The typical hardware enthusiast has come a long way since I started doing these reviews 13 years ago.  When I first started doing this, the power supply was the last thing that was looked at.  Most of the time we never thought about it at all unless we had total power supply failure.  It really wasn't until video cards became more power demanding that we started paying more attention to what power supplies we purchased. These days, enthusiast understand the importance of a good power supply and the difference between a $50 PSU and a $200 one.  I'm sure there has been many good sticks of RAM and even video cards that were thrown away due to random crashes that turned out to be faulty power supplies. 

The technology that goes into a power supply has really changed in the last 13 years.  Today we are looking at a power supply that is 80plus gold certified.  The Gold certification means that the power supply is 90% efficient at 50% load and 87% efficient at 100% load.  Standard 80 Plus is 80% efficient at all loads.  Let's dig into the Lazer Gold 850 from Kingwin and see what its got.

Features

• Model: LZG-850
• Support Intel Core i5/Intel Core i7/Core 2 Quad/Core 2 Duo & AMD Phenom X4/Phenom X3/Athlon 64 X2 High Performance CPU
• Compliance with ATX 12V v2.2, EPS 12V v2.91, and SSI EPS 12V v2.92 Specification
• Crystal Cube Modular Plug w/ Patented Power Connector Cable Management System
• More than 2,000 Times ON/OFF Test
• 80 PLUS® Gold High Efficiency Power Supply Certified
• Full Range Design from 115V ~ 240V (Active PFC)
• 87%, 90% and 87% Efficiency @ 20%, 50% and 100% Load
• PCI-E 6Pin & 8(6+2) Pin Connector Satisfy High-End Graphic Card Requirement
• Over Power/Under Power/Over Voltage/Short Circuit Protections
• Stable + 12V Current
• 140MM Blue LED Fan
• Intelligent Auto Fan Speed Control
• Compatible with Crossfire/SLI/3 Way SLI