NZXT Hale82 750W PSU Review

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NZXT is a renowned manufacturer of high quality computer cases, with one of the biggest selections available today. However, the company has been trying to diversify toward related products and recently released several new power supply units with interesting specifications. Thus, today we are not having a look at any of their cases but at the Hale82 750W power supply instead, a promising modular unit featuring an 80Plus Bronze certification.Manufacturer features and specifications

• 80+ Bronze Certification - The HALE82 series from NZXT operates with high efficiency: at 20%, 50%, and 100% loads, efficiencies are 82%, 85%, and 82% respectively.
• 100% Japanese Capacitors - High quality components promote longer lifespan and better reliability.
• 120mm Two-Ball Bearing Fan - For smooth, silent rotation and optimal air intake.
• Strong Single +12V Rail - A single +12V rail provides stability and ease of use with the ability to deliver clean currents under a heavy load.
• Modular Design - Includes a selection of flat cables that allow the user to pick and choose which cables they want to use, maximizing cable management and airflow inside chassis.
• Large Tower Support - Extended 8pin connector for bottom mounted cases or large cases.
• Dual 8pin connector - For high end motherbaords dedicated to overclocking.
• Keeping it Safe - The HALE80 series offers over voltage, current, power, temperature, under voltage, and short circuit protection.

HALE82-750-M
AC Input	100V~ 240V 10A 50HZ/60HZ
DC Output	+3.3V	+5V	+12V	-12V	+5Vsb
Max. Current	25A	25A	62A	0.5A	3.0A
Max Combined Wattage	150W		744W	6W	15W
750W

Read more: NZXT Hale82 750W PSU Review by VR-Zone.com

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The packaging of the NZXT Hale82 unit is sturdy but the artwork is rather basic, with the exception of a small window showcasing the power supply’s cooling fan. Instead of implementing fancy artwork, the company heavily focused on the very basic features of the unit and on the 5 year warranty.



Inside the box everything is very well packed and the unit is protected by polystyrene foam pieces; however, the top side of the unit is left unprotected, in order for the unit’s fan to be visible through the windowed opening at the top of the package.



The bundle supplied with the Hale82 unit is rather basic, which is not unexpected from a unit of this class. Inside the box one will find a standard A/C power cable, mounting screws, a black and white manual and a bag with the unit’s modular cables. It is interesting to note that the cables are not typical sleeved cables but “flat”, all-black bare cables.

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NZXT went with a highly contrasting color theme and made the Hale82 a black unit with a bright white fan installed. A very dark sticker with the company logo covers the fan’s motor, the appearance of which should vastly improve if the letters were to be white. The 750W version of the Hale82 is not larger than typical ATX unit, allowing it to fit inside any ATX-Compliant chassis.



The sides of the NZXT Hale82 750W unit are almost entirely plain, with the exception of a well-placed engraved company logo at the lowermost right corner of the chassis.



NZXT moved the large sticker with the unit’s specifications at the top side of the chassis, meaning that it will be visible only if the power supply is installed at the bottom of a case.



The front of the chassis is very clean as well, especially for a modular unit. All six of the modular connectors are placed in-line towards the bottom of the unit, leaving most of the panel bare. Strangely, the tags of the modular cable connectors are printed upside-down.



The rear is entirely perforated to allow for the air pushed by the cooling fan to escape towards the outside of the case. NZXT once again engraved their logo at the small area available beneath the A/C power plug and placed a typical on/off next switch next to it.

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The black and white fan responsible for the cooling of the NZXT Hale82 unit is made by Adda electronics, a reputable manufacturer. The AD1212UB-A70GL is a ball bearing fan capable of reaching up to 2500RPM.



NZXT entrusted their Hale82 750W unit design and manufacturing to Seasonic and implemented their popular 80Plus Bronze certified design, which is the base of numerous high-performance units, including Seasonic’s own M12 II unit.



The filtering stage of the NZXT Hale82 unit is quite better than what the design guides recommend nowadays; we counted six Y-type capacitors, two X-type capacitors, three filtering chokes and a surge arresting MOV.



NZXT went with two Nippon Chemi-Con 330uF/400V capacitors for the primary side of this unit. The secondary side is also littered with Nippon Chemi-Con products, making this unit an all-Japanese affair.



