Introduction

NZXT’s newest entry in the high-capacity category is the C1200 Gold, which offers compatibility with ATX v3.0 and PCIe 5.0. It is equipped with a 600 W 12VHPWR connector, so it won’t have a problem supporting an NVIDIA RTX 4090 with its power limit set to the max. This unit uses a Channel Well Technology (CWT) platform with the code name CSZ. CWT’s CSZ platform is popular in today’s market. So far, I have seen it in the Thermaltake GF3 line (up to 1200 W models) and the Montech Titan Gold line. All new PSUs should meet the ATX v3.0 spec and have 12VHPWR connectors if they want to stay in the game. It would be unwise getting an outdated PSU, even though only NVIDIA’s new GPUs require 12+4 pin PCIe connectors currently, since AMD will also have to follow at some point in the future. You invest in a PSU and expect to keep it for years to come, so it is for the best to ensure the unit is future-proof, or else you might need to replace it soon and waste money.

The C1200 Gold has compact dimensions, given its capacity, measuring 150 mm long. I am not fond of compact PSUs because airflow takes a hit, affecting noise output. Given the Cybenetics Standard+ noise rating, I cannot say that the C1200 is a silent operating unit, but I will discuss this in detail on the noise measurements page. Moreover, NZXT states that at 50 °C, the unit cannot deliver full power continuously, but only 80% or 960 W. This is not a problem, though, since 50 °C is too high. I used to load PSUs at this temperature for prolonged periods, but I had to adjust my methodology eventually to 45-47 °C because I had so many failures.

Specifications