Introduction

We would like to thank Cooler Master for supplying the review sample.

The Silent Pro M2 PSU series includes middle range PSUs with interesting features that won't cost you a fortune. This series is the successor of the successful Silent Pro M one which, after enough years on the market, was in need of some upgrades to keep up with the competition. In the past, we have reviewed the Silent Pro M2 1000 W PSU, and its performance left us quite satisfied. In this review, we are going to take a detailed look at the Silent Pro M2 850 W. It lacks 150 W of power but utilizes the same cabling configuration as its bigger brother. This means that it comes with six PCIe connectors, along with two EPS ones, allowing it to support systems with up to three high-end GPUs installed.

Other noteworthy features of the Silent Pro M2 850 W include 80 Plus Silver certified efficiency, a good quality fan that promises low noise output, a modular cabling system and a five-year warranty. Another interesting feature of this PSU are the copper-aluminum heat sinks used in its internals, which assist in removing the heat faster from the mosfets, allowing the fan to spin at lower RPMs. All the above is available at a good price since you can find this PSU online for $124.99 (VAT excluded). Most PSUs at this price range are of Bronze efficiency, with only a few of them featuring six PCIe connectors. This makes the Silent Pro M2 850 W a really interesting option. It will probably earn a recommendation if it manages to perform well in our tests.

Specifications

Efficiency is 80 Plus Silver certified, while most PSUs in this category have Bronze efficiency. Enhance, the OEM of this unit, states that the maximum operating temperature is only 40°C, while we have tested many of their platforms in the past that could operate flawlessly up to 50°C. So, while testing this unit, we are going to crank up the heat inside the hotbox. If something goes wrong, OTP (Over Temperature Protection) will save the day. Thankfully, Enhance is the only OEM that equips almost all of their platforms with OTP.
The dimensions of the PSU are a little bigger than the standard. Thanks to the 180 mm depth, its weight is increased as well. Finally, its warranty is set to five years - a long period especially for this price category.


There is a single +12V rail which can deliver over 800 W of power. The minor rails are also very strong since they can output 180 W max power combined. However, such a high capacity on the minor rails will, most likely, be left unexploited in contemporary systems. Finally, the 5VSB rail can deliver up to 3A, a sufficient power level for the PSU category.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

The PSU has more than enough connectors for its capacity - all of them are installed on extra-long cables. Even full-tower cases won't have compatibility problems. The only thing that may cause headaches to the future buyer of this unit is the short distance among the 4 pin connectors, only 100 mm. We would like it to see at least 150 mm space among them.
Another detail that we must mention is that the few native cables are fully sleeved, while all modular ones are flat (ribbon cables) - something very convenient during cable management tasks. Finally, the 24pin ATX connector, the two EPS and all PCIe ones, use 16AWG wires for lower voltage drops on them while all other connectors use the standard 18AWG gauges.

Since this PSU features a single +12V rail, we do not have anything to comment on about its power distribution.

Packaging

At the front side of the package, the series description is highlighted by lightnings and bolts. In the top right corner, we find two badges for the Silver efficiency and the five year warranty. In the bottom corners, CM mentions the capacity of the unit along with some of its noteworthy features.


At one of the two sides, a table is given with the specifications of the unit along with a smaller table describing the power distribution of the rails. At the top side of the box, we find only the series description and Cooler Master's logo in a purple background.


At the rear side, there are only two graphs, showing the efficiency and fan voltage/speed curves along with a brief, multilingual, featured description. There is, usually much more information about the product on this side, but CM apparently didn't want to add any more details onto the packaging.