If you thought the packaging was unique, get a load of the power supply itself. We all know that some people may hate it while others (myself included) will give XFX a high five for creativity but one thing is certain: there is no other power supply on the market that looks quite like this. To be honest with you, pictures just don’t do its design elements or its amazing finish any justice. The green 135mm ADDA fan is definitely an eye-catcher as well. If initial impressions are anything to go by, this power supply may be one of the best available when it ends up going on sale sometime this month. Not only do it look absolutely stunning without being overly gaudy but it packs Seasonic underpinnings from a power supply that retails for $250 and more. Starting into such a competitive market is very much a sink or swim type of affair but judging from initial impressions, XFX seems to have everything it takes to be successful.

On a more personal note, I actually like the unique design used and it is nice to see a manufacturer who is willing to take a risk and break with tradition. All in all, XFX’s first foray into the power supply market can only be called a resounding success regardless of what you think of the colors they chose. The Black Edition 850W should have everything you could possibly want in a high-end power supply, comes with a 5-year warranty and won’t break your budget either. They wanted to stand out from the crowd and all we can say is “mission accomplished”.

The XFX 850W Black Edition came looking to make a splash, and ended up doing a cannonball big enough to just about drown the competition. Voltage regulation is nothing short of fantastic, efficiency is excellent, and ripple and noise is just about nonexistent. There are only a very few units able to compete with the performance of this machine, and I'm giving this unit the same performance score I gave them - 10.

XFX 850 W Black Edition is identical to Seasonic M12D 850 W, but with a more aggressive looks and costing a little bit less. XFX 850 W Black Edition achieved very high efficiency, achieving up to 87.8% during our tests. Voltage stability was another highlight,
with all positive voltages inside 3% of their nominal values. And finally we have noise and ripple, which were low all the time: noise level at +12 V was below 25% of the maximum allowed.<br />

XFX certainly have made a very impressive entry into the PSU sector. The Black Edition 850W unit not only provides outstanding overall performance but at the same time it also is very well designed and aesthetically impressive - this will appeal to modders or enthusiasts wanting to make an impression via a chassis window. The Black Edition 850W shows remarkable electrical efficiency which can reach up to 90% under typical load and never drops below 85% under any circumstances between 20% and 100% load. Summary: XFX have released one of the most impressive products we have ever tested in our labs. Due to the class leading electrical performance, creative design and eye catching styling it is deserving of our most coveted award.

The XFX Black Edition 850W performed admirably. The DC voltage load regulation was excellent, DC quality well within specification, and excellent efficiency of up to 89%. If you are in the market for a power supply to run any high end system with graphics cards in an SLI or Crossfire configuration, then I have no hesitation in highly recommending the XFX Black Edition 850W power supply.