The Hale82 implements DC to DC conversion circuits, which is rather strange for an 80Plus Bronze certified unit as these are usually implemented to enhance a product’s efficiency in order to achieve Silver and/or Gold efficiency levels. After further investigation, we discovered that Seasonic is using the same exact layout to design 80Plus Silver units and the only noteworthy difference is the use of more efficient (and much more expensive) MOSFETs.

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In order to provide you with the most professional and accurate reviews, we are using the following equipment to test the performance of power supplies:

• Modified SECC steel case with thermal generation and control components installed
• 8 Vantek electronic loads, USB controlled
• 3KVA VARIAC
• Extech 380803 TrueRMS Power Analyzer
• USB Instruments Stingray Oscilloscope
• SL-5868P digital sound level meter
• CompuLAB interface
• MyPClab thermal interface
• Labjack U3-HV interface
• Custom calibration box
• Custom software

More information about our testing equipment and methodology can be found in this article.





The NZXT Hale82 750W unit successfully completed all of our tests without any operational and/or performance problems. Unexpectedly, the electrical performance of the NZXT Hale82 has it overtaking many (supposedly) superior units. The voltage ripple on the 12V line hardly reached up to 30mV under maximum load, merely a quarter of the limit imposed by the design standards, while the voltage regulation of the 12V line was below 1%. The voltage regulation slightly worsens on the minor 3.3V/5V lines, reaching up to 1.5%, which however remains an extraordinarily good figure.



We expected the particular Seasonic design to be very efficient and it did not let us down. The NZXT Hale82 750W unit reached up to 89.6% efficiency under nominal load, with the efficiency staying above 86% at low loads and 87% at maximum load. What is rather strange is that our sample reached 80Plus Silver efficiency levels, even though the product is 80Plus Bronze certified. It is highly likely that the NZXT Hale82 is an optimized version of the original Seasonic design which took the 80Plus Bronze certification and, even though it can perform slightly better, its efficiency certification depends on the original one acquired for this platform.



With the exception of operating under maximum load, the NZXT Hale82 750W unit displayed exceptional and very linear thermal performance. At maximum load the operating temperature of the unit spikes upward, indicating the inability of the fan to fully cope with the rising cooling demand.



Unfortunately, the extraordinary thermal performance of the aforementioned unit is not without side effects. It would appear that the cooling system of this particular unit is optimized for maximum thermal performance, as the noise levels are being kept low only under low to medium loads. Up to 50% load the NZXT Hale82 remains nearly inaudible but it more than doubles its noise output at just 60% load, after which limit the noise level continues to rise alongside the load.

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Quality (30% of the total score)

The choice of a renowned OEM, proven base design and high quality parts clearly indicate that NZXT is trying to keep the quality of their power supply products particularly high. The power supply which we reviewed today is carefully designed and manufactured, without any flaws to be found both on the inside and outside. It would suffice to say that the overall quality of the Hale82 750W unit is well above average, even when compared to other similarly priced products.

Quality Score 9.5/10



Performance (40% of the total score)

While the electrical performance of the NZXT Hale82 reached beyond all of our expectations and we would be hardly pressed to find any units capable of delivering such stability anywhere near its price range, we cannot claim that the overall performance of the Hale82 unit was not without flaws. Clearly, the company engineered this power supply to please hardcore gamers and overclockers, since the power supply sacrifices its acoustics performance in exchange for low temperatures and high efficiency. Therefore, even though its electrical performance and efficiency are remarkable for a unit of its class, the NZXT Hale82 might not be suitable for users who aim for a completely silent system.

Performance Score 9.5/10



Value (20% of the total score)

When a unit performs overly well for its category and class, there is usually a catch; the catch with the NZXT Hale82 750W unit is its very high retail price. We found the unit retailing for about 120 EUR / 119.99 USD / 150 SGD at the time of this review, a street price considerably higher than most directly competitive products, higher even than several 80Plus Silver certified units. While this is a very high quality and performance modular unit, the steep retail price will certainly hinder its ability to compete in the market.

Value Score 7.5/10



Aesthetics (10% of the total score)

NZXT once again proved that their designing skills are brilliant by taking a simple ATX design and turning it into a unit of very high aesthetic value. It only took very subtle changes, such as the choice of a fan with white blades to generate a contrasting theme and the subtle engraving of the company’s logo at the sides of the unit, to have the Hale82 power supply standing out of the crowd. Furthermore, the modular design and all-black cables are loved by enthusiasts and modders; however, the native cables of the unit unfortunately are typical sleeved cables, which degrade the overall appearance instead of enhancing it.

Aesthetics Score 9.0/10