XPG Core Reactor II VE 850W Power Supply Impressions

The release of the new PCI-SIG ATX 3.1 guidelines and the introduction of the safer 12V-2×6 power connector design have prompted PSU makers to update their recent products with newer versions. Since the new standard is compatible with existing designs, it takes little effort for manufacturers to provide a safer and more robust platform that ensures stable power delivery to your PCs all the while tackling issues such as high power variances, spikes, and most importantly, safeguard from some of the troubles that were encountered with previous 16-pin connector designs. As such, XPG has rolled out its new Core Reactor II VE series.

XPG Core Reactor II VE 850W 80 Plus Gold PSU Specifications

The unit we have with us today is the ADATA XPG Core Reactor II VE 850W which is an 80 Plus Gold-rated PSU that delivers up to 87% efficiency when running at full load. It also comes in a fully modular design and is both Cybernetics LAMBDA / ETA certified with ratings of Platinum and A-, respectively. The maximum power excursion of the PSU is rated at up to 235% of the PSU’s rated power for 100us (1997W).

Coming to the specifications, the XPG Core Reactor II VE 850W 80 Plus Gold PSU offers a maximum DC output of 850 Watts and an active PFC. The PSU is fully compliant with Intel’s C6 & C7 power states and has an operating temp of up to 40C while the Japanese bulk capacitors are rated at up to 450V & 105C. The PSU is fully IEC/EN 62638 certified. The whole unit weighs at 1.45kg.

Some protection features that you get on the XPG Core Reactor II ATX 3.0 series PSUs include:

• Over Current Protection (OCP)
• Over Voltage Protection (OVP)
• Under Voltage Protection (UVP)
• Over Power Protection (OPP)
• Short Circuit Protection (SCP)
• Over Temperature Protection (OTP)
• No Load Operation (NLO)
• Surge & Inrush Protection (SIP)

The cooling is provided by a top-mounted semi-fanless FDB 120mm fan. The fan itself is a non-PWM and fluid dynamic bearing design. XPG ships its Core Reactor II VE series PSUs with a 7-year warranty and is currently listed for a price of $119 US which is $20 more than the standard ATX 3.0 offering.

Some main features of the XPG Core Reactor II VE series include:

• ATX 3.1 Compatible
• 12V-2×6 Connector
• DC-DC Circuit Design
• Low Ripple Noise Design
• >15ms Hold Up Time
• 8 Industrial Protections
• 140mm Length
• 135mm fluid dynamic bearing (FDB) fan
• Fully modular cabling design

XPG Core Reactor II VE 850W 80 Plus Gold PSU Unboxing & Close-Up

The XPG Core Reactor II VE comes in a large red-colored package with a picture of the PSU on the front along with the XPG brand ambassador, Mera (an anime character).

The back side also offers a list of features which we have detailed above. You can see the various cables and connectors that come with the package along with its specifications.

Opening the package reveals the PSU itself, along with a pouch that includes all the cables, and case stickers.

The PSU itself is packaged in a plastic cover.

This is a 140mm chassis which makes it small and easier to manage within crammed-up PC cases. The exact dimensions of the PSU are 140x150x86mm.

Keeping the design simple, we get the power-in plug and the power on/off switch at the back. The large exhaust vents are also here to push hot air out of the PSU chassis.

Now depending on how you use the PSU, the bottom panel reads the specifications and power ratings. The PSU is rated to output a maximum of 70.8A and 850W through the 12V rails.

The sides of the PSU have the XPG Core Reactor II VE labels.

Coming to the connectors, there are 1 PCIe 12+4 (12V-2×6), five PCI-e 6+2-pin connectors, an ATX 24-pin (14+10 pin) connector, and two 4-pin Molex connectors.

The cables within the packaging pouch include the ATX 20+4 pin, a 600mm 12V-2×6 cable, two 8-pin CPU cables, 4 PCIe 8-pin cables, and 3 Peripheral cables.

Lastly, we have the 120mm fan which has various profiles that enable it to run in quiet mode when the load is low and ramp up the fan speed when required.

Impressions

It’s good to see that PSU makers have been adopting the latest PCI-SIG standards as soon as they are announced. The last ATX 3.0 standard was designed to meet the requirements of existing CPU and GPU designs but a newer standard was quickly formulated to ensure stable power delivery & higher efficiency along with a more robust and safe power connector layout in the form of the ATX 3.1 standard and the 12V-2×6 connectors. The new standard is compatible with existing PSUs is what has made companies roll out their latest products so early in the market and can be easily bought from store shelves today.

XPG’s Core Reactor II VE series are the ATX 3.1 update to the Core Reactor II series, offering safer operation, in a fully modular design that even comes with 600mm in 12V-2×6 cable length to ensure easy compatibility with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 40 GPUs and the price makes them a choice worth considering in the $100 US range.