NZXT HALE90 850w Review
Snow White and the 70 amps
Published: 1st October 2010 | Source: NZXT | Price: £152 |
Snow White and the 70 amps
So you've just bought a white PC case, carefully matched it with some white sleeving, white cable ties, white fans and even white cathodes. Everything looks great, That is, until you install that ugly looking black Power Supply!
You may think that the simple answer is just to whip out a can of spray paint and some old newspapers. However, for anyone who's tried this in the past you will know full well that it isn't as easy as it sounds. Stickers need to be removed, fan holes need to be masked off, warranties get voided. It's more hassle than its worth.
Luckily though, PSU manufacturers have been wising up to the modding scene over the past few years and making small quantities of PSU's in colours such as red, orange and blue to suit the main colours used by enthusiasts. But no white...until now.
Enter the NZXT Hale 850w.
Diving straight into some pictures of the unit removed from its snug packaging, we can see that NZXT have clearly invested in this units appearance. The powdercoated finish is snow white against our acrylic background and impressively NZXT have also managed to couple the unit with a perfectly colour matched white fan. The black grille and modular connectors add to the whole look while also giving NZXT good reason not to sleeve the cables white too.
The front of the unit features the usual power switch and kettle-lead style mains plug - both of which come in quite handy if you're planning on doing more than just admiring the PSU. While around the side of the unit we have the obligatory specification sticker sporting that all important gold 80Plus logo along with a load of other safety certifications and a rail layout chart (as replicated below).
| NZXT Hale 850w Rail Layout | ||||||||||
| DC Output | +3.3V | +5V | +12V1 | +12V2 | +12V3 | +12V4 | +12V5 | +12V6 | -12V | +5VSB |
| 24A | 24A | 70A | - | - | - | - | - | 0.5A | 3.0A | |
| Max Power | 120W | 840W | 6W | 15W | ||||||
| 850W | ||||||||||
Of course, packaging also plays a large part in the whole 'new product' experience, and as we can see below NZXT have kept things plain and professional with a simple white cardboard box printed with some basic red graphics. The front of the box also contains a small plastic window through which the PSU fan and grille can be seen.
At the back of the box is the full specifications list along with some small thumbnail images depicting seven of the PSU's main features. As taken from the NZXT website, these include:
• 80+ Gold certified: The HALE 90 series from NZXT operates at ultra high efficiency, at 20%, 50% and 100% loads, efficiencies are 87%, 90%, and 87% respectively.
• Single140mm two ball-bearing fan operates with minimal noise even at full load. Maximum decibel levels are 20db for wattages between 550-750W and 30db for 850W and above.
• Strong Single Rail Design: A single +12V rail provides stability and ease of use making the most out of your power supply. Offers stable & clean current delivery under heavy load.
• Modular cable design: Modular cable design allows the user to pick and choose which cables they want to use, optimizing cable management and airflow inside the chassis. Flat cables allow for easier routing and bending inside the computer chassis during wire management.
• 100% Japanese Capacitors: High quality components for longer life time and better reliability.
• Warranty: 5 Years
The padding inside the box may not quite be up to Corsairs standards, but the inclusion of styrofoam sidewalls will certainly help to protect the PSU from the likes of Parcelforce (who recently smashed a parcel fo mine to pieces!). This is in addition to the accessories bag and mains lead that are purposefully wedged around the edges of the PSU to prevent movement.
Now down to the nitty gritty...
Most Recent Comments
seriously if i want my PSU white, i'll paint it ..
And replacing the fan is just as easy as opening a trash can!
just be carefull when opening a PSU just don't do it after a few days of F@H (gaming) and then boom open
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Originally Posted by SnW
I guess paint isn't a option ? seriously if i want my PSU white, i'll paint it .. And replacing the fan is just as easy as opening a trash can! just be carefull when opening a PSU just don't do it after a few days of F@H (gaming) and then boom open |
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Originally Posted by hmmblah
It's a sexy powdercoat, not just a paint job...nice touch IMO. |
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Originally Posted by AMDFTW
what no OC3D certification? |
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Originally Posted by tinytomlogan
No mate the 3.3v rail did not pass our standards. You only get our stamp if the psu is above and beyond epic! |
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Originally Posted by AlienALX
Hmmm.. Seems amazingly over priced to me... |
seen the 1000w version go for $209 (£131ish) :/
at new egg
TBH and I hate to say it but inside it looks pretty cheap. Outside it looks nice but man, reading the review I find it worrying that a £150+ PSU can just about keep within the ATX spec.
I had no respect for NZXT whatsoever until they released the Phantom. I don't know what it's built like but it's very nice looking. Unlike the fan controller of theirs I bought in 2007 that -
A. Was really cheap and tacky.
B. Was too big to fit in the 5.25 bay it was designed for and literally had to be rammed in.
C. The screen on which was absolutely parp and it wasn't cheap to buy.
I hoped that lately they had come good, but after reading this review I have my doubts. It's very easy now to get an average PSU around the same wattage for £100, and this is decidedly average. It must cost less than £50 to get a powdercoat done on a PSU (I mean FFS it's tiny) therefore I can't see any real reason at all to pay £150 for this thing.
A black one would look nicer in your case any way, and take that from some one who has studied colour coding and has a lot of experience with black and white
check my project log "crysis extreme" for some pics
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Originally Posted by Todd
So when's the full review of the Phantom coming along? I hope it isn't a disappointment as well because I really had my hopes up for NZXT. |
when is the review of the 1095t coming out
I like it even more now
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Originally Posted by Todd
Sorry, Tom, I watched that video already. I was talking about the full- full review and conclusion as a month has passed. You still love it? |
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Originally Posted by silenthill
What a load of rubbish, if you give it to me for free I wouldn’t put it in my pc |
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Originally Posted by tinytomlogan
Its actually pretty good fella, Im currently using an 850w in my rig |
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Originally Posted by silenthill
I only do Corsair Guvnor when it comes PSU so everything ells is like pound land |
That said, I'm surprised the PSU didn't blow up with almost 200W load on the +3.3V & +5V combined.
i assume this anyway
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Originally Posted by jonnyGURU
You know you overloaded the +3.3V and +5V rails by test 3, right? No reason to complain that the ripple is too high when you tested those rails a good 80W more than what the label says it should do. That said, I'm surprised the PSU didn't blow up with almost 200W load on the +3.3V & +5V combined. |
I've just this second finished re-resting the PSU and have published the amended set of results. As everyone will be able to see, these are MUCH more favourable for the unit in every respect. Efficiency is increased, voltages are slightly more stable and most importantly the ripple is much lower.
Please everyone take a chance to re-read the review as I wouldn't like NZXT to suffer for my mistake.
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UPDATE 03/10/10: Further to a post by a member of our forum we have become aware of a mis-calculation in our load levels for this PSU. As a result, please disregard any negative comments about the ripple results of this PSU in this thread.