here and that are the individually sleeved cables. For those users that love this look, this is a huge value add. For those of us who grew up with AT power supplies and early ATX power supplies, they just trigger our PTSD.
Moving to the interior, integration is about as clean as it can be, the layout is newly designed and the topology is thoroughly modern. The component selection features Nippon Chemi-con standard and solid electrolytics throughout. There is also an FDB fan from Hong Hua used to cool this unit. Lastly, the documentation with this unit is very basic but the 12-year warranty is an excellent length.
Load Testing
Today’s Seasonic VERTEX GX-850 ATX 3.0 started off testing in outstanding shape. We saw voltage regulation of up to 0.04v on the 12v rail, 0.01v on the 5v rail, and 0.02v on the 3.3v rail. These absolute values are easily in the specification and excellent overall. In relative terms, this unit was better than the Cooler Master XG PLUS 850 Platinum, Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W, ASUS ROG THOR 850W, SilverStone DA850 Gold, and MSI A850GF. That is no small feat as that clears the tables today.
Moving on, we saw efficiency values that ranged from 91.15% to 93.58% efficient at 120v AC input and 89.72% to 92.58% efficient at 100v AC input. In addition, the unit passed the Torture Test. Overall, there is nothing to complain about here as this unit is currently overdelivering on all advertised metrics.
DC Output Quality
The DC Output Quality results for the Seasonic VERTEX GX-850 ATX 3.0 were excellent. Overall, we saw peak ripple/noise values of just ~25mV followed by ~15mV on the 5v and 3.3v rails during our regular load tests. These values are well within specification limits and that means, at a minimum, good in absolute terms. In relative terms, these results are slightly better than the CoolerMaster XG PLUS 850 Platinum, tied the SilverStone DA850 Gold, tied the MSI A850GF, slightly trailed the ASUS ROG THOR 850W, and tied the Enermax REVOLUTION DF 850W. This means that this unit is as good or better than all but 1 850W unit we have ever seen here at TheFPSReview.
Noise
Today’s Seasonic VERTEX GX-850 ATX 3.0 is a larger capacity unit but it has a large overhead fan, a hybrid fan controller (though we turned it off for testing), and outstanding efficiency. So, the unit should be fairly quiet. And it was. In fact, it was very quiet. So quiet that even at full load testing this unit was not audible in our load testing environment. Had we left the Hybrid Fan Controller engaged it would, likely, have been even quieter (though how much is not something we could really say since it was already below detection threshold).
Final Points
The Seasonic VERTEX GX-850 ATX 3.0 is an excellent 850W power supply. From a Build Quality that looks stunning to voltage regulation that is outstanding, efficiency that is better than promised, and DC Output Quality that is excellent this unit checks every box! When things go this well there is just not a lot to say. We could pontificate on the 12-year warranty, I guess? Or the individually sleeved cables (which definitely will have some value to certain users even though they are a pain for load testing), I guess?
Perhaps the next most important thing to discuss is the price. Price really can be the great equalizer. If you get it right then certain less-than-stellar aspects can be overlooked. If you get it wrong or the issues are severe then it has a less desirable outcome for it overall. Looking at the price at the time of writing we see this unit coming in at $190 online at the time of writing, but be sure to check out our pricing widget below for the latest pricing.
That is just a smoking price given what we saw today. And, not a smoking result because it is on fire but because it is toasting the competition like a 5-year-old with a toaster iron, a knife, and over-buttered bread. What? Was I the only one who set the kitchen on fire that way?
Users looking for what just might be the best 850W unit we have ever seen while not wanting the blingyness of things like the ASUS ROG Thor 850W should turn their attention to the Seasonic VERTEX GX-850 ATX 3.0 as not only is it as good as any of those units but it also supports the most modern currently implemented standards. Oh, and it does that at a price point that is still on par or better than most of those other options.
