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NZXT HALE82 N Series 750 Watt ATX Power Supply Review

Eric Garay
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NZXT first launched their HALE series of power supply units (PSU) in support of the 80Plus movement which is all about power efficiency. They original series was constructed with modular cabling, came in white, and used a DC to DC Seasonic internal design. Then they launched a new HALE82 series at CES 2012 which was less expensive than the 80Plus Gold HALE90s. At COMPUTEX 2012 this year, the HALE N series brings costs down further. This series isn’t modular and doesn’t use DC to DC, but still follows similar internal design. The goal of this new series was to give users an even more cost effective, high efficiency, option. Naturally, we wanted to know if The NZXT HALE82N 750 Power Supply still provides great performance at a lower cost. Let’s find out!

Features and Specifications

There a few features that are standard across all products in the family. The HALE82N 750 appears to offer the bulk of them especially when it comes to the fantastic new warranty that NZXT has devised. Here’s an easy break down list of all the important stuff.

  • 80 Plus Bronze Certification – 82% efficiency at full load (750 Watts)
  • Pioneering 2013 ErP Lot 6 Energy Star standard to reduce idle power consumption up to 50%
  • White and black PCB design for better isolation and identification
  • Intelligent Fan Control Technology with two settings optimized for silent or performance mode
  • Powerful +5Vsb that supports motherboards with fast USB charging that can also power USB devices while PC is on standby
  • SLI and CrossFire Ready
  • Highly reliable 105C Japanese Capacitors promote longer lifespan surpassing the 5 year warranty
  • 120mm Dual-Ball bearing fan for smooth, silent rotation and optimal airflow and cooling
  • Strong single +12V rail that provides stability and ease of use with the ability to deliver clean currents under a heavy load
  • Full protections for over voltage, current, power, temperature, under voltage, and short circuit protection, active PFC
  • Compatible with ATX 12V 2.3 and EPS 12V 2.92
  • Extended 8pin connector supports large towers
  • Backed by a 5 Year Warranty

The important features are all provided such as voltage protection, updated energy standards, proper USB charging support, and the use of Japanese capacitors. The HALE82 N 750 is almost identical to the 650 version as is with the case amongst many designs. Often, just the main capacitor(s) and couple supporting MOSFETs are updated to increase overall peformance.

As mentioned, the HALE82 series of power supplies has a new warranty process that NZXT is very proud of called “Less Than Three”. If your power supply breaks, just head to their site, complete three easy steps, and NZXT will ship you a new power supply to replace your old one in less than three days. You can either ship it back to them to test and replace, or you can just do a cross ship with Credit Card. Either way, they will provide you with a shipping label so you aren’t fronting the costs of replacement. The thinking is that if they make the service great, fast, and do everything they can to reduce your down time, you’ll return to NZXT the next time you want a power supply.

What’s In The Box?

The NZXT HALE82N 750W comes to us with the essential including mounting screws, a power cable, instruction manual, and of course, the power supply itself. You also get some additional twist ties that aid in cable management. Initially surprised by this, I was reminded by the large bundle of cables that this was indeed a non-modular power supply. They are definitely a nice touch and it shows that someone at NZXT really did use these products and thought about the end user experience.

NZXT HALE82N 750W – Inside and Out

Right out of the box, I noticed right that the HALE82N 750 is comparatively small when measured against other power supplies. It’s 5.875 inches by 5.5 inches by 3.375 inches tall. Basically, it’s not much wider than the internal white fan blade of the 120mm Yate Loon fan. This should make it a great choice for micro-ATX or mini-ITX computer cases. Speaking of the fan, it’s rated to about 100 CFM at 3000 RPMs creating 47 dB max fan noise. However, it’s rare for fans to reach max speed on non-DC/DC units especially if the units have plenty of heat sinks inside.

The HALE N series uses standard gauge hardwired cables with typical nylon mesh with rubber boots at each connector to prevent slipping. Sadly, the unit is rather bland except for the white fan blades which no one can typically see during operation or when inside your case. If it were not for the NZXT spec sticker, one would have to lean in close to see who’s making the power, otherwise they’re left guessing. It’s not going to turn heads or fit any custom mod builds (without modding) by any means, but it is targeted at value conscious users. Additional features add additional cost.

The PSU opens easily (after defeating warranty stickers) and reveals a few initials on some of the components which tells us this unit was fabricated in the FSP Group (Fortron) factory. For those that don’t know, FSP makes very good server grade power supplies which I’ve seen easily last twice their life span. Naturally, ATX power supplies aren’t a problem for their engineers either. This brings us to a pro and con with DC to DC units.

Current DC/DC PSUs are only able to offer 25 Amps on the +3.3V and +5V rails. While the HALE82 N 750 power plant is not DC to DC, it’s capable of offering 30 Amps for each rail which is good for users with lots of hard drives. I’ve heard from some users first hand that have had boot issues from their 80Plus DC/DC PSU because there wasn’t enough power for six hard drives. That shouldn’t be a problem here.

The main power capacitor is a Nippon ChemicCon (NCC) 450V 470uF. It’s rated to 105C max operating temperature which Nippon can typically handle without issue. For example, Nippon are often used in rather large, hot power hungry televisions. You can also see the white (cream) PCB used to construct the unit. There really aren’t a great deal many components inside so it explains the PSU’s rather compact footprint.





