Drop And Give Me 850, Soldier!

Product: Commander 850w PSU
Company: InWin
MSRP: $250

Today’s computers, especially gaming rigs, have become power-hungry beasts. I can attest to this by sheer fact that I have 3 power rigs in my office running multi-core processors, multi-core graphics cards and even multiple graphics cards. Today we’re taking a look at the Commander Series 850w PSU from InWin. As with all electronics I receive for review, the Commander PSU sat for a nice, long 72-hour total burn-in period to test its durability and heat. How did it hold up? You’ll just have to read on to find out.

Right out of the box you’ll note InWin’s usual sleek and stylish look. The gunmetal colouring for the Commander series accompanied by the military yellow stencil paint work actually make this a Power Supply Unit that’s nice to look at as well as to use. The functionality didn’t take second fiddle to the form for the Commander PSU either.

The product specs for the Commander 850w PSU are sure to cover many gamers or high-end PC users and their needs for up-to-date desktop machines:

• 14cm Silent Fan (and I do mean silent)
• 4 separate 12v rails: 2x 18A, 2x 30A
• AC Input: 100-120 VAC 47Hz-63Hz 10A5A
• ATX Form Factor 12v, Max Output 850w
• 2x 8-pin (6+2) PCI-E Cable
• 2x 4-pin Molex Cable
• 2x SATA Power Cable
• 1x 8-pin CPU Power Cable
• Full Protection: Over Volt, Over Current, Under Current, Short Circuit
• Independent Voltage Circuit

The modular cable system is something that is really refreshing in current computers. Sure, it’s offered by several manufacturers but it’s really something that I wish all manufacturers would take in as an industry standard. As the inner workings of our computers move more and more to clean styles and even something that we pride ourselves in showing off, having the option to remove superfluous, unused cables is always a plus. With the modular cable system on the Commander 850w you use the cable connections you need by simply plugging them into the PSU itself.

After running for 72 straight hours on a PC running an Intel Q6600 and dual Nvidia 9800 GTs, the Commander ran like a champ and was still relatively cool to the touch. Of course, this 72 hour burn-in was more than just leaving the computer on. As a matter of fact the test PC was left running 3dMark05 in a concurrent loop for the entire run.

Normally, I like to balance the good and the bad in my reviews as a pragmatic journalist. With the Commander 850w PSU I can only find one negative point: the price. Its MSRP of $240 is a bit steep, though you can easily find it at an average street price of around $200. Keep this in mind when looking at other 850w PSU on the market: Not every PSU comes with a modular cable system. This is a feature which you are paying for and for some of us it is well worth it.

The Review:

Design:

The design from InWin is superb. Not only is the modular cable system extremely useful, but the unit is also extremely well put together on top of being stylish. The cable management bag included in the box is another little cherry on top, perfect for storing unused cables for later use.

Price:

I would recommend a 15% price reduction or so for the PSU to be in line with the competition. This is definitely the weak link in the armour for the Commnder 850w. However, the price-point can be defended by the features offered and the quality of the build

Functionality:

Superb functionality is definitely a selling point for this PSU. It’s built like a brick, which is a good thing really. At no point did I feel that the casing or the cable connections were flimsy or cheap. More to the point, everything felt extremely well put together and powerfully sturdy.

The Good:

The stylish look almost makes you not want to tuck it away in your case. The modular cable system is a Godsend for someone like me who hates wading through pointless hordes of unused and dangling cables when working inside my desktop.

The Bad:

Nothing much really can be reported as “bad” on InWin’s Commander 850w PSU. To be fair, it’s hard to go wrong with Power Supply Units. Nonetheless, InWin avoided the few pitfalls there are in this area.

The Ugly:

The MSRP is going to be a tad steep for many consumers out there. This is especially so when there are extremely similar units being offered on the market for substantially less.

Overall:

The PSU is by far one of the most user-friendly units I have had to work with to date. And believe you me when I tell you that I’ve had these old hands in thousands of computers over my years of work. The look and function of the unit are top-notch, but may be taken down a few notches in the consumer’s eye by the price. With a little shopping, though, it is easy enough to find several retailers with a much lower street price.

Final Vote: 8/10