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Performance, Value, Noise & Efficiency
Performance Rating
The following graph shows the E850’s total performance rating, comparing it to other units we have tested. To be more specific, the tested unit is shown as 100 percent, and every other unit's performance is shown relative to it.
Seasonic's original analog platform demonstrates better overall performance than NZXT's E850. The use of digital ICs doesn't help the E850 in this metric. On the contrary, its performance actually gets a little worse. It is one thing to build a digital platform from scratch, and something else entirely to take an analog platform and try to modify it with a digital controller.
Performance Per Dollar
The following chart may be the most interesting to many of you because it depicts the product’s performance-per-dollar score. We looked up the current price of each PSU on popular online shops and used those prices and all relative performance numbers to calculate the index. Note that all of the numbers in the following graph are normalized by the rated power of each PSU.
The E850's price is notably higher than the SSR-850FX's, so NZXT can't match Seasonic's value score.
Noise Rating
The graph below depicts the cooling fan's average noise over the PSU's operating range, with an ambient temperature between 30°C and 32°C (86°F to 89.6°F).
We used the Silent fan profile for all of our benchmarking. However, the E850 still proved to be a noisy power supply.
Efficiency Rating
The following graph shows the PSU's average efficiency throughout its operating range, with an ambient temperature close to 30°C.
The SSR-850FX is a bit more efficient than the E850, mostly because it doesn't use the added digital controllers that consume extra power.
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