Power SuppliesReviews

Cougar GEX 850 Power Supply Review

Performance and Testing

I do not have the specialized equipment for PSU testing (which costs thousands of dollars). So the best way I could do test the PSU is by using what we’ve got. My testing method involves comparing the voltage and power consumption reading during idle and at full load. I know it’s not the most accurate method technically, but I think this simple method should provide some ideas of the performance of the power supply in terms of stability and power consumption.

Efficiency Requirements for 80Plus Certification

The main thing to watch out for, is the fluctuation on the +12V line. If the +12V line drops to below 11.5V during full load … then you’ve got trouble. The system may unstable and you might also get random reboots.

We used AIDA64 and simultaneously ran both CPU and GPU stress test which produces 100% load. We then checked the voltage readings on AIDA64 and HWinfo64.

 

IDLE

Voltage readings taken from ADIA64 at idle

  • +12V : 12.384V
  • +5V : 5.160V 
  • +3V : 3.404V

 

LOAD

Voltage readings taken from ADIA64 under load

  • +12V : 12.312V (-0.072V)
  • +5V : 5.120V (-0.000V)
  • +3V : 3.384V (-0.020V)

 

At full load for both CPU and GPU, the system is drawing a decent amount of power, and you can see that the voltages have dropped slightly. This is expected. What you’re looking for is to make sure that the +12V reading don’t drop to below 12V. If it does, then the system may become unstable.

In this case, the GEX 850 is holding up well at 12.312V under full load.

GEX Protection

  • If the voltages fall below a certain tolerance value on the single lines, the PSU automatically switches off.
  • If the current on a single line is higher than indicated, the PSU automatically switches off.
  • In the case of a short-circuit, this feature prevents damage to the core components of the PSU and its System components.
  • If the voltages increase above a certain tolerance value on the single lines, the PSU automatically switches off.
  • If the temperature gets too high, the PSU automatically switches off.
  • If the system is oversized and requires more power from the PSU than it can provide, this protection function is activated.

 

Now lets move on to the Conclusion and Verdict!

 

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