Six years ago Corsair first entered the PSU market with the HX520W and HX620W, both of which products were marked as a great success for the company. Today the company offers six series of power supplies, but the HX series remains alive. In fact, Corsair updated its highly respected Professional Series HX range in June 2012. The notable upgrades include 80 PLUS Gold certification, providing up to 90% energy-efficiency, and significantly lower noise levels. The new HX line also now features a silent fanless operation mode at low loads, so when your PC is in an idle state the power supply fan doesn't need to run! The best part about all the improvements is that the updated Corsair HX PSUs are available at the same price points as the outgoing models.

The new Corsair Professional Series HX range began shipping in August and is available in 650W, 750W, 850W and 1050W wattage ratings. Corsair designed the HX series for gaming rigs, overclocking systems, or any PC where rock-solid stability is essential. In this review we are taking a crack at testing the new HX850 power supply, which runs $154.99 after a $15 mail-in rebate.