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We always expect Corsair Professional Series Gold power supplies to perform well and the AX850 has not failed to meet the grade, yet again. The top of the range AX1200 is the best power supply on the market right now, but it comes with a price tag high enough to cause palpatations.
The AX850, while identical in finish to the AX1200 is physically much smaller and has a different connector layout and design. They both are quite stunning to look at, we love the understated design and simple aesthetic appeal.
Inside, the design is as good as you will find at this price point, with independent DC output boards, double sided PCB and zero voltage switching helping to raise efficiency and improve thermal performance. Our test results show just how good the thermal performance and efficiency are. Over 90% efficiency throughout the whole range is a result that Corsair should be immensely pleased with.
Acoustically, the unit is the top of its class, with a hybrid fan system which means that at low loads, it turns itself off to create no noise. We can actually see a media based enthusiast audience buying this unit for a low powered media system just to utilise the silence. If they ever need to upgrade, then this will assuredly handle whatever is required, for years to come.
We tested the system in a real world environment with a 980X clocked to 4.5ghz on water with two Powercolor HD 5870 PCS+ cards in Crossfire X and it performed without a problem, often able to keep the fan spinning low, at around 22 dBa.
Pricing in the UK is going to be around the £150 price point which we feel is great value for money, with a 7 year warranty this is surely going to last a potential customer a very long time indeed, so we consider it a worthwhile long term investment. This would be our first choice PSU under £200 and I can't give it a higher recommendation than that.
KitGuru says: It seems Corsair can do no wrong lately, and if they keep producing quality power supplies like the AX850 and AX1200 then they will quickly earn a massive following.
