INTRODUCTION

   Leaving out computers and gadgets studying about airplanes and more specifically jet fighters has always been one of my hobbies. I never did try to enter the air force of my country especially since even up until today it doesn't use any of the airplane models I’d love to learn how to fly with but that hasn't stopped me from visiting various joint exhibitions abroad to check them out up close and personal. Roughly two months ago i managed to attend one such show and although i didn't get the chance to approach the new models i went there for i did talk to some engineers about the long history of the those two legendary fighter lines that got updated recently. What surprised me and is also why I’m even mentioning this was the amount of research and weight engineers give to the engines used in those aircraft since they consider those to be their heart. Likewise I’ve always believed that the heart of a computer system is the power supply unit so as soon as i came back i started working on the latest model by Thermaltake the ToughPower Grand Platinum 850W.

   The beginning of every myth and legend is about dreams and desire: the challenging, creative and combative features of Thermaltake Group create an exciting and fascinating user experience to share with everyone, while allowing users to enter a selfless state in terms of function and potential. Thermaltake Group's 3 main brands: Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS and LUXA2 have been merchandising throughout the world, and have successfully established 6 business footholds in areas such as Europe, America, Oceania, Japan and China, with 95 regional distributors and over 4000 premium retailers. All product planning is orientated by observation of global PC peripheral market and understanding of consumer demands. Thermaltake creates direct contact opportunities with resellers and consumers by participating major global ICT exhibitions and trade shows every year, and develop innovative marketing strategies for the promotions of new products. Meanwhile, Thermaltake incorporates the composite marketing system by making branch offices and regional distributors both the distribution channel and technical support or service center to provide instant support; by maintaining close contact with end users, we manage to strengthen corporate competitiveness and create the momentum for the growth of accomplishments. With its outstanding wisdom and strength Thermaltake Group is recruiting creative talents to build a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology and lifestyle!

   As the name clearly states the ToughPower Grand Platinum 850W is a 80 Plus Platinum certified power supply unit that features a maximum/peak power output of up to 1020W, fully modular design (future-proof), flat modular cables (increased airflow levels and easier routing), ultra-quiet 140mm fan, Japanese primary capacitors, single +12V powerful rail (70A) which can use almost 99% of the units total rated power output (840W) and the usual array of electrical protections we find in high-end models (OVP/OCP/SCP/OPP). The ToughPower Grand Platinum line of power supply units currently includes 650, 750, 850, 1050 and 1200W models and could be the last line prior to Thermaltake introducing their 80 Plus Titanium certified line. ToughPower models have been around for roughly a decade now if i recall correctly (some early models didn't make it far but most were welcomed by enthusiasts, overclockers and gamers) so let's take a closer look and see what Thermaltake has to offer now.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

At the front of the long box you can see a product picture and the main product features right beneath it.

The product features are also listed at the base of the box in 12 languages.

All of the available power connectors are listed at the rear of the box along with the main product features and the electrical specifications table.

As you can all see the PSU is placed inside two thick pieces of black foam.

Thermaltake has placed quite a nice bundle inside the box so aside the ToughPower Grand Platinum PSU wrapped inside a piece of cloth you will also get its modular power cables with their storage pouch, power cord, silicone anti-vibration pads, 4 cable ties, 5 mounting screws, user guide and the 7 year warranty paper.

THE TOUGHPOWER GRAND PLATINUM 850W EXTERIOR

Flat modular cables are not something we haven't seen in the past but it's always good to know that you're getting a model that has them.

In terms of design the ToughPower Grand follows the same as the entire ToughPower Grand family and measures 180mm in length, 150mm in width and 86mm in height.

Thermaltake has once again used a plain (no LEDs) 140mm intake fan to keep the interior temperatures in check.

The model name and power output are both printed on two large stickers placed on both sides.

A large sticker placed at the base of the unit has the electrical specifications table printed on it along with several certification and warning logos.

All of the modular connector ports are different in size, color coded and tagged.

The rear of the enclosure has the on/off power switch with the power port and is of course perforated.

