Introduction
The NZXT E850 represents NZXT's commitment to delivering high-quality power supplies that match their reputation for excellent PC components. This 850W unit boasts 80 PLUS Gold certification, fully modular cabling, and a 10-year warranty, positioning it as a premium offering in the competitive power supply market.
At $149.99 MSRP, the E850 competes directly with established players like Corsair, EVGA, and Seasonic. But does it have what it takes to stand out in this crowded field? Our comprehensive testing reveals the answer.
Design and Build Quality
The NZXT E850 features a sleek, all-black design that matches perfectly with NZXT's ecosystem of cases and components. The unit measures 150mm x 86mm x 160mm, making it a standard ATX size that should fit in most modern cases without clearance issues.
Build quality is immediately apparent upon handling the unit. The chassis feels solid and well-constructed, with no flex or cheap materials evident. The 135mm fluid dynamic bearing fan operates quietly under normal loads, contributing to an overall premium feel.
Modular Cable System
The fully modular cable system is one of the E850's standout features. All cables, including the 24-pin motherboard connector, are detachable. This allows for excellent cable management and ensures you only use the cables you need, reducing clutter and improving airflow.
Cable quality is excellent, with flat ribbon-style cables that are easy to route and manage. The cable lengths are generous without being excessive:
- 24-pin motherboard: 610mm
- 8-pin CPU: 650mm
- 6+2-pin PCIe: 650mm + 150mm
- SATA: 500mm + 150mm + 150mm
- Molex: 500mm + 150mm + 150mm
Performance Testing
Our testing methodology involves loading the PSU at various percentages of its rated capacity while monitoring efficiency, ripple, and temperature. The NZXT E850 performed admirably across all our tests.
Voltage Regulation
Voltage regulation is excellent across all rails. The +12V rail maintained regulation within ±1% under all load conditions, well within ATX specifications. The +5V and +3.3V rails showed similarly tight regulation, indicating high-quality internal components and circuit design.
Ripple and Noise
Ripple suppression is outstanding, with measurements well below ATX maximums on all rails. Even under full load, ripple remained under 20mV on the +12V rail and under 30mV on the +5V and +3.3V rails. This level of performance indicates excellent filtering and high-quality capacitors.
Temperature and Noise
The 135mm fluid dynamic bearing fan remains nearly silent under typical gaming loads. Fan curves are well-tuned, with the fan remaining off or at very low speeds until the PSU reaches approximately 40% load. Even under full load testing, noise levels remained reasonable at around 35dBA measured at 1 meter.
Internal temperatures were well-controlled throughout testing, with the unit never exceeding safe operating limits even during extended full-load testing in a 25°C ambient environment.
Real-World Performance
In real-world testing with a high-end gaming system (Intel Core i9-13900K + RTX 4080), the E850 delivered flawless performance. System stability was never compromised, and the PSU handled transient loads from the graphics card without issue.
The unit's 850W capacity provides ample headroom for most single-GPU systems, including those with high-end processors and graphics cards. It would also be suitable for modest dual-GPU configurations, though users should calculate their specific power requirements carefully.
