9-Way 850W Power Supply Roundup

Cooler Master Silent Pro M 850W

Cooler Master’s entry into this article is the FSP-based Silent Pro M 850W which also happens to be close to the least expensive power supply in this roundup at around $150. It doesn’t make any huge boasts about performance since its main claim to fame is near-silent operation coupled with an 80 Plus Bronze rating. However, don’t let the Silent Pro M’s price mislead you into thinking Cooler Master is skimping in any way since they felt confident enough to back it up with a 5 year warranty.


Some say that if you have seen one PSU box, you’ve seen them all, and upon first glance the one this product is packaged in isn’t exactly blazing any new trails. It does however open up in a unique Venus flytrap fashion and while it may be compact, the proximity of all the accessories to the power supply makes for a well protected though slightly tight arrangement.

When it comes to accessories, we see all the usual suspects with a few additional things thrown in for good measure. There’s a warranty card (though this one is conveniently sized as a business card), screws, a quick install guide and a felt bag for any unused modular cables. There is also a pair of rubber vibration dampeners which should be placed between the power supply and your chassis to absorb any of the noise usually associated with metal rattling against metal when high speed fans are being used. Finally, the power cord is an industrial looking 14AWG beast.


The Silent Pro M 850W is finished in a stealthy black semi-gloss paint that seems quite durable but unfortunately the contrast of the silver grille for the 140mm fan degrades the whole understated look. There isn’t anything particularly striking about the design of this unit but we do have to appreciate the way everything from labeling to the modular interface is done; there’s just feeling of quality permeating from every corner.

Speaking of the modular cable interface, we have to marvel at how well it is done without having to resort to a rainbow of colors to designate connector placement. Basically, the PCI-E cables get plugged into the grey connectors while all the other peripheral and drive cables are universally compatible with the flat looking connectors on the PSU housing.


When it comes to actual cables, the Silent Pro M isn’t found lacking in any way. Attached to the power supply itself are the ATX and CPU connectors, which are fully sleeved, while the modular cables are done in an absolutely drool-worthy flat cabling. Unlike some power supplies we have seen in the past (early revisions of the Corsair HX1000 and HX850 for example), the PCI-E cables each have a single cable running to and from each connector instead of separate cables which make a clean install next to impossible. We have to commend Cooler Master for taking this direction and it should also be mentioned that the end of the PCI-E cable that plugs into your GPU is black and the grey you see above is for connection to the PSU’s interface.


As we mentioned earlier, this power supply is based off of an FSP platform and upon first glance the interior layout looks quite sparse for an 850W power supply. The heatsinks are downright tiny which is a bit concerning considering the Silent Pro is supposed to be just that: silent. Without large heatsinks, the fan may have to work overtime to cool off all the components. Excess heat may also cause some performance degradation since Cooler Master rates this unit at 40°C unlike other power supplies in this roundup which sport 50°C ratings. That being said, the build quality of certain areas like the modular interface is simply top notch.


From what we could see, the capacitor selection is good with Nippon Chemi-Con 105C units on both the primary and secondary sides. It is also good to see that the main cables are sleeved all the way into the housing.