NZXT C-Series C850 & C1000 GOLD Power Supply Reviews

It's not often we feel it necessary to have to start a review by explaining something a bit technical about the product. In this specific regard though, there is a key point that might be confusing some of you. Well... Those of you who are more familiar with NZXT products than others at least - Put simply, the NZXT C-Series of power supplies is not technically new. That being said though, what we have here certainly isn't old either! Confused? Well, let me try and clarify the point. NZXT has just announced the release of newly revised C-Series power supplies. - What's new I hear you ask? Well, that's a little complicated, and mostly boils down to some new parts inside, but the overall highlight is certainly in the fact that this C-Series of PSUs now includes a brand new 1000W flagship design. So, with the C850 and C1000 in our hands, it seemed rude to not check them both out and see what NZXT has to offer! NZXT C-Series C850 & C1000 GOLD Power Supplies So as noted above, technically the C850 GOLD is not a 'new' power supply. In fact, it has technically been available since the C-Series made its debut a couple of years ago. - So, what is exactly new about it? Well, the short answer is that NZXT has decided to move on to a new manufacturing partner for the C-Series which has resulted in not only a few apparent upgrades but also the release of a brand new 1000 watt C1000 variant. Offering an 80-Plus Gold efficiency rating, fully modular cabling, and a huge 10-year warranty, in a nutshell, if you thought the 'old' C-Series was good, then good just got even better! Given that both the C850 and C1000 are, aesthetically speaking, pretty similar though, we didn't really think it worth wasting time reviewing them individually. At the same time though, we're certainly not going to go down the rabbit hole of comparing and contrasting the two either. So, what we're going to do is quite simple, if it's the same, presume that one comment on the C850 applies to the C1000 (and vice versa). If it's different, we'll mention exactly what that difference is. And when it comes to testing, of course, we will provide you with full details and results on both PSUs. We're trying to keep this as simple as possible so you, whether you're eying up the NZXT C850 or C1000 as your next PSU solution, will know exactly what you're getting, and more so, exactly what kind of performance it can offer! What Does NZXT Have to Say? "C Series Gold ATX power supply from NZXT features safe, reliable power while ensuring optimal efficiency and quieter performance. Manufactured with high-quality components and backed by a 10-year warranty, the C Series Gold ATX power supplies deliver both peace of mind and up to 1000 watts of clean, reliable power to your PC gaming system." Features 80 Plus Gold Certified Power SupplyFully Modular Design with High-Quality Sleeved CablesReliable and CompatibleSilent Performance10 Year Warranty Specifications For more detailed specifications, please visit the official product page via the link here! Connections Both the NZXT C-Series C850 and C1000 come with the exact same cable configurations meaning that, in terms of your needs, this should simply come down to your component wattage requirements rather than the connections on offer. The only factor of huge importance to note, however, is that NZXT wants to make it very clear that owners of the original C-Series power supply should not reuse the original cabling! - Admittedly, mixing cables is never advisable, even when it's from within the same brand. NZXT is, however, really hammering this point home for these newly revised C-Series models. And why? Well, as noted above, probably because these now have a brand new OEM manufacturer. Packaging The packaging for both the NXZT C850 and C1000 GOLD is, pretty much, identical with the only differences basically boiling down to the name (duh!) and the technical specifications which, of course, vary depending on the 850 and 1000 watt variants on offer here. - In terms of presentation, however, the front of the packaging goes big and bold with a nice clear image of the power supply on display. The rear of the packaging goes into more of the technical specifications which include a list of product features and various charts indicating what level of performance consumers should expect. - The size of the writing is nice and clear, albeit, it doesn't really make the best use of the space available. Put simply, it could've been larger and a bit easier on the eye, but in terms of conveyance of information, NZXT gets things off to a solid start here! Accessories In terms of accessories, this one gets a bit limited. Now you don't, of course, expect to get absolutely masses of parts and fixtures with a power supply, but with the NZXT C850 and C1000, all you're given is a canvas bag to keep your cables. Albeit, I'll freely concede that this is one of the nicest quality bags I've ever seen included with a PSU. Product manual? Nope. You get a small strip of vinyl with a QR code leading you to the