Cougar G800 GX-Series 800W Power Supply Review
Jake Sedge / 13 years ago
It is always great to review a power supply from a brand you have never reviewed before as you never know quite what to expect. However, once you read the company’s profile, you have a good clue as to what the unit will be like. The performance and quality of this unit is very similar, and in some cases, surpasses that of Enermax with an exterior design rivalled only by XFX’s units- a perfect blend of aesthetics and performance. I was extremely impressed with what Cougar has brought to the table, I always have a lot of respect for companies that produce their own PSUs rather than using an OEM, and Cougar has succeeded in utilising their knowledge in producing PSUs to bring us an enthusiast-level unit that rivals the quality of some of the most established PSU manufactures in the business and blow them away in terms of aesthetics.
This unit is quite clearly aimed at the gamers and is also a great option for enthusiasts. The aesthetics makes this unit a very good option for gamers wanting a fantastic looking system using the finish of this unit to compliment the rest of the system rather than being a black box that sits in the corner. When it comes to performance, the unit seems to be aimed more at enthusiasts with fantastic voltage regulation, high efficiency and outstanding ripple results. Something about this unit just seems to click, as if someone has finally made the PSU that people are looking for!
As with most performance units, the only issue is the price. At around £140 it is priced dangerously close the similarly specced Corsair HCP-850 and about £10 more than similar quality PSUs that hold 80+ Gold certificates meaning that it will be a tough choice. My advice would be that if you are looking for a PSU for a windowed case, especially in a Raven 3 or with a gold-accented Gigabyte motherboard, this PSU is worth it for the aesthetics alone. If you want high performance and efficiency, then the Cougar GX800 is also a solid choice, but you may want to consider alternatives in a similar price range if aesthetics aren’t a real priority. All in all, Cougar has introduced me to a power supply that outperforms many of the most established brands out there which also looks beautiful- a killer combination!