NZXT HALE82 N 650 W Power Supply Review

Primary Analysis

On this page we will take an in-depth look at the primary stage of the NZXT HALE82 N 650 W. For a better understanding, please read our “Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies” tutorial.

This power supply uses two GBU806 rectifying bridges connected in parallel, which are attached to an individual heatsink. Each bridge supports up to 8 A at 100° C. So, in theory, you would be able to pull up to 1,840 W from a 115 V power grid. Assuming 80% efficiency, the bridges would allow this unit to deliver up to 1,472 W without burning themselves out. Of course, we are only talking about this particular component. The real limit will depend on all the components combined in this power supply.

Figure 10: Rectifying bridges

The active PFC circuit uses two IPA6R190C6 MOSFETs, each supporting up to 20.2 A at 25° C or 12.8 A at 100° C in continuous mode (see the difference temperature makes) or 59 A at 25° C in pulse mode. These transistors typically present a 170 mΩ resistance when turned on, a characteristic called RDS(on). The lower the number the better, meaning that the transistor will waste less power, and the power supply will have a higher efficiency.

Figure 11: Active PFC transistors and diode

The output of the active PFC circuit is filtered by one 390 µF x 420 V Japanese electrolytic capacitor from Chemi-Con, labeled at 105° C.

In the switching section, another two IPA6R190C6 MOSFETs are employed using the traditional two-transistor forward configuration. The specifications for these transistors were previously discussed above.

Figure 12: Switching transistors

The primary is managed by the famous CM6800 active PFC/PWM combo controller.

Figure 13: Active PFC/PWM combo controller

Let’s now take a look at the secondary of this power supply.