official product website. - If this was a CPU cooler, I wouldn't be happy. For a power supply though... Let's be honest, do you really need a full-blown product manual? - For once, I think the economies and environmental savings do actually make sense here! A Closer Look As noted earlier in this review, the NZXT C850 and C1000 GOLD are, aesthetically speaking, practically identical with the only external differencing effecting coming down to the product branding. - With this in mind, therefore, if you're looking at one, unless we state otherwise below (and yes, there are some other interesting differences), presume that it applies to both, and, indeed, all of the new C-Series PSU models from NZXT. Externally, we're going to be bluntly honest and say that this newly revised C-Series of power supplies likely isn't going to win any innovation awards. They're black, they're square, and on a visual level... Well, quite frankly, they're a bit both boring and generic. - The only mildly nice visual touch is the fact that the NZXT branding and product name has been embossed into the metal rather than them taking the cheaper (and often uglier) choice of just slapping a sticker. Other than this though, I'm sorry to say it NZXT, but these look very generic! Generic is not, of course though, to say that they are ugly and in many respects, NZXT has made some wise choices. A key example of this can be seen on the top of the PSU with the technical specifications sticker. - Usually, this is quite large but NZXT has made the, what I consider wise, decision to shrink this down quite significantly. As you can see below, the cable input ports for both the C850 and C1000 GOLD are identical with them offering the exact same number of cables and inserts. - In terms of the layout, this is well presented with each section having a clearly denoted annotation. The only slight grumble I have is that the cables are very terse and fitting them in the ports is tight work. - Put simply, I would strongly recommend hooking up all the cables you need before fitting this PSU into your system. In terms of the exhaust panel, this is, again, quite straightforward. With pretty much the entire section open for ventilation, however, this should help promote a minimal fan operation and especially so in combination with the 'ZERO RPM FAN MODE' functionality. - In regards to this though, rather unusually NZXT has decided to utilise a push-button operation. This is usually controlled via a switch. - Now, of course, this makes no difference one way or the other, but it's merely a technical annoyance I guess that having the button in the 'out' position turns the ZERO RPM functionality on?... Is it just me, or does this kind of feel like it's the wrong way around?... Oh, and no, this doesn't affect the functionality of the on/off one way or the other. I just found it a bit... weird. Cabling The cabling for the NZXT C850 and C1000 GOLD is excellent with it coming in a highly durable woven protective sheathing. This is, admittedly, a little terse and especially so in regards to the main motherboard 24-pin cable. On the whole though, it does still offer enough flexibility for some decent levels of cable management. In terms of length, although the valued do differ slightly from the original models, the newly revised C850 and C1000 GOLD cabling is still more than long enough to suit the vast majority of case designs. As above, the only real grumble you may have is that it's perhaps a bit too thick, and by proxy, not very flexible to weave around tight spaces. - I guess it's a factor of protection vs practicality though. Internals - A Look Inside! Both the NZXT C50 and C1000 GOLD utilise a newly upgraded cooling solution. The new fan is slightly larger than offered on the original version and is also capable of significantly higher speeds. The only apparent trade-off is that with this size and performance, extra noise is added to the equation. We have seen this 'Ong Hua' fan utilised within many PSUs, however, and overall have never failed to be impressed with its performance. If anything though, we'll concede it's a bit disappointing that a pretty generic third-party model has been utilised here. C850 GOLD Internal, the C850 presents itself very well with a nice and clean design with minimal cabling or white/black anti-vibration glue on display. The heat sink banks have a nice central location and, on the whole, this looks to be well thought out and sleek PCB. - In addition, the main capacitor is a Japanese design (Rubycon) and is rated to 105C making it definitely a quality component. C1000 GOLD The C1000 GOLD is pretty similar to the C850 and while we could perhaps play a game of 'spot the difference' to highlight all of the little/moderate changes between them, the most notable one is that the C1000 GOLD utilises, perhaps surprisingly, a different brand for its main capacitor. - This is again, 100% Japanese (Nippon Chemi-Con), and again is rated to 105C making it a quality component. We're not going to lie though, seeing two different key components utilised within this