Corsair RM850x (2018 revision) review @ Anandtech

[UsandThem]

https://www.anandtech.com/show/13220/the-corsair-rm850x-2018-psu-review

Seems like they did a lot right with this newest update. The unit is now a little smaller, efficiency and performance is very good, and the price is reasonable for the quality (I'm sure they will soon offer some type of MIR to make the price more competitive to the EVGA G3 and Seasonic Focus Plus) .

However, I still cannot believe they didn't add a switch would allow the user to disable the "fan stop" feature at low and medium loads. Really for anyone who faces their PSU down in their case, they would want the fan to always run. If not, the heat would rise and have nowhere to go, which has to shorten the lifespan of the unit.

I know I personally would never buy any unit that didn't give me the option to disable it. A bad oversight / decision IMHO.

 

[Torn Mind]

Truly a consumer grade unit, since noise matters--people like silence. I would not run it in a attic or any unconditioned space in a toasty area like Florida.

Definitelt a creative way to implement planned obsolescence for a unit that could last double its warranty if used at wattages where its fans never turn on and the fan acrually ran.

 

[UsandThem]

Truly a consumer grade unit, since noise matters--people like silence. I would not run it in a attic or any unconditioned space in a toasty area like Florida.

Definitelt a creative way to implement planned obsolescence for a unit that could last double its warranty if used at wattages where its fans never turn on and the fan acrually ran.

I'm not opposed to those features. I just wish they'd give the user the option to turn the fan stop feature off if needed for their particular setup. Most other manufacturers give that option via a switch on their upper mid-range and high-end units.

If they are concerned about the fan not lasting for the full 10 year warranty, they should use a better fan. The fan they used is used in several of their low-end to mid-range units, and is not one of their nicer FDB fans. I understand why they don't put a switch on their lower mid-range PSU units, like their TX-M series, but not on updates RMx series.

It's a bad decision IMO.

 

[Rifter]

I dunno, my PSU fan almost never turns on unless im gaming or using my CPU@100%, and PSU never gets above 45C, im not sure running the fan and keeping it to 35C is going to make a large difference in lifespan.

 

[UsandThem]

I dunno, my PSU fan almost never turns on unless im gaming or using my CPU@100%, and PSU never gets above 45C, im not sure running the fan and keeping it to 35C is going to make a large difference in lifespan.

I'm not sure either. However, I have noticed over the years that there are always quite a few Corsair refurbished RMx units always for sale on places like Newegg.

I have gone to Corsair's website and downloaded the user manual to see what they recommend for installation (fan facing up or down), and they don't say anything about it at all. However, both Seasonic and EVGA both specifically mention installing the PSU with the fan facing up if the user is going to use the fan stop feature. I imagine their internal testing has to be the reason they recommend that.

 

[kschendel]

I dunno, how many people are going to mount an 850w PSU face down? Face-down was for cases with the PSU on top, and I only see that in $20 cheapos any more. Maybe it's still relevant in some of the small form factor cases?

Anyway, I am pretty sure that the designers decided that not enough people do that to make it worth the cost of the switch and circuitry, plus the space taken up and manufacturing overhead, etc.

 

[Campy]

I dunno, how many people are going to mount an 850w PSU face down? Face-down was for cases with the PSU on top, and I only see that in $20 cheapos any more. Maybe it's still relevant in some of the small form factor cases?

It's incredibly common to mount PSUs fan down at the bottom the case. Most modern cases have vents and dust filters in the bottom that allow this. However when the fan is not running heat buildup is more of an issue because the hot air can't rise out of the body of the PSU, which is why the fan should always be running when the unit is mounted in this manner.

 

[kschendel]

Hmm, ok if you say so. I've no idea why anyone would want to mount a PSU upside down at the bottom of a case, so that the heat can go nowhere, but whatever.

 

[UsandThem]

Hmm, ok if you say so. I've no idea why anyone would want to mount a PSU upside down at the bottom of a case, so that the heat can go nowhere, but whatever.

Wut?

Because many new cases have a solid PSU shroud, and the user has no option other than installing it with the fan facing down.