NZXT C1500 Platinum PSU Review | Exceptional Performance

The NZXT C1500 Platinum is a higher-end PSU designed for those premium PCs. This one is intended for serious users and should be a hit. It's also efficient and modern. This PSU delivers 1500 watts. It is ATX 3.1 certified and supports PCIe 5.1. It also comes with two native 12V-2x6 cables. So it is ready for the latest high-end graphics cards.

Ideal for high-end gaming PCs. Enthusiasts will find it useful. Benefits for content creators and workstation users too. The other is the C1500, with its all–modular design. It also includes a 140mm magnetic levitation fan. In this review, the Tech Atlantix team is covering its design, performance and cooling, efficiency analysis, and real-world use case. We will be talking about its pros and cons.

Before our deep dive, here's an overview of what to expect from this power supply unit:

·         1500W maximum power output

·         80 PLUS Platinum efficiency rating

·         ATX 3.1 and EPS12V support

·         PCIe 5.1 support

·         Two 16-pin 12V-2x6 PCIe cables

·         Six 6+2-pin PCIe cables

·         Fully modular cable design

·         140mm magnetic levitation fan

·         105°C Japanese capacitors

·         180mm compact PSU depth

·         100–240V AC input

·         125A on the 12V rail

·         OVP, UVP, SCP, OTP, OPP, and OCP protection

·         10-year warranty

This is not much of a behemoth for a PSU, and in fact, when one thinks of 1500W PSUs, this size tends to vary from hard to find to easy enough. Size–wise: 150 × 86 × 180 mm (5.91 × 3.39 × 7.09 inches), so it does not take up a lot of space like other high-wattage units. This can help with airflow/cable management for a large case.

The build quality has this nice, premium feel to it too. The body of the PSU is made from steel, finished in clean black. It features top-quality 105°C Japanese capacitors as well. They are designed to operate safely for long periods. Another advantage, however, is its entirely modular design. You duct the wires that your platform wants to use. This minimizes the amount of unneeded cables inside the case.

This is how the C1500 delivers some of the finest power delivery in existence and why that fact alone makes it a must-buy. It is capable of 1500W output, rated for 125A on the 12V rail. This means even more demanding CPUs and GPUs can fit in.

This is especially well modeled for top-end gaming rigs. The two cables providing native 12V-2x6 connections can be used by those who are building high-end RTX 50-series-based PCs. All cables can deliver 600W or more to graphics cards with supported connectors (issued about 2 months ago:

But 1500W is far more than even the most powerful gaming PC needs today. If you're not creating a mind-bogglingly all-around established framework, however, it may be best to settle on a 1000W or 1200W model.

Rated for 80 PLUS Platinum, the C1500 is claimed to achieve up to 94% efficiency at 20% load, with up to 93.8% achieved delivering 115V testing at half-rated load, an amount of power NZXT says its engineers have also worked hard to keep noise under control while retaining a gorgeous glow. You have a full-load efficiency of 90.8%.

Tom's Hardware tested the efficiency too, showing a separate average nominal result of 92.6% at 115V and 93.7% at 230V, so even if this PSU is officially rated Platinum by the powers that be on the 80 PLUS certification front, with testing it actually runs near enough to Titanium territory! Cybenetics testing also indicated great efficiency and average noise output in the vicinity of 25.4 dBA. So together, efficiency and acoustics trend quite generally.

As for C1500, it is equipped with a 140 mm magnetic levitation fan. Uses: This is used when you want air movement but not sound. Below 2000 RPM, Zero-Fan mode is also functional for low-load operation.

Testing indicated that the fan was off until around the 700W load range PSU. Then it slowly started to accelerate. Despite being under load, the unit provided adequate temperatures too. You won't hear it too often during the normal use case of gaming. The fan is not audible under light loads, but at very high loads, the fan noise increases.

A comprehensive set of safety systems also makes its way into the C1500. These include protections for over-voltage, under-voltage, short-circuit, and over-temperature, as well as power and current.

Without benchmarks, the ripple performance also proved to be excellent. All 12V rail ripple had an extremely low 24mV over at Tom's Hardware. It also passed its key test of shielding.

Here is what it offers:

Pros

·         It provides a huge 1500W power capacity

·         Supports ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1

·         Includes two native 12V-2x6 cables

·         Gives excellent efficiency

·         Has strong voltage regulation and low ripple

·         Uses 105°C Japanese capacitors

·         Has a quiet magnetic levitation fan

·         Fully modular design

·         Comes with a 10-year warranty

Cons

·         1500W is unnecessary for most gaming PCs

·         The PSU can be expensive compared with lower-wattage options

·         High loads can make the fan more noticeable

·         Some users may find the included cables less premium than expected

The NZXT C1500 Platinum is a really good high-end PSU. Plenty of performance and good efficiency if you're building a flagship-class gaming machine, workstation, or future-proof system. Furthermore, it features an ATX 3.1 design and dual 12V-2x6 connections to accommodate modern-day high-end GPUs with gusto.

Unless everyone has 1500 watts, not you then, this makes more sense for the sort of PSUs you'd find in a lower-wattage (and thus average) gaming PC. In any case, the NZXT C1500 Platinum is a great choice if you need all the power you can get, with efficient and silent operation together with support for current-gen GPUs.