singular PSU series is more than a little bizarre. They're great capacitors, but why are they different in the 850W and 1000W variants?... And more so, is this going to vary in the future?... Overall Thoughts! Overall, the NZXT C850 and C1000 look like solid, professional, no-nonsense power supplies. They're built to do a job and, based on what we can see inside, there's absolutely no reason why these shouldn't perform excellently. - Admittedly, in terms of aesthetics, NZXT has done nothing to overly impress us here. For people looking for a clean and solid PSU though, the new C-Series certainly looks to be ticking all the right boxes. What about that performance though? Well, let's find out! Methodology & Testing At eTeknix we take the power supply testing procedure very seriously and have invested a lot of resources into acquiring the appropriate testing equipment. For all power supply reviews, we test the power supplies with dedicated power supply testing equipment. This means we are able to get the most accurate results from our testing as opposed to using software benchmarks (such as OCCT) or multi-meter readouts which are broadly inaccurate. Testing Hardware Sunmoon SM-5500ATE Active Load Tester (1200W rated)Stingray DS1M12 USB OscilloscopeVoltcraft DT-10L laser tachometer What the eTeknix Test Procedure Involves Testing each power supply at 20/40/60/80/100% load (with load balanced across all rails) and measuring PFC (power factor correction), efficiency (actual power divided by power "pulled at the wall") and voltage regulation (deviance from expected voltages of 3.3/5/12 on the main rails).Measuring ripple with an oscilloscope at 20/40/60/80/100% load.Measuring fan speed after a stabilisation period of five minutes at each load scenario using the Voltcraft DT-10L laser tachometer and a reflective strip on the fan.Testing each power supply's OPP (Over Power Protection) mechanism and seeing how many watts each power supply can deliver before shutting down Other Things to Consider We recognise that a single 12-volt cable can provide only 6 Amps before overheating (which corrupts voltage regulation and efficiency) and so we used an adequate number of cables for each power supply to ensure there is not efficiency loss from poor cables selectionOur Sunmoon SM-5500ATE power supply tester is not capable of testing more than 300W on each of the 12-volt rails so where a power supply provides more than 300W on a 12-volt rail that power is distributed over multiple 12-volt rails on the load tester. For example a power supply with one 12 volt rail supplying 750 watts would be spread equally over three 12 volt rails on the load tester, a power supply with two 450W 12v rails would be spread over four 12v rails on the load tester, two 225W 12v rails for each of the 12v rails on the unit.We use the same time scale and horizontal millivolt scale on our oscilloscope for all ripple tests, that is a 20ms T/DIV (horizontal) and a 0.02 V/DIV (vertical) meaning the scale is from -80mV to +80mV, ATX spec dictates that the 12v rail must fall within 150mv of ripple and the 3.3/5 within 50mv so that scale allows us to include both 150 and 50mV peaks. (Some older PSU reviews use different scales which were later ditched as the visual representation they give is inadequate, in these reviews written measurements are provided only).Deviance is the terminology used to represent the way voltages diverge from the expected values Voltage Regulation To test voltage regulation we load the power supply to five different load scenarios that give an equal spread of load across every single rail. So that means 20% on all rails, 40% on all rails and so on. We then calculate the average deviance of each rail from its expected voltage. Ideally, anything of +/- 2% regulation is seen as a very good result. Power Efficiency Power efficiency is measured by calculating actual supplied wattage divided by the wattage drawn at the wall/plug, multiplied by 100 to give a percentage. We then compare that to the particular 80 Plus certification the company claims to see if it meets that. You can see the 80 Plus certifications below, we always test power supplies at 230v. Power Factor Correction Power Factor Correction is the ratio of the real power flowing to the load, to the apparent power in the circuit. The aim of PFC is to make the load circuitry that is power factor corrected appear purely resistive (apparent power equal to real power). In this case, the voltage and current are in phase and the reactive power consumption is zero. The closer the number to one the better as this allows the most efficient delivery of electrical power (Source - Wikipedia). Ripple Noise and Ripple can easily be measured by an oscilloscope. These show how much voltage fluctuation there is on a particular rail. We tested the rail stability of the 3.3-volt, 5-volt and 12-volt rails using an identical time and millivolt scale for all graphs. millivolt ripple is measured by the peak to peak size of the voltage curve. The latest ATX 12 volt version 2.3 specifications state that ripple from