Nexus RX-5300/RX-6300 Power Supplies

Category: Power Supplies

Created on Tuesday, 05 January 2010 15:38

Written by Steve

Introduction:
Nexus is no newcomer to the growing group of companies trying to bring you high performance, ultra-silent computing peripherals. Being around since 2000, Nexus have 9 years worth of continuing product development behind them. Their product lines range from a growing power supply collection to computer cases and all sorts of high performance computing accessories. The products I've reviewed from them in the past have generally gotten all-around positive reviews and many of their products can be currently found in use in several computer systems throughout my home. Recently Nexus has released two new models in their RX series of power supplies; a 530W and a 630W (these in addition to the higher wattage models already available). I was lucky enough to receive one of each here today to put through the paces.

 
(Click to enlarge)

In The Box:
(1) Nexus RX-series power supply
(1) Bundle of modular cables
(1) Power cable
(4) Installation screws

Specs:

The small body size of the RX series power supplies may leave you deceived as to it's fan size. What looks like a 120mm fan is actually slightly larger, it's a 135mm fan. To keep nosy fingers out, the wire fan grill is painted to match the chassis. This fan is rated at a minimum of 15.5dBA for both models and the Nexus graphs show it going to around 30dBA at full load. The official graph is provided below:

As I just mentioned, the body of the RX series does seem rather shallow for it being a modular supply. Most modular power supplies are known for having longer bodies to accommodate the internal connections and wiring for the modular design. However, the RX series isn't much longer than a standard hard-wired power supply body. This will make it a great contender for smaller cases and HTPC cases because it will allow for better airflow in these usually cramped designs. The modular connectors are grouped into two groups; the two yellow ones are for PCI-Express and the other six are for peripheral connectors. All the modular cables use the same six-pin design at the power supply end. The sleeving of these cables is also eye-catching, it's black with crisscrossing white lines down it's length for some nice contrast. The layout of these cables is as follows:

(Click below to enlarge)
 

Nexus says both the RX-5300 and RX-6300 have a "guaranteed minimum efficiency" of 82% or higher. When I see advertised efficiencies I do what most consumers would do; I start searching the box for the official 80PLUS certification logo. A power supply with 82% or above would fall into the 80PLUS Bronze category. Interestingly enough, you will not find an 80PLUS logo on any Nexus power supply boxes. Being curious about this, I decided to send an email back to my rep at Nexus to see what the story behind this is. He told me that they found that when they had two of their older power supplies 80PLUS certified that it barely changed their sales numbers. Since having a power supply 80PLUS certified requires them paying an amount of money to the 80PLUS organization, they did not want to raise the price of the supply higher to accommodate this. Also, Nexus is a company based out of Europe and the 80PLUS organization is not as well known over there as it is in North America.

The entire RX series of power supplies are Active PFC so the power supply is using the power it takes in more efficiently. When paying extra to get a good quality power supply, you should always make sure it has Active PFC. I think the best explanation of this feature comes directly from Nexus:

"Power Factor Correction (PFC) allows the power distribution system to operate at maximum efficiency. This does not so much influence your electricity bill but it will also reduce energy consumption at the side of the power provider so it is contributing to using our planets resources better and more carefull. Active PFC is technically more complex then passive PFC and matches the overall high quality standard and reliability of this Nexus power supplies."

Installation:
As I pointed out earlier, the fact that this modular power supply is slightly more shallow than most modular ones makes it a great contender to fit in smaller/HTPC sized cases. When cases like these get packed pretty tight with components it can sometimes be difficult to find a spot to place all the cables that exit from a traditional power supply. I was also happy to see that Nexus went as far as to include four screws with the power supply too - I just don't see that very much anymore. However, I failed to find any sort of installation manual or documentation in the box which was a bit disappointing.

Testing:
Testing Disclaimer: To truly test a computer power supply to it's fullest extent would require equipment far beyond the budget of any part time reviewer. For that reason, our power supply tests are simple real world tests done by measuring it's performance when running in an above-average computer system. Since any good power supply should be able to regulate it's voltages, I never expect to see much of a change in that area. Therefore, take our power supply tests as providing some overall feedback on how I felt all aspects of the power supply performed.

Overall operational voltages were well within the average range I see from most quality power supplies. Voltages were very consistant between the two models being reviewed. I was also shocked by the quiet operation of both models, the RX-5300 and the RX-6300. Matching a high efficiency power supply with a larger-than-average fan size means the fan won't need to work nearly as hard as it's smaller counterparts to cool what little heat the power supply does put off. I currently use the Arctic Cooling Fusion 550 in my silent PC rig because it's quite simply the quietest power supply I have reviewed to date. However, when comparing the Nexus RX supplies against the Arctic Cooling in the same system, they come in as being only a little louder. I would certainly add this series into my list of top 5 power supplies to recommend to clients when building/upgrading computers.

Conclusion:
The two Nexus RX models I have reviewed here today left me with a wonderful impression of this series. They're sharp looking and have a much more compact footprint than most modular power supplies on the market. Coupled with their steady performance and ultra silent operation, they would make a great addition in any system from a small, quiet HTPC to a much larger high-performance gaming rig (this series comes up to 1000 watts). Based on the many other Nexus products I actively use, I am presuming these power supplies will follow the same tradition of great long-term reliability - Nexus backs them with a strong 3 year warranty to prove it!

Pros:
3 year warranty
Modular
Nice, quality finish

Cons:
No included manual/installation guide/warranty info