Introduction

We would like to thank CaseKing.de for supplying the review sample.

NZXT is a company that targets mostly gamers, who known for their high demands and also want pretty looks. Here you should be wondering what looks has to do in a PSU; well if you have a case with a side panel even the PSU counts in the system’s total picture.

Without any doubt NZXT’s HALE90 series units enjoy a really cool look with the white paintjob and the white fans. Also NZXT decided to make their first entry into the PSU market not with a mainstream product but with a high-end one. So all HALE90 members feature 80 PLUS Gold efficiency (at their release time Gold was the highest efficiency level), utilize a modular cabling design, are equipped with an ultra-silent fan and finally have a single +12V rail so you don’t have to bother in which socket to connect each modular cable. In fact in an effort to make the modular connections even easier, all sockets are the same so you can connect any cable to any socket of the modular panel. This is really convenient and simplifies the modular connection procedure.

Several months ago we had reviewed the HALE90 750W and were quite satisfied with it. In today’s review we will take a detailed look at its bigger brother, the HALE90 850W, which is the second strongest unit of the series after the 1000W one. With the six PCIe connectors it has it can support up to three VGAs with two power inputs so it will cover most gamers out there.

Specifications

The unit is 80 PLUS Gold certified and features almost all protections with only OTP (Over Temperature Protection) missing. Unfortunately NZXT doesn't provide any information about the operating temperatures at which the PSU can deliver continuous full power so in our tests we will stay close to 45°C ambient and not 50°C. Its cooling fan uses ball bearings, something that guarantees long lifespan and NZXT promises very low noise output. The length of the unit is quite large at 180mm but most contemporary chassis will support it without problems. ATX compliance is limited to 2.2 since this unit has only one +12V rail and the most recent ATX spec (2.31) demands at least two. The warranty of the unit is quite long at five years, although some competitors provide seven years and, finally, the high price puts it in the high-end 850W category where competition is really tough.


There is only one +12V rail which is able to deliver almost the full power of the unit, since DC-DC converters are used for the minor rails' generation. Speaking of the minor rails, their total combined power is low compared to other 850W PSUs but this is not a problem since in a contemporary system you are not going to need more. As for the 5VSB rail, it has sufficient power with 3A max.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

The unit is equipped with many cables/connectors which are more than sufficient for its capacity. However we have one objection here: why are there three 6-pin PCIe connectors and three 8-pin ones. Why divide the PCIe connectors in groups of three while every high-end VGA out there has two PCIe inputs which share the same number of pins (usually eight). According to our opinion NZXT/SuperFlower should use only 8-pin PCIe connectors and ditch the 6-pin ones. Cable length is decent, even though we would like to see an additional 50 mm cable length on the module PCIe cables. Finally, except the 24-pin ATX and the two EPS connectors which use thicker 16AWG wires all other connectors are equipped with 18AWG gauges.

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

Packaging

The fancy white box looks cool and in the front there is a small window with view to the PSU's white fan. The capacity along with the warranty period are easily distinguished while in the top right corner there are several badges including the one for 80 PLUS Gold efficiency. On the rear side of the box there is a fan shot of the unit and some info about the most crucial features along with a cables/connectors description. Here you will also find the power specifications table. On one of the two packaging sides there are two pretty interesting graphs showing the unit's efficiency curve and the noise level of the cooling fan. The latter, even at full load, outputs under 35 dBA noise according to NZXT so it must be quite inaudible.