peak to peak must be no higher than 50 millivolts for the 3.3-volt and 5-volt rails, while the 12-volt rail is allowed up to 120 millivolts peak to peak to stay within specifications. Millivolt figures are stated to the closest increment of 5 given their variability. OPP Power supplies often quote as having various protection mechanisms such and the most important of these is Over Power Protection. In our testing we crank up the power draw until the power supply either shuts down (meaning the OPP mechanism is present and working) or blows up (meaning it is either not present or not working). We then note the maximum power consumption before the power supply shut down, or before it blew up. Fan Speed When testing in a power supply laboratory it is difficult to take fan noise readings as the noise from the Sunmoon test equipment and air conditioning corrupts everything. The next best thing in our circumstances was reading off the fan speed with a tachometer to get an idea for the noise. The ambient temperature during testing held constant at 22 degrees, with 1 degree of variation. Each power supply had a consistent time period of 5 minutes to stabilise between each load scenario. In my experience, the following general relationships apply between noise levels and fan speeds, though it can vary greatly between the type of fan used. Below 800 RPM - Inaudible/Silent800 to 1000 RPM - Barely audible1000 - 1200 RPM - Audible but still quiet1200 - 1400 RPM - Moderately noisy1400 - 1800 RPM - Noisy1800 RPM or above - Intolerable Efficiency With the efficiency testing, things get off to a bit of an odd start. Not because the results are bad. Quite the contrary in fact. The results are excellent and almost to the point that we're having a difficult time knowing whether we can 100% guarantee their accuracy. You see, both the NZXT C850 and C1000 are 80-Plus Gold efficiency rated. A reasonably high but not exactly mind-blowing certification. For both power supplies, however, it's no understatement to say that the results provided in our testing go way beyond that remit. In fact, with results (for both PSUs) averaging about 95%, this is more in the realms of Titanium (2 tier levels higher than Gold). Put simply, either these power supplies are truly excellent in terms of efficiency, or some quirk in our testing provided results about 2-4% higher than we were expecting. - And even if its the latter, this is still incredibly impressive stuff! C850 GOLD C1000 GOLD PFC (Power Factor Correction) Similar to the efficiency ratings, the PFC score provided in our testing is exceptionally good and possibly to the point that, once again, we have to question whether something unusual is happening with these particular PSUs and our tester. - In this regard though, and similar to the efficiency scores, we have seen similarly good results before and, as such, we would be willing to say that in a similar fashion, while these might not 100% be the actual scores provided, they have to be very close indeed! C850 GOLD C1000 GOLD Voltage Regulation Based on the results so far, you're probably already more than a little aware that we have more than a few doubts as to whether these power supplies are happily coordinated with our tester. In something that seems to heavily back up the exceptionally positive results so far, however, the voltage regulation for both the NZXT C850 and C1000 GOLD are excellent! With incredibly low levels of deviancy, and amazingly consistent results across the various load outputs. At this point, we're very much erring towards both of these power supplies being incredibly impressive in their performance! C850 GOLD C1000 GOLD Ripple With results again seemingly supporting the theory that the NZXT C850 and C1000 are truly excellent power supplies, rather than the prior amazing results just being a fluke, the ripple scores provided for both models were exceptionally impressive. - As you can see in the figures and charts below, the overall scores generally tended to average below 5. And given that the EU maximum allowed is 50, this clearly puts into perspective just how good the ripple results are here! The more this testing goes on, the more I think these NZXT C-Series PSUs really are as mind-blowingly excellent as those early results suggested! C850 GOLD Load (%) 3.3V Ripple 5V Ripple 12V Ripple 20348.4 4034.29.4 603.24.210.4 803.44.811.4 1003.8514.2 C1000 GOLD Load (%) 3.3V Ripple 5V Ripple 12V Ripple 202.435.4 4033.811.2 603.44.211.4 803.84.412.4 1004.24.812.6 Over Power Protection and Max Wattage Both the NZXT C850 and C1000 GOLD easily passed their respected OPP testing with, on average, them both achieving around 25-30% over their officially rated wattage output before the protections successfully kicked into place. - This is perfectly normal, good, and exactly as we would expect to see from any quality design! C850 GOLD C1000 GOLD Fan Speed With both power supplies utilising the exact same fan model, it was hardly surprising to see that, on the whole, the results provided from both the C850 and C1000 models here were, by and