NZXT HALE82 650W and 750W

Conclusion

The HALE82 series from NZXT meets the specified features in full. In particular, the impressive voltage regulation due to the two buck converters and the powerful +12V output are advantageous. The efficiency is relatively high and exceeds the 80 Plus Bronze certification. Unfortunately, we can't say that NZXT makes the quietest power supplies, as the bearing is clearly audible. The fan is still a good choice (we've seen worse), and you simply can't find a better middle class circuit design than the one used here (which comes via the ODM, Seasonic).

NZXT chose well when they elected to go with Seasonic as the manufacturer of these two power supplies. The layout is excellent, and the safety distance between the "power part" and control circuits is good. Moreover the hot +12V choke is far away from all the output capacitors, so they won't get stressed by the heat. NZXT also uses Japanese-made capacitors, at least in the samples we received (and we see no reason why that would change). The choice of high-grade PCBs is another welcome feature.

+3.3V and +5V get regulated by their own PWM IC on the buck converters. However, the design supports two separate +12V outputs, which is what is used in the Corsair TX 750W V2. We wouldn't say that this is a true single-rail design, though it probably doesn't matter for most users. EMI filtering is well equipped including a MOV for overvoltage protection. The 750W device does not show any fundamental differences from the 650W model, other than having some more powerful components on an identical PCB layout to accommodate the higher output rating.

In the load test the 650W model reached nearly 88% efficiency, which is quite close to 80 Plus Silver. At 5% load the PSU only reaches about 70% efficiency, but the power loss in absolute numbers should be negligible (and it's unlikely most PCs needing a 650W PSU will idle at less than 50W). The ripple and noise is low during all loads, with a maximum of 35mV (peak-to-peak value). Starting from 50% load, the bearing and the fast rotation of the fan makes the PSU clearly audible, while at lower loads your ear must very close to the PSU to hear anything. In a closed system with multiple fans, the PSU will actually not be noticed under 50% load, and at 80% most graphics cards will be louder. It's also not too unusual for a 650W power supply to use a strong fan to help with heat removal. Even so we think the fan could be quieter and a high quality sleeve bearing (e.g. HDB) would be a good solution.

There are only a few potential gotchas to look out for; there's no FDD connector available, so you'll need to provide your own if you (still) need such an adapter. The connectors include two CPU plugs, six (650W) or nine (750W) SATA connectors, and six molex connectors, which is good for this performance class. If you prefer flat cables you will also be pleased by the modular connectors on these PSUs, while the fixed cables have good quality sleeving. The 24-pin connector is possibly a little short, depending on your choice of case. Wrapping things up, the illustrated user manual is nice to see. In total the delivery content and cable configuration are average, but the overall impression is quite good.

Pricing on the HALE82 is somewhat high compared to other similar quality PSUs. The 650W model currently goes for around $110 online, while the 750W model costs $10 more; however, both versions currently have rebates that knock off $20 from the price, and Newegg has a 15% discount code for the next few days as well. That brings the base cost to $93.50 and $102, respectively, with the $20 Mail-In rebate still available. If you don't mind dealing with such rebates, the prices are quite good for what you get, but you can find some equal products for slightly lower prices. The XFX Core Edition 650W starts at $90 and has a $25 MIR right now, and all the Corsair TX V2 models offer good quality for similar or slightly lower prices (and again, there are MIRs to be had).

Ultimately, the 80 Plus Bronze certification can't be used as the only criterion for our conclusion. NZXT is very close to 80 Plus Silver and offers an excellent Seasonic design with Japanese capacitors. However, Corsair delivers the aforementioned TX V2 using the same Seasonic platform and XFX is another source for lower cost Seasonic PSUs. We can recommend the HALE82 products as a whole, but looking at the current prices, the Corsair and XFX are two alternatives worth considering. The HALE82 products in principle succeed at providing good quality midrange PSUs, but as is so often the case they end up joining ranks with several other PSUs from the same ODM (Seasonic).