INTRODUCTION

   The pros of having a good power supply unit in your system have been mentioned by me more times in the 13 years I’ve been doing reviews than i can possibly count really. Still, it seems that many people out there place this specific hardware component last after pretty much everything else (and yes, unfortunately I happen to have many examples of that). The good news is that compared to even just 5 years ago people actually care which 80 Plus efficiency a PSU has and yes, even which brand makes it. NZXT may not have the foothold other brands have in the market when it comes to power supply units but their C850 Gold model seems to be very popular (especially among gamers) and that’s why I decided to test it out.

   Founded in 2004, NZXT is a leader of gaming products and services. Their award-winning products include computer cases, PC cooling solutions, RGB lighting kits, power supplies, and their free PC monitoring software, NZXT CAM. NZXT was created out of a passion for PC gaming and is dedicated to improving products and services to achieve extraordinary gaming experiences.

   The ΝΖΧΤ C850 Gold is an 850W (958W peak) output fully modular power supply unit (also available in 650/750W models) that features the 80 Plus Gold certification for up to 90% electrical efficiency. It also packs a powerful 70A single +12V rail which can deliver roughly 95% of the units’ entire power output (840W), Japanese manufactured capacitors, zero RPM fan mode, ATX v2.4 and EPS12V v2.93 support and several electrical protections including OVP (over-voltage), UVP (under-voltage), SCP (short-circuit), OPP (over-power), OCP (over-current), SP (surge), ICP (inrush-current) and OTP (over-temperature). Last but certainly not least NZXT shows their confidence on the entire C series of power supply units by covering it with a generous 10-year limited warranty.