Thermaltake claims that the working efficiency of the Toughpower 850w can reach up to 87%, thanks to a new design that makes use of top grade components. As was to be expected, the 850w does carry a price premium simply because such highly rated units are hard to come by. At roughly $260, we still consider the Toughpower 850w as a reasonably priced unit for its output and quality. There are also cheaper 750w, 700w, 650w, 600w and 550w versions of this power supply. Those that think 850 watts are just not enough, can also turn to the insane 1000w and 1200w versions.

Despite being rated for such an extreme output, Thermaltake claims a very quiet operating volume for the 850w unit, thanks to the use of a single 140mm fan (16dB at 1300-RPM). The unit features a single 20/24-pin power connector, one 4/8-pin power connector, dual PCI Express connectors, eight 4-pin connectors, two 4-pin floppy connectors and eight Serial ATA connectors. Furthermore, the unit features independent voltage circuit, over current, over voltage, short-circuit protection and Active PFC.

Out of the box the unit offers a total of eight 4-pin power connectors, one 4-pin +12V power connector, one 24-pin main connector, eight 5-pin SATA connectors, two 4-pin floppy drive connectors, one 8-pin EPS connector and two 6-pin PCI Express connectors. The 6-pin PCI Express connectors are designed to power graphics cards that require additional power. Given that this power supply features two of these connectors, suggests that Thermaltake believe it can tackle SLI and CrossFire enabled systems.

The unit itself weighs 2.4kg which is normal for a high-end power supply of this quality. The dimensions of course meet the ATX specification, measuring 16cm (L) x 15cm (W) x 8.5cm (H). The Toughpower 850w power supply does feature a modular design and therefore the only cables connected to the unit permanently are the 24-pin, 4-pin and 8-pin power cables. The rest of the cables can be added as the user requires them and in total there are seven cables featuring SATA, 4-pin, Floppy Disk Drive and PCI Express connectors.