Introduction

We would like to thank EVGA for supplying the review sample.

EVGA is a company that avoids common designs since most of their products are uniquely designed in order to bring large smiles to the faces of enthusiast users all over the world. Unfortunately, everything unique or special comes with a high price. Most of EVGA's products are not for the budget oriented user and this applies to their new PSU offering, the SuperNOVA NEX1500 Classified, which is currently the most expensive desktop PSU available.

In the past, EVGA has shown an interest in the PSU market and released the SR-2 1200 W, a PSU that utilized the same platform as the Antec TPQ-1200OC with some changes that made it more useful to overclockers. This time around, EVGA decided to enter the high-end PSU segment with a new platform that has never been used in other desktop PSUs. They cooperated with ETASIS, a PSU manufacturer with vast experience, who, however, focuses on developing industrial PSUs, not desktop ones. Nevertheless, together with EVGA, a company that knows what an enthusiast user needs well, they built a powerful PSU utilizing cutting-edge technology.

Some of the most interesting characteristics of the NEX1500 include the 1500 W capacity, which increases to 1650 W with 230VAC power input, Gold efficiency, the ability to switch between single or multiple +12V rails, a fully modular design that uses individually sleeved cables of extra high quality, a huge number of PCIe connectors (16!), a SANYO DENKI ball-bearings fan, and the SuperNOVA software through which you can monitor all vital aspects of the PSU. SuperNOVA also gives you the option to change the fan profile and adjust the voltage of the +12V rail. As you can see, this PSU is indeed special and has many aces up its sleeve, but you unfortunately have to pay a great amount of money to acquire one.

Specifications

The maximum continuous power increases to 1650 W when the PSU is powered by 230VAC and OC mode is enabled via DIP switches or software. This is a huge amount of power and you will need incredibly power hungry components to stress this monster. You will not stress this PSU in the slightest unless you are a top overclocker benching with liquid nitrogen, while also running high clock and voltage on CPU/VGAs going through the roof with their power consumption. The unit is 80 Plus Gold compliant despite its huge capacity, something that should not be taken lightly since it is much harder to attain high efficiency as capacity increases. This PSU's maximum operating power reaches 50°C and has all protection features available.

The cooling fan in this PSU is a high-quality Sanyo Denki model that uses double ball-bearings for increased lifetime. It can spin up to 4500 RPMs if need be, making noise equal to a jet fighter during takeoff. You have to make sure your chassis supports this PSU before buying it since it is 20 cm long. The ten year warranty is the longest we have ever seen in a PSU and the same does, unfortunately, apply to its price. It is the highest amongst all desktop PSUs.


In multi-rail mode, there are eight +12V rails with a rather small max current output each. You are better off switching to single rail mode if you are going to install multiple highly overlocked VGAs. The +12V rail can almost deliver the full power of the unit on its own, either in normal or overclocked mode. The minor rails are very strong at 150 W max combined output, and the 5VSB provide sufficient juice with 4 A max current output. We did expect an even stronger 5VSB rail, since this PSU targets extreme users putting their system through extreme situations.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

With such high capacity, many cables/connectors are needed, but we were still surprised to find that this unit is equipped with 16 PCIe connectors. There are also four additional 6 pin PCIe connectors for directly powering any mainboard that has the corresponding sockets, along with two EPS. Moreover, the number of SATA and peripheral connectors is sufficient for every high-end system out there.

The length of the ATX cable is huge. The same applies to four of the eight PCIe cables. The EPS cables are of sufficient length for even full tower cases. The SATA cables come in three different lengths up to the first connector, to give the user the option to use the SATA cable most suitable for his/her case, while the two peripheral cables share the same length. Regarding the distance amongst connectors, it is ideal on the PCIe cables, while the distance is rather small on the peripheral cables. The SATA cables have the same distance amongst their connectors as the peripheral cables, but SATA devices (HDDs/SSDs) are usually installed close to each other, and a small distance here actually makes cable management much easier. As you can see from the table above, EVGA provides the essential USB cable to connect the PSU to a mainboard's USB header, allowing you to control it through software.

All cables consist of individually sleeved wires, with the sleeving being of such exceptional quality that it will satisfy even the hard-core modders. The 24 pin ATX connector uses thicker 16AWG gauges for lower voltage drops at high loads, while all the remaining connectors use 18AWG wires, which are the minimum recommended by ATX spec (except sense wires and FDD ones).


Unfortunately, power distribution is far from optimal since the EPS connectors are mixed in with the VGA ones in some rails, and the 12V4 feds two PCIe sockets. If you plan to install multiple VGAs, you better switch the PSU to single-rail mode or read the leaflet which provides two cabling configurations for multiple VGA installation.