NZXT HALE90 850W Modular Power Supply

By: Zac O'Vadka (more) | Cases, Cooling & PSU Content | Posted: Sep 8, 2010 4:57 pm

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TweakTown Rating: 92% Manufacturer: NZXT

Introduction

NZXT was created in 2004 as a company that built products for gamers and enthusiasts. They are most known for their quality cases and power supplies and always strive to put the customer and their needs above all. They are based in the USA where all of their engineering and design is done while they have production done overseas in China and Taiwan.

NZXT's latest and greatest is the HALE90 series of PSU's. These PSU's are based off of the Super Flower Golden Green design and customized by changing the capacitors, cables, and more. Today we are taking a look at the HALE90 850W and running it through our gauntlet of tests to see how it performs.

Specifications, Availability and Pricing

The NZXT HALE90 850W PSU retails for $179.99. Several places have it listed for below MSRP and if you do your shopping you can pick one up for around $160. This puts the HALE90 850W towards the upper end of pricing for the 800W-900W market, but the price difference may be worth your hard earned cash if it produces quality power and stays silent throughout operation.

NZXT tries to make sure that your hard earned money doesn't go to waste with the HALE90 850W. It is packed full of features such as Active PFC, over voltage and under voltage protection (OVP/UVP), and short-circuit protection (SCP). Ensuring that your investment doesn't go to waste should there be a failure, NZXT backs the HALE90 by a 5 year warranty.

To keep everything cool inside the PSU, NZXT has fitted a 140mm two-ball bearing fan on the underside. The 140mm fan is rated at 30db under full PSU load which should provide near silent operation. The back of the HALE90 utilizes a honeycomb design to ensure the minimum amount of restriction to airflow.

The HALE90 series of PSU's are the first from NZXT to receive any rating from 80plus.org. NZXT shoots straight to the top of their awards and receives a gold rating on the entire HALE90 lineup. The 850W model that we have on the bench today is rated at 88.7%, 90.97%, and 88.74% efficiency at 20%, 50%, and 100% loads respectively.