9-Way 850W Power Supply Roundup

+12V Ripple (PCI-E Connector)

While none of the power supplies we see here pushed ripple above the ATX specified maximum, this chart can be separated into three different categories: the good, the bad and the ugly. The XFX, Seasonic, Enermax and Antec units posted extremely good results with the Antec in particular showing next to no movement on its traces throughout the tests. The budget-friendly Silverstone Strider Plus also puts down some stunning numbers with a maximum ripple of barely 1/3 the amount the ATX spec dictates. The Ultra and Cooler Master units didn’t wow us with their performance here but they both kept things well under control by flirting with 50% of the ATX spec.

The disappointments of this particular test are the two CWT PSH-based power supplies with the Xigmatek and Thermaltake posting results that got quite close to the limits of acceptable. We can forgive the Xigmatek unit for this considering its asking price and the fact that it didn’t break the 80mV mark by polling similarly to the Cooler Master. Thermaltake’s unit on the other hand is an exceptional disaster here: it flirts dangerously close to 100mV without even being pressed to its limits AND it costs as much or more than the best of the best.

+12V Ripple (CPU Connector)

Here we see nearly the same results with a grouping of units that perform amazingly and another group of the slightly underperforming products. Once again, the Thermaltake Toughpower XT is the worst of the bunch while the Cooler Master jumps behind the Xigmatek and for some reason posts slightly poorer results here. Once again, this could be due to anything from wire resistance to a difference in soldering joints on the modular interface. Otherwise, all of the other products perform up to or exceed our expectations.