NZXT E Series 650 W Review

Name: NZXT E Series 650 W
Brand: NZXT

crmaris

on Jan 30th, 2019,

in Power Supplies.

Manufacturer: NZXT

Protection Features Evaluation, DC Power Sequencing & EMC Pre-Compliance Testing »

Advanced Transient Response Tests

In these tests, we monitor the response of the PSU in two different scenarios. First, a transient load (10 A at +12V, 5 A at 5V, 5 A at 3.3V, and 0.5 A at 5VSB) is applied to the PSU for 200 ms while the latter is working at 20% load. In the second scenario, the PSU, while working at 50% load, is hit by the same transient load. In both tests, we measure the voltage drops the transient load causes using our oscilloscope. The voltages should remain within the regulation limits defined by the ATX specification.

We should note that the ATX specification asks for capacitive loading during transient tests. However, in our methodology, our worst-case scenario is done with no extra capacitance on the rails. Although the ATX specification asks for capacitance, your system (the mainboard and other parts) may not provide it, so we have to keep that scenario in mind as well.

Advanced Transient Response 20% - 5 Hz
Voltage	Before	After	Change	Pass/Fail
12 V	12.035V	11.920V	0.96%	Pass
5 V	4.987V	4.831V	3.13%	Pass
3.3 V	3.335V	3.181V	4.62%	Pass
5VSB	5.096V	5.043V	1.04%	Pass

Advanced Transient Response 50% - 5 Hz
Voltage	Before	After	Change	Pass/Fail
12 V	12.024V	11.916V	0.90%	Pass
5 V	4.985V	4.820V	3.31%	Pass
3.3 V	3.331V	3.168V	4.89%	Pass
5VSB	5.062V	5.006V	1.11%	Pass

Transient response at +12V is fine, but the same cannot be said of the 5V and 3.3V rails. The 3.3V even has its voltage drop well below 3.2V in both tests, making it the worst performer of the bunch. The good news is that the unit manages to successfully pass these tests; however, we would like to see lower deviations.

Below are the oscilloscope screenshots we took during Advanced Transient Response testing.

Transient Response at 20% Load

Transient Response at 50% Load

Turn-On Transient Tests

We measure the response of the PSU in simpler scenarios of transient load during the power-on phase of the PSU in the next set of tests. In the first test, we turn the PSU off, dial the maximum current the 5VSB can output, and then switch on the PSU. In the second test, we dial the maximum load +12V can handle and start the PSU while the PSU is in standby mode. In the last test, while the PSU is completely switched off (we cut off power or switch the PSU off by flipping its on/off switch), we dial the maximum load the +12V rail can handle before switching the PSU on from the loader and restoring power. The ATX specification states that recorded spikes on all rails should not exceed 10% of their nominal values (e.g., +10% for 12V is 13.2V and 5.5V for 5V).

Ripple Measurements

Ripple Measurements - NZXT NP-1PM-E650A
Test	12 V	5 V	3.3 V	5VSB	Pass/Fail
10% Load	11.1 mV	6.0 mV	5.1 mV	4.2 mV	Pass
20% Load	15.4 mV	6.9 mV	5.8 mV	4.7 mV	Pass
30% Load	18.1 mV	7.1 mV	6.7 mV	5.0 mV	Pass
40% Load	20.6 mV	8.7 mV	7.1 mV	5.3 mV	Pass
50% Load	22.1 mV	9.4 mV	8.5 mV	5.6 mV	Pass
60% Load	22.4 mV	9.9 mV	8.7 mV	6.0 mV	Pass
70% Load	20.9 mV	9.9 mV	8.5 mV	6.1 mV	Pass
80% Load	20.5 mV	9.9 mV	10.0 mV	7.0 mV	Pass
90% Load	21.7 mV	10.0 mV	10.4 mV	7.1 mV	Pass
100% Load	24.3 mV	10.4 mV	10.6 mV	7.1 mV	Pass
110% Load	26.7 mV	10.1 mV	10.9 mV	7.5 mV	Pass
Crossload 1	14.2 mV	9.2 mV	9.7 mV	5.8 mV	Pass
Crossload 2	24.4 mV	7.4 mV	6.4 mV	6.7 mV	Pass