Cooler Master GX III 850 Gold 850W PSU Review
Power Efficiency and Ripple Testing
Voltage Ripple and Efficiency Testing
When reviewing new power supplies at OC3D, we use our dedicated SunMoon PSU Tester, one of the most expensive (if not the most expensive) tools in the company’s arsenal. Here we can see exactly how well a unit functions. We look at both a PSU’s efficiency and power stability. To do this, we utilise bespoke PSU testing equipment to give us an in-depth look at each power supply’s performance. This kind of data collection is not possible when using a PSU with standard PC components.
Power Efficiency
Efficiency-wise, Cooler Master’s GX III Gold performs exactly as expect. This PSU is 80+ Gold rated, and its efficiency levels are what we expect from a PSU with this rating. 20% load efficiency levels are notably higher than what we typically see from 80+ Gold rated PSUs. This is great news for users who frequently have their PCs idling.
Voltage Ripple
Voltage ripple is often underlooked by consumers, being best described as the stability of specific voltages that the PSU delivers. A PSU with bad ripple will see voltages vary a lot more. In extreme cases, this can can damage components or shorten their lifespans. Voltage ripple stability is one of the many reasons why you should buy a high-quality power supply. That means buying from a reputable brand and avoiding anything that isn’t 80+ certified.
An important thing to note here is that none of the PSUs in this graph are “badâ€. Even bottom of the chart units like the original Corsair RM1000 (2014) bring usable within your system without any issues. We used this specific power supply within one of our main workstations for years, and we had no trouble with it. As we said before, only extreme levels of voltage ripple is dangerous.
Looking at our results for Cooler Master’s GX III 850W Gold power supply, we can see that voltage ripple is nothing to be concerned about here. Yes, there are PSU models that perform better, but also many PSU models that deliver worse results. Even so, no PSU on this graph has ripple levels that we would find concerning.
