XPG Core Reactor II VE 850W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply Review
How Much Does it Cost?
The XPG Core Reactor II VE 850W Power Supply is available from around £100 or $119, which isn’t a bargain but it’s not overpriced either, and pretty much in line with other similar power output, fully modular 80 Plus Gold units from any of the reputable brands on the market right now. You can check for stock and prices via the Where to Buy section here.
Overview
The latest PSU from XPG is one of the absolute best in its class, and while 850W may not be what some regard as high-end, it’s certainly more than enough power for a lot of mid-to-high-end gaming PC builds, offering plenty of power for the likes of an RTX 4070 Super series card, or equivalent card from AMD, with any of the best gaming CPUs on the market. However, this PSU still delivered the kind of voltage tolerances and stability we would expect to see on much more powerful and expensive units, and it’s a clear sign that XPG didn’t skimp on the quality just because it’s a lower-power unit.
The internal components look excellent, with all premium quality capacitors used throughout the design, and good quality components used for everything else for that matter. There are lots of little details, like anti-vibration adhesive between nearby components to prevent unwanted movement, noises, humming, etc. There’s also a layer of copper shielding the AC line-in, and a more robust AC line filtering stage, which is clearly reflected in the testing as the PSU has a very low and consistent ripple on all rails.
When it comes to safety, it ticks all the right boxes, with every major industry feature present ensuring your hardware is protected. We pushed the PSU way over 1000W and it held up great, with the OPP kicking in at +37% over the 850W rating and safely shutting down, so dealing with power spikes won’t be an issue, and I’d even be confident running this PSU at 100% load for extended times, as its very well made and showed no signs there would be any issues at all.
Should I Buy One?
On the surface, this is a relatively simple 80 Plus Gold power supply that can deliver 850W of power and has fully modular cables, but it delivers a level of performance worthy of a more expensive unit, with great efficiency at all loads, low ripple noise, consistent performance under crossloads, and a quiet fan, really, you couldn’t expect any more than what’s on offer here at this price range!
