Packaging

The box is quite big and features nice graphics. At the front are an interesting shot of the unit and its model number. A badge near the bottom-left corner states that this unit is compatible with Intel's fresh Haswell CPUs, and the 80 Plus Bronze badge sits in the top-right corner of the front.


You will find a features description in one of the most popular languages, Spanish, on this side. For the record: Spanish is as popular as English!


Cougar speaks of extreme performance on this side. Well, we will see whether that statement holds true during our test sessions later on in our review.


The rear holds some pretty interesting information, including a brief features description in four languages, the power specifications, and a table depicting all available connectors of every CMX units. Two graphs also show the efficiency curve and this unit's fan speed throughout its entire load range. Cougar even speaks of Japanese capacitors on this side, but they don't specify whether this is in reference to the main APFC cap only or all caps of the secondary side—the latter are of greater importance since they suppress ripple and provide cleaner DC outputs.

Contents

Packing foam sheets protect the PSU, so we are very satisfied by the provided protection. The unit is also stored in a black bag, which adds a luxurious note to the CMX850W V3's overall first impression.


The bundle includes an AC power cord, fixing bolts, a user's manual, the modular cables, and several zip ties.

Exterior

This unit looks pretty nice because of its quality finish and the unique coloring scheme Cougar applied. Cougar's logo in the middle of the fan grill also looks really cool, adding some heft to the design. The large on/off switch is at the front, next to the AC receptacle, while the PCIe sockets at the rear are distinguished from the peripheral ones by their red color. There is no grommet around the cable-exit hole, but round edges make the use of one redundant.


The PSU's large dimensions because of a length of 18 cm won't pose a problem with most modern cases. Many users with a windowed case will also appreciate its nice finish and coloring scheme because it is a nice visual addition one can glean through the window of a case.


Cougar chose a weird mixture of cables. All native cables are normal, round, and sleeved, while the modular cables are flat but not ribboned. To be frank, we don't like this particular type of flat cable because it looks rather odd and is rigid enough to cause you trouble during the cable management process. We would definitely prefer the flat cables most manufacturers utilize. We have so far only come across this particular type of cable in Cougar and FSP products.