Asus ROG Loki SFX-L 850W PSU Review

Epilogue

The ROG Loki SFX-L 850W is among the few SFX-L units meeting the stringent ATX v3.0 requirements. The exterior design is nice, and the Great Wall platform is of high quality. The Corsair SFX-L units also use a Great Wall platform, which differs from the Loki units. This explains the notable performance difference between them. Besides performance, Asus also aims at low noise output. Still, I was not impressed since I noticed a significant difference between my review sample’s results and those posted at Cybenetics. I either got a bad sample, or Cybenetics got a “good” one. In either case, I will inform Asus to check this out. It isn’t easy to offer a ten-year warranty to a high-capacity small-form-factor PSU featuring a silent operation. Even a slight increase in operational temperatures can easily affect reliability, especially in harsh conditions.

Overall the ROG Loki SFX-L 850W offers good performance, which could be further improved if the transient response was better. Inrush current at 115V should be lower, too. In efficiency, the platform performs well, especially at light and super-light loads. On the other hand, the APFC converter needs work for higher readings at both 115V and 230V. Lastly, in protection features, the OCP triggering points on the minor rails are high, especially at 3.3V.

Given the stiff street price of $326, the Asus ROG Loki SFX-L 850W is a tough choice, but you don’t have many options in this category featuring ATX v3.0 and PCIe 5.0 compatibility. The SilverStone SX1000L is more affordable, at $303, lacking the RGB lighting but offering 150W more. If an SFX PSU can meet your needs, you can also look at the Thermaltake Toughpower SFX 850W, currently at $199, offering good performance while meeting the tough PCIe 5.0 transient response tests of the ATX v3.0 spec.