700W to 850W PSU Group Test

Cooler Master Real Power Pro 850W

Manufacturer: Cooler Master
Price (as reviewed): £151.58 (inc VAT)

The Cooler Master Real Power Pro 850W is the most powerful PSU we're testing in this group test. It comes in a compartmentalised foam box for protection and a plastic handle for easy carrying.

Accessories

• Four Philips screws to attach it to a case;
  
• Molex to two floppy plugs adapter
  
• Two stickers with "Enermax Power Inside" on them
  
• Three clear plastic plug covers;
  
• Power lead;

The actual PSU is three quarters of the weight of the total package at a hefty 3kg including cables. It has a gunmetal mirror finish and includes a 13.5cm fan with a Cooler Master-branded fan grill in the top which covers most of the surface. The size of the main unit is a slightly larger than the 18x15x8.5cm dimensions stipulated by the ATX specifications, but it should fit in all cases without issue.

Supplied Connectors

• One 50cm, black braided 8-pin 12V connector;
  
• One 50cm, black braided 4-pin 12V connector;
  
• Four 50cm, black braided 6-pin PCI-Express connectors;
  
• One 50cm, black braided 20+4-pin ATX connector;
  
• Eight black braided SATA hard drive connectors over two 50cm cables;
  
• Six Molex and two floppy connectors over two 50cm, black braided cables;

Everything necessary is covered, there is even no need for a 24- to 20-pin adapter with the way Cooler Master has arranged the ATX connector with the extra 4-pin clipping into place. The same sadly isn't replicated in the 8-pin 12V connector, as it is on an entirely separate cable to the 4-pin 12V connector. As the unit is not modular, this means you've always got an extra cable to hide away or fear the wrath of cable mess on your airflow and internal case looks.

It features six 12V rails -- more than any other PSU we have in this group test. However, the application of the rails into necessary divisions is just as important, and in this respect Cooler Master has done well. The four PCI-Express connectors each have their own 12V rails then the 8-pin 12V connector is split into two rails, of which the ATX connector uses also one.

During testing we found the large 13.5cm fan kept the unit at a maximum of 49°C under sustained full load, whilst still remaining very quiet. This isn't the coolest running PSU in our test (and heat does reduce efficiency), but under 50°C is still a great result. However, this was under open air bench testing conditions so expect temperatures inside a case to be slightly higher.