Thermaltake Toughpower PT 850 ATX v3.1 PSU Review

Epilogue

Unlike the two higher-capacity models in the line, the Thermaltake PT 850 lacks correctly set protection features (OCP and OPP triggering points), which is a great shame. I suspect that the lower capacity pushed CWT’s engineers to set the OCP and OPP triggering points high. Still, it doesn’t make much sense to have similar OCP and OPP at normal and high operating temperatures, since under the latter conditions the PSU is stressed much more! The 3.3V rail’s performance is mediocre overall, but the good news is that it’s underutilized in modern systems, with 12V and 5V taking most of the load. The 12V rail’s transient response is good, and the same goes for the 5V rail. Moreover, ripple suppression is good.

The hold-up time is lower than 17ms. This might be ok with the ATX v3.1 spec, but it is not ok for me. Additionally, vampire power is dead low, the 5VSB rail is efficient enough, and the platform’s efficiency under normal loads is high. It still needs improvement under super-light loads (2%), where it doesn’t reach 70%. Finally, a great advantage of the Thermaltake PT 850 is the fact that it is among the quietest PSUs in its category. Thermaltake pushed CWT to implement highly relaxed fan-speed profiles in the PT series to make these PSUs as quiet as possible, and the results are promising. Despite the compact PCB and chassis, CWT managed to install a 135mm FDB fan, which is also helped by the non-restrictive fan grille.

All in all, the Thermaltake PT 850 offers ultra-quiet operation and high enough overall performance at 230V, but its protection features need tuning.

Before investing in a new power supply, read my article on the Best ATX v3.x PSUs to compare all alternative PSU offerings. You help me a lot by using my affiliate links, which don’t increase the price of the product. I receive a commission from Amazon every time you do it, which can make a significant difference for me, especially now that I am working independently, exclusively for my media, rather than for someone else.

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