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Check out the C1000 Gold review HERE and the C1200 Gold review HERE.
It has been some time since we took an in-depth look at an NZXT branded power supply and today we look at an 850 Watt unit in their new Gold-certified range. NZXT are well known for selling white components so it made sense for them to update this range of power supplies. These units are fully modular, ATX 3.1 compatible and they ship with high grade Japanese capacitors. NZXT are backing them with a 10 year warranty.
NZXT told us that availability of these white versions is slated for the end of September, and there are three units up for sale in both black and white colours. A pricing update on all these is below for reference.
It is interesting to see that the white version has the same price as the black version in the UK, but the USA price is $5 more expensive. These figures below were sent directly from NZXT – we can't check white PSU prices as the units are not yet available.
MSRP:
Black
C1200 Gold: $199.99/£184.99
C1000 Gold: $179.99/£169.99
C850 Gold: $144.99/£139.99
White
C1200 Gold: $204.99/£184.99
C1000 Gold: $184.99/£169.99
C850 Gold: $149.99/£139.99
Features of the C Series Gold
Premium Performance. Low Noise
- Certified for high efficiency and low noise: 80 PLUS Gold Efficiency, Cybenetics Gold Efficiency, and Cybenetics A- Noise Level.
- Durable, heat-resistant 12V-2×6 connector pumps up to 600 Watts to NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 40 Series graphics cards.
- 135mm fluid dynamic bearing fan with Zero RPM Fan Mode is completely silent when under 50% load.
Made for Any Build
- Compliant with the ATX 3.1 standard to fuel high-performance PC components with stability, efficiency, and power spike resistance.
- Fully modular design allows for only connecting essential cables, reducing clutter for better airflow and a neater build.
- The compact size optimizes case space.
- Modern standby promotes quick wake-ups and energy-efficient sleeps.
- Thanks to high-quality construction and rigorous product testing, NZXT PSUs are backed by a 10-year warranty.
- New all-white finish with white sleeve cables available to better match all white builds.
Kudos to NZXT for creating proper artwork for these boxes and not using a universal box for both black and white versions. The front of the box lists some key selling points such as the ATX 3.1 compatibility, the 10 year warranty and the 80 Plus Gold badge. I was a little surprised not to see a Gold Cybenetics badge on the box as we know it was certified by them as well. Hopefully they add this later.
The rear of the box covers some topics we have already discussed such as the use of Japanese capacitors, the Gold certification and modular design. There is mention of an FDB fan (Fluid Dynamic Bearing) and the fact it will stay disabled under 50% load. More on this shortly.
The box contains a cool looking purple bag of cables, alongside the power supply which is protected between slabs of foam. This is always good to see as some power supplies we have reviewed lately are just shipping inside the outer cardboard box without any kind of shipping protection.
Inside the purple bag the cables are wrapped up in plastic wrap, along with a power cable and some screws. The cable quality is pretty good and we are pleased to see NZXT didn't cheap out and supply black cables in the box!
| NZXT C850 Cables | |
| 24-Pin ATX Power Cablex | x1 |
| 4+4-pin CPU Power Cable |
x1
|
| 8-pin CPU Power Cable |
x1
|
| 6+2-pin PCIe Power Cable |
x3
|
| 16-pin (12+4) 12V-2×6 PCIe Cable | x1 |
| SATA Cable | x12 |
| Peripherals Cable | x4 |
| 6-32 Screws | x4 |
| AC Power Cord | x1 |
| NZXT C850 Cable length | |
| 24-Pin ATX Power Cable | 600mm with nylon sleeving |
| 4+4-pin CPU Power Cable |
700mm with nylon sleeving
|
| 8-pin CPU Power Cable | 700mm with nylon sleeving |
| 6+2-pin PCIe Power Cable | 650mm with nylon sleeving |
| 16-pin (12+4) 12V-2×6 PCIe Cable | 650mm with nylon sleeving |
| SATA Cable | 500 mm + 150mm |
| Peripherals Cable | 500 mm + 150mm |
The NZXT C850 power supply measures 150mm x 85mm x 160mm (WxHxD) with a weight of around 1.83kg. This is a very nicely put together power supply with a simple appearance to suit a variety of white builds.
It's nice to see that NZXT have included a white fan to fall in line with the overall aesthetic. NZXT have also added a chrome bar along one side with some ‘NZXT' branding. It is good to see they have kept the holes large around the fan so as not to impede airflow.
The modular bay is split over two rows with each section clearly labelled for ease of use during the installation phase.
