The ASUS TUF Gaming 850W Gold PSU Review: Tough But Fair

Although ASUS as an organization wants no introduction to common AnandTech readers, even for us it is simple to miss simply how huge their vary of product strains is lately. As the corporate has moved past PC motherboards and core parts to stored diversifying through the years, they’ve established complete subsidiary model names within the course of, such because the “Republic of Avid gamers” or “ROG”. These days, the ASUS emblem may be discovered on nearly each PC part and peripheral there’s, from mouse pads to gaming laptops.

One of many many sequence of merchandise ASUS is supplying below its model identify – and that, one way or the other, we have by no means reviewed up till now – is a relatively intensive array of energy provide items. The corporate splits its items into three important sequence, the ROG, the TUF Gaming, and the Prime, all of that are concentrating on greater segments of the market. Actually, ASUS is pretty uncommon on this respect; not like most different producers, ASUS largely stays out of the low-to-middle vary of the market altogether, as a substitute specializing in the extra profitable premium and gaming segments.

Immediately’s evaluation directs its focus in the direction of ASUS’s TUF Gaming sequence, which is – in our opinion – probably the most versatile sequence that the corporate presently markets. The TUF Gaming items are designed with long-term reliability and excessive efficiency in focus and are being marketed accordingly. The brand new 850W Gold variant of this sequence aligns with Intel’s ATX 3.0 design pointers, with the 80Plus Gold certification and 10-year producer’s guarantee as the main highlights, and retails for an affordable price ticket.

Packaging and Bundle

ASUS is thought to watch out with their packaging and the field that the TUF Gaming 850W Gold is provided in isn’t any exception. The art work on the field is detailed, with loads of data to be discovered on the perimeters and rear of the field. The field is sturdy and the unit is well-protected inside to make sure protected delivery.

A good bundle may be discovered contained in the field of the TUF Gaming 850W Gold PSU. Except for the standard AC energy cable and the mounting screws, ASUS additionally provides a number of cable ties, three high quality cable straps, and a thick guide in 30 languages. There’s additionally a “certificates of reliability” that signifies which exams the capacitors and chokes of the items needed to cross for ASUS to make use of them. Most of them are accomplished in accordance to the MIL-STD-202 and MIL-STD-810H requirements, which gave ASUS the bottom to boast about “military-grade reliability”. The exams are carried out by iST, an unbiased laboratory primarily based in Taiwan.

The TUF Gaming 850W Gold is a completely modular design, permitting for the removing of each DC energy cable, together with the 24-pin ATX connector. The entire cables are black, with black connectors and individually sleeved wires, together with the ATX 24-pin and the brand new 12VHPWR cables. It’s fascinating to notice that the whole variety of connectors is pretty low for a unit with that type of capability.

The ASUS TUF Gaming 850W Gold PSU

Exterior Look

Externally, the TUF Gaming 850W Gold PSU is in direct contradiction to the “army” theme ASUS’s advertising is closely relying upon. The reason being that army designs are speculated to be completely minimal and inconspicuous, whereas the designer of the TUF Gaming 850W Gold PSU virtually left no a part of the physique untouched in an effort to create an aesthetically interesting product. Chamfered edges, embossed designs, graphic prints, debossed lettering – this unit has all of it. The chassis is simply 150 mm deep, which ensures compatibility with all however the smallest ATX-compliant instances.

Either side of the chassis are closely embellished however they aren’t similar. A cutout of the sequence emblem may be seen on the left facet, serving as a little bit cooling vent. There isn’t any such cutout on the appropriate facet and the sequence emblem is printed on the chassis as a substitute. Everything of the highest facet is roofed by a sticker with {the electrical} specs and certifications of the unit. The fan cutout on the backside facet of the TUF Gaming 850W Gold PSU is hexagonal as a substitute of spherical.

Naturally, the entrance facet of the PSU is dwelling to the connectors for the modular cables. A primary legend is printed immediately onto the physique of the PSU in white paint. The sequence emblem is subtly etched throughout the highest a part of the entrance facet. The rear facet is typical, with simply the AC energy receptacle and a primary on/off change in sight.

Inner Design

The fan liable for the cooling of the TUF Gaming 850W Gold PSU is a dual-ball bearing engine fan made by Champion, a Chinese language producer whose we very not often encounter the merchandise of inside PC parts. The 135mm CF1325H12D has a most velocity of 2100 RPM, which could be very excessive for a fan of that measurement. ASUS markets the fan as an “axial-tech” know-how fan, which mainly is a plastic ring that connects the outer a part of the fan’s blades, supposedly growing the fan’s stress.

The OEM behind the creation of the TUF Gaming 850W Gold PSU is Nice Wall, a Chinese language OEM that turned recognized within the Western markets only some years again when Corsair determined to make use of them for a number of of their mainstream merchandise. The TUF Gaming 850W Gold relies on a platform that we have now not encountered earlier than and definitely is likely one of the newest Nice Wall designs, developed to adjust to the ATX 3.0 design information necessities.

We are able to see that the primary change and AC plug receptacle are connected to a vertical PCB that additionally hosts just a few of the filtering stage parts, with the remainder on the primary PCB. The filtering stage is typical, totaling 4 Y capacitors, two X capacitors, and two filtering inductors. It results in a twin enter rectifying bridge configuration provided by Leshan Radio Firm (GBU15K), a Chinese language firm that we have now by no means encountered earlier than. The passive APFC parts are two Rubycon 420V/390μF capacitors and a large filtering inductor.

The entire lively parts earlier than the primary transformer that want cooling are connected to a single lengthy heatsink throughout the sting of the PCB. The first facet inversion circuit is a typical half-bridge LLC topology, with the 2 switchers additionally provided by an organization that we have now by no means seen earlier than (WAYON) and we couldn’t discover any datasheet for these explicit chips (WMJ36N6N65SF2). Contemplating the PSU’s effectivity score and half-bridge configuration, these positively are very environment friendly low on-resistance MOSFETs however we have now been unable to come back by their precise specs.

On the secondary facet of the primary transformer, six transistors from one more producer that we have now by no means seen earlier than (Jinlibo Electronics 4NA1R4C-A) kind a conversion circuitry that generates the primary 12V line. The secondary 3.3V and 5V strains are generated on the vertical daughterboard that’s connected each to the primary and the vertical PCB with the unit’s connectors. The entire electrolytic capacitors on the secondary facet are provided by Nippon Chemi-Con and Rubycon, whereas the solid-state capacitors are provided by Nippon Chemi-Con and Nichicon.