THE TOUGHPOWER GRAND PLATINUM 850W INTERIOR

The 140mm intake ball-bearing fan used is made by Yate Loon Electronics and although Thermaltake doesn't give out its details we know it's quiet and can spin up to around 2200RPM.

It seems that the OEM manufacturer for this PSU is Enhance Electronics and as you can see there's hardly room for anything else inside the enclosure.

The ToughPower Grand Platinum 850W comes with two Matsushita / Panasonic Electrolytic Capacitors certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

Secondary capacitors are manufactured by United Chemi-Con (KZE, KZH and LXZ models) and are also certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

     Using a dedicated measurement instrument such as a Chroma or a SunMoon to test power supply units is without doubt the most ideal and accurate way (not to mention the fastest) to do that currently. However it's certainly not the only way there is and so pretty much anyone can test a power supply unit just by using a computer. Certainly limitations do apply and so you can't really test a 1000W power supply if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why during the past 5 years i have saved certain hardware components for the purpose of building a dedicated PSU test rig. True it may not be as accurate as the above mentioned solutions but it comes really close and is in fact closer to real world usage. So as always we ran several games with maximum graphic options enabled at a resolution of 2560x1600 in order to stress every hardware component and increase the overall power demands of the system. The Passmark BurnIn Test was also used to overstress the components in an effort to provide the most accurate results possible. As a final test we also used the latest OCCT 4.4 software and its dedicated PSU testing suite since it can really bring a power supply to its knees after inside a few minutes.

       Rail stability was checked/measured with the CPUID Hardware monitor and a Metex multimeter which also recorded the system load in idle and in load. As always try to remember that the power consumption numbers listed in the graph are the highest (Peak) ones recorded during the entire duration of the tests and not the average ones. Noise levels coming from the fan were recorded using the high precision HD600 ExTech Sound dBA Meter from the rear of the unit and at a range of no more than 5-10cm. Readings under load are recorded the exact moment we manually switch the fans of all graphics cards from full speed to almost zero, that way the fan of the power supply does not have enough time to slow its RPM and so by doing this we get very accurate noise level readings. Needless to say in order to get 100% accurate readings you need to have a noise isolated room for that exact purpose, something which is quite impossible unless you are working inside a real lab (some people use very small noise insulated boxes but due to their size both heat and noise exceed normal levels and so the results can't really be considered to be 100% accurate). Also do take into account that since all noise measurements take place from just 5-10cm away the final noise levels to reach your ears will be considerably less.

TEST RESULTS

RAIL STABILITY

Our test rig could be configured to max the ToughPower Grand Platinum 850W but we didn’t feel that would be fair. Besides such rail stability at around 800W of power draw is excellent.

POWER CONSUMPTION

Our test rig with two out of the three graphics cards hit 782W at load. Should we had used all three and touch 1KW? We didn’t feel that would be fair but feel free to post your thoughts on the matter.

NOISE LEVELS (SPL)

You can hardly hear the 140mm fan when the system is idle and the same applies at load too.

CONCLUSION

   Ever since I started testing ToughPower models I don’t recall a single one failing or producing bad results but the last 2-3 models of that line to have reached our lab have really taken things to a whole new level. That’s not only because they feature 80 Plus Platinum and Gold electrical efficiency coupled with rock solid rails and very high build quality but also because they are quite silent even at load. The fully modular design also helps quite a bit if you don’t end up using all cables (plus the future-proof feature may come in handy if something changes with the main power cable) and the reduced thickness of the flat modular cables ensure that you can route them behind the mainboard tray no matter how much room your case has. All that’s really left is for Thermaltake to take things even further with the release of the 80 Plus Titanium Certified ToughPower series (hopefully soon).

   With a current price tag set at USD169.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and at 176.41Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) you can’t really go wrong with the ToughPower Grand Platinum 850W power supply unit. There are of course many similar models in the market but not many offer 7 years warranty and that matters quite a bit as well. Overall the ToughPower Grand Platinum 850W PSU is one of the best to reach our lab in 2015 and that’s why it deserves our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Excellent Rail Stability
- Fully Modular
- Flat Cables
- Almost Silent
- 7 Years Warranty
- 80 Plus Platinum Certified
- Electrical Protections
- Peak Output (1020W)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Current Availability