Cable Lengths

Cable lengths are important to many folks especially if using a large tower or serious about wire management. To help you plan ahead, here are the cable lengths:

  • One ATX 24 pin cable – 24 inches long
  • One EPS 4+4 pin cable – 32 inches Long
  • Two SATA cables – 31 inches (3 connectors per cable)
  • Two PCIE 6+2 / 8 pin cables –  21 inches (One 6+2 and 8 pin per cable**)
  • Two MOLEX 4 pin cables – 28 inches (5 MOLEX and 1 Floppy)

** The two PCIE cables post a bit of an obstacle for many SLI users especially if your cards require two 6pin power cables each. The PCIE cables have a solid 8pin connector and can’t be easily modified or split off. If your cards need one of each, you’ll be just fine.

Test Setup and Installation

I ran in to an unfortunate  issue during installatio as the HALE82N 750 only offers two PCIE cables with 6+2pin and 8pin connectors. The test system video cards typically used are two GTX 560 Ti with two 6pin connectors each. The solid 8pin connector has a tab across the last 2 pins which prevents it from sliding over the video cards’ connectors. I simply don’t recommend cutting that tab otherwise you’ll void the PSU warranty.

We hope that NZXT corrects this oversight as typically, a system with a power supply of this price point will likely not use a GPU with this pin configuration as it’s typically reserved for the most power hungry top end offerings by AMD and NVIDIA.

Here are the specs to test system setup…

For engineering comparison, the Antec TPQ-1200 was added to the test bed just so you can see how PSU engineering and wattage capacities affect desktop voltages when idle and load. The NZXT HALE82N 750 Power Supply was then connected to a PSU load tester and Tektronix oscilloscope to monitor rail voltages and noise while increasing the load incrementally. A digital noise level meter was set up about 24 inches from the exhaust vent side of the unit since it’s the only side visibly facing out of a computer case. Keep in mind that a PSU will be quieter inside any computer case.

While this is not completely exhaustive testing of the power supply unit performance, our methods do often point in the right direction of quality (or lack thereof). Ultimately, price, features, design, and warranty often sway the buying decision regardless of pure performance factors and we recognize that.

Performance – Idle and Loads

First, let’s see what the all impressive ASUS Sabertooth Z77 has to say about our power supply rails in the BIOS. Remember, engineering is different from PSU to PSU so the voltages will always vary.

Here, we see a system characteristic when using high watt and a lower watt PSU. The TPQ-1200 doesn’t have much of a draw on it plus the +5V and +12V rails are a bit lower. The HALEN82 750 is very comfortable with the test system providing exactly what is needed across the rails as well. Let’s see what happens under load.

A similar picture is painted with the system at idle, under system load, and max load. This indicates the HALE82N 750 will give you its rated wattage within respectable tolerances. With minimal voltage fluctuations, good tolerances, and 82% efficiency, this is all anyone can expect from any power supply. If you push the PSU out of specs, expect to see lower voltages and higher electrical load noise. Fortunately, the unit’s safety measures will shut it down before any major damage can happen to your system.

In terms of noise, the PSU emits about 13dB at idle and reached 33dB at full load which is a bit quieter than the fans estimated specs. Of course, posted noise levels and our results will vary simply because of environmental factors. But only balance, any reputable and well ventilated enclosure will shave off some more of that noise. How much more will depend upon the enclosure itself.

Final Thoughts

As the 80Plus Bronze efficient NZXT HALE82N 750 units start shipping in quantity, I’m a bit concerned that the dual PCIE 6+2 and 8pin cables are going to be a factor for SLI or CrossFire users. There are far more SLI systems with video cards that require two 6pin versus any other which means the cables aren’t going to accommodate those common configurations. That’s a pretty big market share blocked simply due to a connector design oversight. Obviously, the logical thing to do would be to immediately revise the PCIE cables and make them dual 6+2pins before the majority of units get to market.

PCIE cabling aside, the strands should be long enough to satisfy mid tower owners who like clean cable management. Full tower owners may still need a 24pin and/or 8pin extension (which NZXT does offer) to feed wiring around back. It really depends on your particular case and cable management preferences.

Still, based on our testing, the HALE82N 750 has a good strong power plant ready to continuously give you 750 Watts without issue. Naturally, one should make sure the PSU gets a decent amount of cool air flow and you won’t easily hear it especially inside your case loaded with other fans and noise producing components. It definitely won’t add to the noise that’s for sure.

The NZXT HALE82N series start at MSRPs of $89.99 for the 550, $99.99 for the 650, and $109.99 for the 750 model. Pricing of the units may end up being lower since the original HALE82-750-M (modular) unit is selling for $119.99 online. If $10 US/CA is all that separates the choice, users will undoubtedly step up to the modular with the Seasonic factory power plant. However, a $20 less unit will motivate price conscious users to buy the HALE82N and NZXT has clearly taken care of price conscious customers with an affordable PSU especially with the excellent “Less Than Three” warranty service.

Overall, based on initial price, performance, and overall features, this power supply definitely gets a recommendation from us. But hopefully pricing sorts itself out to make it an even better value against it’s own siblings.

Pros

  • 80Plus Bronze efficiency
  • Respectable rail voltages
  • Strong +5Vsb for USB charging
  • Doesn’t get too loud
  • Less Than Three Warranty Service

Cons

  • Very plain looking unit
  • Doesn’t quite have the HALE82-750-M performance
  • Current pricing only $10 less than the Modular “M series”

Overall Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

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