INTRODUCTION

   RGB LED lighting has taken the market by storm and the reason i say the entire market and not just the PC industry is because it has achieved exactly that. So today whether we're talking about PC hardware and peripherals or general home and even car lighting (for example check the guys over at Morimoto) RGB always comes up as the default choice and it actually makes sense since instead of just a single illumination color people can now have every single one they may desire (at any point). Personally i don't care much about RGB lighting but even i chose to install that all over my house as "mood" lights (although 90% of the time i have them on pure white). Aerocool just recently released their P7-850W Platinum Power Supply Unit part of their Project 7 line of RGB products which we've been testing for the past week.

   Aerocool is a Taipei-based, global computer components company with an outstanding record in product design and innovation. Driven by the mantra ‘Be Cool, Be Aerocool’ we strive to provide innovation in design yet deliver an affordable solution to PC users worldwide. Our most recent success in innovation is our groundbreaking open frame design – the Dream Box – awarded ‘Best Design’ at Computex 2016. For more information on Aerocool, please visit www.aerocool.com.tw.

   The Project 7 P7-850W is a fully-modular Power Supply Unit that features an 80 Plus Platinum efficiency certification, single powerful 70A +12V rail (can deliver up to 840W), high-quality Japanese capacitors, flat and flexible modular cables, 140mm RGB LED fan (a compatible mainboard header or Aerocool's P7-Hub is required to make use of this feature) and a wide range of electrical protections including OVP (Over Voltage Protection), UVP (Under Voltage Protection), OCP (Over Current Protection), OTP (Over Temperature Protection) and OPP (Over Power Protection). Also according to Aerocool the P7-850W offers almost inaudible operation since the 140mm FDB (fluid dynamic bearing) fan starts spinning only after 60% load and doesn't hit over 500RPM until 80%. This is not the first time we've seen a PSU behave in such a way but it's not something very widely used at least not yet so it's a good thing Aerocool decided to incorporate it in their new PSU line. Last but not least Aerocool covers the P7-850W with a 7 year limited warranty which is a clear indication that they truly believe in the quality of their brand new unit.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The P7-850W arrived inside a black box that has a product picture at the front, the company logo and some certification logos.

Aerocool has printed the features of the P7-850W on both sides of the box in a total of 11 different languages.

The main product features are showcased at the base of the box with the help of 6 product pictures.

All the available power connectors are listed at the rear of the box right beneath a picture of the P7-Hub and above the product electrical specifications.

The main box has the Project 7 logo on it.

Packaging is very good with the device placed between two pieces of black foam.

Aside the P7-850W with its power cord and its modular cables Aerocool has also placed a cover for the PSU, carrying/storage pouch for the modular cables, 10 cable ties, three cable straps, several mounting screws and the user manual.

THE P7-850W EXTERIOR

Aerocool is not the first manufacturer to use flat black cables and although i have mixed feelings about them they are indeed easier to route behind a mainboard tray.

If you happen to have a mainboard with a RGB controller of if you bought Aerocool’s P7-Hub then you will need to use this bundled cable to access the RGB feature of this unit.

Size-wise the P7-850W follows the standard ATX profile so its industrial look enclosure measures 107mm in length, 105.8mm in width and 87mm in height.

A single 140mm PWM fluid dynamic bearing fan is responsible for cooling the unit.

The Project 7 logo is printed on both sides of the enclosure right next to the power output and efficiency certification logo.

All of the modular ports are tagged and different in shape to avoid any possible mishaps (the electrical specifications table is also placed here).

Slightly more than half of the rear is perforated and here we see a sticker pointing out the fanless mode placed over the power connector and on/off switch.

THE P7-850W INTERIOR

We don't have much information on the 140mm PWM FDB (fluid dynamic bearing) fan by YiJin Electronics but according to Aerocool it hardly ever spins over 600RPM.

It may not be very easy to spot from this far but the P7-850W was obviously based on a board by OEM manufacturer Andyson.

The two primary capacitors are manufactured by Hitachi and are certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius.

United Chemi-Con, Nichicon and Rubycon are responsible for the secondary capacitors which in turn are also certified for use up to 105 degrees Celsius (at least the ones we were able to check).

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

(The 140mm FDB fan stays off until the unit is indeed at 50% load so the number you see here at “idle” was the ambient noise level at that exact moment)

CONCLUSION

   Aerocool has released one of the best power supply units to pass from our lab in 2017 not only thanks to its robust build quality, fully modular enclosure, solid rails and RGB illumination but also thanks to its smart fan which ensures almost silent operation even at 80% load. Unfortunately in order to use the RGB feature of the P7-850W you will either need to get the P7-Hub by Aerocool or be one of the lucky owners of one of the very few mainboards currently in the market with RGB headers on them. I have no idea as to the why Aerocool didn’t choose to release an P7-850W & P7-Hub bundle for people who may not have one of those mainboards (or one of their cases that come with that hub) but I sincerely hope they do so at some point. Also the 7 year warranty Aerocool covers the P7-850W with is among the longest we’ve seen to date and so that too also a very strong selling point.

    Currently the Project 7 850W Platinum Power Supply Unit (P7-850W) by Aerocool retails for USD179.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 171.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). At first this may seem set quite high but in reality this price tag lands the P7-850W right in the middle of similar (yet not RGB illuminated) 850W 80 Plus Platinum Certified models like the SuperNOVA 850 P2 by EVGA and the HX850i by Corsair. At the end of the day it all comes down to whether or not RGB illumination is important to you (don’t forget that unless you have a compatible mainboard you will need to spend more to get Aerocool’s P7-Hub) but if it is then the Project 7 850W Platinum PSU by Aerocool is the obvious way to go and that’s why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- RGB LED Fan
- Near Excellent Rail Stability
- Fully Modular
- Flat Cables
- Silent Up To 80%
- 7 Years Warranty
- 80 Plus Platinum Certified
- Electrical Protections

CONS

- RGB Header Required (Extra P7 Hub Or Compatible Mainboard)
- Price (For Some)