On the other side is a power connector slot, a power switch and a zero fan button. This switch enables the fan to be disabled under lighter loads, until a specific temperature is reached.
The power supply is able to deliver 70.83A to the +12V rail, along with 22A to both +3.3V and +5V rails.
We like to see Hong Hua Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) fans in power supplies. FDB fans are great for power supplies as they combine great performance against reasonable costs. This is the first white one I think I have seen! This fan is a HA13525H12SF-Z rated at 2,300rpm, 0.5A 12 VDC. This series of fans is used quite often in higher quality units we test.
There is a small plastic flap on the side of the fan to direct the airflow specifically over the heatsinks and components underneath.
NZXT are using CWT as their OEM of choice for this unit. It is a fairly common place design – a half bridge topology on the primary side with an LLC resonant converter. On the secondary side a synchronous system rectifies the 12V rail via Infineon FETs along with DC-DC converters to generate the minor rails.
The soldering quality is high and the overall design uses high quality components throughout. The primary caps are 105C-rated Japanese, with 2x 560uF 420V high grade Nichicon employed – for a total of 1120uF.
Correctly testing power supplies is a complex procedure and KitGuru have configured a test bench which can deliver up to a 2,000 Watt DC load. We run at 35c in our environment to greater reflect warmer internal chassis conditions.
We use combinations of the following hardware:
• SunMoon SM-268
• CSI3710A Programmable DC load (+3.3V and +5V outputs)
• CSI3711A Programmable DC load (+12V1, +12V2, +12V3, and +12V4)
• Extech Power Analyzer
• Extech MultiMaster MM570 digital multimeter
• Extech digital sound level meter
• Digital oscilloscope (20M S/s with 12 Bit ADC)
• Variable Autotransformer, 1.4 KVA
We test in a single +12V configuration.
|
DC Output Load Regulation
|
||||||||||
|
Combined DC Load |
+3.3V
|
+5V
|
+12V
|
+5VSB
|
-12V | |||||
|
A
|
V
|
A
|
V
|
A
|
V
|
A
|
V
|
A | V | |
|
85W
|
0.95
|
3.33
|
0.92
|
5.02
|
6.00
|
12.11
|
0.50
|
5.01
|
0.20 | -12.02 |
|
170W
|
1.70
|
3.33
|
1.67
|
5.02
|
12.35
|
12.10
|
1.00
|
5.01
|
0.20 | -12.02 |
|
425W
|
3.00
|
3.33
|
3.05
|
5.02
|
32.20
|
12.08
|
1.50
|
5.00
|
0.30 | -12.02 |
| 640W | 4.05 | 3.33 | 4.05 | 5.02 | 49.00 | 12.07 | 2.00 | 5.00 | 0.30 | -12.02 |
|
850W
|
5.00
|
3.33
|
5.23
|
5.02
|
65.52
|
12.07
|
2.50
|
5.00
|
0.50 | -12.01 |
Load regulation is pretty good overall.
| NZXT C850 | Maximum Load |
| 1030W |
We managed to get the power supply to deliver 1030W before it would shut down, delivering around 200W more than rated specifications.
Next we want to try Cross Loading. This basically means loads which are not balanced. If a PC for instance needs 500W on the +12V outputs but something like 30W via the combined 3.3V and +5V outputs then the voltage regulation can fluctuate badly.
| Cross Load Testing | +3.3V | +5V | +12V | -12V | +5VSB | |||||
| A | V | A | V | A | V | A | V | A | V | |
| 760W | 1.0 | 3.33 | 1.0 | 5.01 | 60.0 | 12.07 | 0.2 | -12.01 | 0.50 | 5.00 |
| 165W | 15.0 | 3.32 | 18.0 | 5.01 | 2.0 | 12.09 | 0.2 | -12.01 | 0.50 | 5.01 |
The power supply dealt with the demanding cross load test without any major concerns.
We then used an oscilloscope to measure AC ripple and noise present on the DC outputs. We set the oscilloscope time base to check for AC ripple at both high and low ends of the spectrum.
