Introduction

We would like to thank Cooler Master for supplying the review sample.

Truth be told, Cooler Master couldn't face off against the competition in the high-end PSU category these last couple years because of the conservative OEM they put their trust in. Once the decision was made to try something different by co-operating with Seasonic, the truly amazing V PSU series with units that scored great performance at truly competitive prices was born. We actually think CM released them at near-to-cost prices to make an impact on the PSU market, showing everyone that they are still running strong while taking the PSU segment very seriously.

The V series only consists of three members with respective capacities of 700 W, 850 W, and 1000 W. We have already reviewed the strongest V unit and were left astonished by its performance and features, and CM has now shipped us the middle member of the series. Even strong PSUs with 1 kW are overkill for many systems, making the V850 a much more popular choice among users. So you had better stay tuned to see how the V850 will perform in our tests for a comparison to the growing competition.

The V850 utilizes a fully modular cabling design with flat and stealth cables, is 80 Plus Gold compliant, promises an ultra-silent operation, and, according to CM, only uses Japanese capacitors to ensure it is incredibly reliable and durable. For most of you, the most important advantage is the unit's price: It is highly competitive and makes the V850 a real bargain.