Cooler Master XG850 Plus Platinum ARGB Modular Power Supply

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With some next-gen PC stuff coming out, now is probably a good time for PC builders to upgrade their systems in some capacity. Components like the CPU, GPU and memory are obvious, but other essentials such as coolers, power supply, and even a proper case are equally important and typically stay with your machine much longer.

Enter Cooler Master and their reputable suite of hardware like the XG850 Plus Platinum ARGB power supply. This fully modular ATX PSU is as showy as it is powerful for both the latest AMD Ryzen and Intel Core machines and gives you that welcome edge in seeing how much energy you’re drawing at any given time. If nothing else, it will compliment your gaming rig handsomely.

What I can say about the styling of the XG850 PLUS PLATINUM, or any other consumer PSU for that matter? They all generally tend to be a metal box filled with capacitors, heatsinks, and a PCB and the XG850 is no different. However, to achieve its lauded ’80 PLUS Platinum’ certification Cooler Master utilizes 100% sourced Japanese components, a 135mm silent fan and DC-DC technology for maximum efficiency and reliability. You also get flat I/O and ATX cables that help reduce clutter and looks clean overall.

There are some external differentiations though, a side panels ape an industrial look while the front (where the power switch and AC input is located) has a repeating downward arrow pattern, and true to its ARGB nomenclature is the fan that lights up under the angular wave grille. The chief feature is the digital display that shows active performance data of temperature, power consumption, and current fan speed. You can even customize the ARGB lighting effects.

I used the XG850 PLUS in my recent build (ASRock X670E Pro RS/AMD Ryzen 7700X/Cooler Master MA624 Stealth /GIGABYTE RTX 3070 GAMING OC/Samsung 890 PRO NVMe SSD/Cooler Master CMP 520 Case) and this PSU handled my system without a hitch. Even in the most intense sessions operating wattage was under a standard load of 416W, and an observed range of 509-537W when playing games or running software like Adobe Premiere Pro or After Effects. So you’ve got plenty of wiggle room before you even get near its absolute threshold of 850 watts.

This also makes the XG850 PLUS a no-brainer for those upgrading their build with more powerful GPUs such as the current Radeon RX 6950 XT or GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. It should even be able to withstand powerhouses like the AMD RX 7900 XTX, or GeForce RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 from NVIDIA – if you’re lucky enough to find one, that is.

Either way, if you have a build with the latest hardware or just want to beef up some components of your current machine, the XG850 PLUS will work for almost any user. I was able to scrounge up some benchmark figures for relevant configurations and the XG850 PLUS is more than capable of supporting some of the wildest enthusiasts’ setups and shouldn’t came close to its operating limits.

What I really appreciate about the XG850 PLUS is the digital display that allows you to monitor the stats of the PSU itself. For regular users it’s a bit of a gimmick but neat nonetheless as you can see exactly how your system is running in real-time. That said, power-oriented users or custom modders will make better use of the display in conjunction with the MasterPlus+ software, where some settings can be tweaked or adjusted whenever necessary. Overall the digital display should be a nice flex if you’ve got a nice and expensive PC to show it off with.

Overall, the XG850 PLUS PLATINUM ARGB is an excellent and fully-featured PSU for the money. It hits all technical and performance marks you’d expect from a 80 PLUS Platinum powerplant and should be ready for anything you can throw at it. Obviously, the biggest draw is the digital display that gives you the important data at a glance and provides a level of control that enthusiasts will appreciate. Admittedly, it’s a bit on the expensive side but it should feel right at home in whatever ultra-high-spec PC monstrosity you can dream up.