ATX12V V2.2 specification for DC output ripple and noise is defined in the ATX 12V power supply design guide.
|
ATX12V Ver 2.2 Noise/Ripple Tolerance
|
|
|
Output
|
Ripple (mV p-p)
|
|
+3.3V
|
50
|
|
+5V
|
50
|
|
+12V1
|
120
|
|
+12V2
|
120
|
|
-12V
|
120
|
|
+5VSB
|
50
|
Obviously when measuring AC noise and ripple on the DC outputs the cleaner (less recorded) means we have a better end result. We measured this AC signal amplitude to see how closely the unit complied with the ATX standard.
| AC Ripple (mV p-p) | ||||
| DC Load | +3.3V | +5V | +12V | 5VSB |
| 100W | 5 | 7 | 10 | 5 |
| 225W | 7 | 8 | 12 | 6 |
| 450W | 8 | 8 | 14 | 7 |
| 675W | 8 | 9 | 17 | 8 |
| 850W | 10 | 11 | 21 | 9 |
Noise suppression is exceptional across +3.3V, +5V rails. The +12V rail results are excellent as well.
|
Efficiency (%) 240V
|
|
|
100W
|
89.5
|
|
225W
|
91.7
|
|
450W
|
93.2
|
|
675W
|
92.6
|
| 850W | 90.4 |
The efficiency results are really good, peaking at around 93% between 45-55% load, and dropping to around 90.5% at full load. Super results for a Gold rated unit and not too far from Platinum levels.
We take the issue of noise very seriously at KitGuru and this is why we have built a special home brew system as a reference point when we test noise levels of various components. Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on components we are testing. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.
Today to test the power supply we have taken it into our acoustics room environment and have set our Digital Sound Level Noise Decibel Meter Style 2 one meter away from the unit. We have no other fans running so we can effectively measure just the noise from the unit itself.
As this can be a little confusing for people, here are various dBa ratings in with real world situations to help describe the various levels.
KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refrigerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 Player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum
|
Noise (dBA)
|
|
|
100W
|
<28
|
|
225W
|
<28
|
|
450W
|
30.1
|
|
675W
|
33.7
|
| 850W | 37.8 |
Hong Hua always score well in our noise output tests and this unit is no exception. Even at full load the fan, while audible, is very quiet.
|
Temperature (c)
|
||
|
Intake
|
Exhaust
|
|
|
100W
|
37
|
42
|
|
225W
|
38
|
46
|
|
450W
|
40
|
51
|
|
675W
|
45
|
58
|
|
850W
|
46
|
62
|
Temperatures inside the chassis are pretty good.
|
Maximum load
|
Efficiency
|
|
1030W
|
89.6
|
At 1030 Watts, this unit managed to deliver efficiency at 89.6%.
The NZXT C850 is an exceptional power supply and performed flawlessly during our tests over the last couple of weeks. The fully modular design and lovely white appearance will appeal to a wide audience of enthusiast system builders. Under load it is very quiet and the quality of power it delivers is first class.
Technically this CWT-partnered power supply is very good. It handled the cross load test well and has exhibited no issues under extended loads with high end components. Ripple suppression rates as one of the best we have tested in years. Efficiency also scores highly, exceeding Gold certification in our testing. We know the unit also passed Cybenetics Gold approval, even if the logo is not visible on the front of the box for some reason. Perhaps we got an early box and retail versions will be changed.
While we can't find this unit for sale just yet in the United Kingdom, NZXT told us the price at launch will be £139.99 in the United Kingdom and based on what I was told they are not charging any extra for the white version with the matching white cables. According to pricing details we got from NZXT (below), the USA prices for the white versions of the three units are $5 more.
MSRP:
Black
C1200 Gold: $199.99/£184.99
C1000 Gold: $179.99/£169.99
C850 Gold: $144.99/£139.99
White
C1200 Gold: $204.99/£184.99
C1000 Gold: $184.99/£169.99
C850 Gold: $149.99/£139.99
Based on today's ‘average' costs for an 850W gold rated supply, this is priced at the higher end of the market. I do however personally feel the cost is justified. From first impressions of even the box artwork, unit build quality and white cabling, to the technical testing, this power supply is one of the best in its sector. The internal design and use of quality high grade Japanese components will ensure it will last a long time. NZXT also back this PSU up with a 10 year warranty for added peace of mind.
These units should hit the UK market at the end of September.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
Pros:
- Capable of high levels of power for sustained periods.
- Quality 105C Nichicon capacitors.
- Great build quality.
- Quiet operation thanks to Fluid Dynamic Bearing fan.
- Fully modular.
- 10 year warranty.
- White cabling – high quality cables too.
- Class leading load regulation.
Cons:
- It's a higher cost unit.
KitGuru says: This is one of the best power supplies on the market under £150. It exceeds Gold rated levels, is quiet even under high loads and is fully modular. The use of high grade 105C-rated Japanese components will ensure long life under demanding conditions. The build quality, white finish with matching white cables is the icing on the cake.