large, pretty similar to each other. - Admitted though, there were definitely some interesting inconsistencies. The C850 fan did seem to run slightly faster, and more so, the hybrid 'zero fan' functionality didn't appear to be as good, or at least as consistent, as that seen on the C1000. In fact, at 100% load, the C850 was a little on the vocal side of things which, although not blazingly loud, was still a little more excited than we would usually expect to see. - The short version, however, is that despite both PSUs sharing the same fan, the design of the PCB and individual components are clearly slightly different enough to give different cooling requirements. On the whole, though, the results shown here are solid, but I also think it worth saying that silent this is not. I think this PSU would probably do better with a custom-designed fan rather than a rather generic design we've seen in more than a few different PSUs. It's not bad, it's just not that overly impressive based on all the amazing scores and results we've seen so far. C850 GOLD C1000 GOLD How Much Does it Cost? Available in wattage outputs of 650W all the way up to 1000W, NZXT has confirmed the following price structure of its newly revised C-Series of power supplies: C650 - $129.99/£89.99C750 - $139.99/£99.99C850 - $149.99/£109.99C1000 - $179.99/£139.99 So admittedly, in terms of prices, these are about what you'd expect to pay for a quality fully-modular 80-Plus Gold PSU. They're not overpriced, but they're certainly not bargains either. Or are they?... Performance Based on the absolutely amazing levels of performance offered in our testing, NZXT's newly revised C-Series might just represent the greatest power supplies of the year. No, this is not admittedly noticeable on the surface of things because we'll freely concede that the aesthetics on 'offer' here are a bit of a snooze fest. I'm more approaching this from the point of view that these are like the Vauxhall Carlton. It looks pretty average, but performs amazingly! Yes, to coin a motoring term, I fully consider the NZXT C850 and C1000 GOLD to be sleeper hits! - They look like your average PSU but offer performance way beyond your wildest expectations. Admittedly, they're not perfect and perhaps my sole notable gripe (other than their incredibly bland design) is the inclusion, yet again, of another rather pointless ZERO RPM FAN functionality mode. I genuinely don't understand why so many PSU manufacturers are bothering to stick with this. With it on or off, I can't honestly say that in the grand scheme of things it made any notable difference to the noise levels of these power supplies. - Yes, of course, the PSU is silent when the fans not running. And less noise is always preferable to more noise. Operating at circa 500-1,200 RPM though, it's barely audible at all and certainly wouldn't stand out in a system full of components. It's a small point of personal opinion though. And perhaps made solely in the fact that everything else about these NZXT C-Series power supplies was so fantastic! Should I Buy One? These newly revised NZXT C-Series PSUs are, quite possibly, going to be some of the best models I get to review this year. Their performance in our testing provided results massively in excess of their already pretty solid specifications. As above, for the lack of a better analogy, if the C850 and C1000 GOLD PSUs were cars, they'd get a very deserved reputation as a 'sleeper' (Click here if you're not familiar with the term). For as amazing as they perform though, I do think that these are going to suffer on the consumer market for two pretty solid reasons. - Firstly, on an aesthetic level, and there's no polite way to put this, they're boring. While there is nothing displeasing about how these C-Series PSUs look, they commit the huge sin of just looking like everything else. Yes, it's hard to be different with PSUs. Their nature alone dictates a rectangular box which you can't do much about. And yes, some attempts to make this 'look good' do fall into the trap of putting a pig in makeup. The bottom line though is that these are really excellent PSUs. Perhaps some of the best I've ever encountered in terms of performance, and they just look so incredibly generic and underwhelming! - And this possibly leads (or adds) to the second problem. While not expensive, these are not inexpensive enough to attract the casual consumer's attention. And overall, if the visuals aren't getting the customer's attention, and the price tag isn't either, what exactly will?! Well, hopefully, reviews like this I guess because putting everything else to one side, the NZXT C-Series C850 and C1000 GOLD are truly excellent! They're sleek, smart, professional, and perform on an incredibly high level that goes, at least in our testing, well beyond the official remit on the packaging. You will not regret buying one of these. NZXT, however, might end up regretting not pushing the aesthetics boat out a little here though just to garner a little more 'casual consumer' attention. NZXT C-Series C850 & C1000 GOLD Power Supply Reviews