Zalman ZM600 heatpipe-cooled modular PSU

[Operandi]

LINK

 

[InlineFive]

Pricey.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: InlineFive
Pricey.

Yes but what you would expect for high-end 600 watt modular PSU?

 

[VooDooAddict]

It's a little longer then a standard ATX powersupply.

Not for people what already have a tight powersupply fit.

 

[Eska]

Not bad if you have the money to blow

 

[corsa]

Interesting read...

The unit performed quietly only at <150W load, and would most likely be amongst the loudest components in a typical "quiet" system. It's strange, since Zalman's product pages are littered with talk about "ultra-quiet" systems ? maybe they're talking about ultra-quiet relative to the typical high-end gaming rig.
Although the heatpipe heatsink is interesting, it has not helped Zalman to produce a PSU that uses less airflow for cooling. Or one that's quieter than the competition.

Good Marketing wins the race again ......I'm wondering how the heat pipe/sink works when the psu is operated upside down, aka bottom of the case fan facing up

 

[Zebo]

Seems pretty crappy for $150

During testing, the system simply shut down when we were testing it at or close to the maximum load. This happened a number of times, with the unit coming back on immediately when reset or with a very minor reduction in 12V load. It was undoubtedly the result of the current limiting on the "four independent lines". We have only two independent loads, one for 12V1 (main ATX cable and 4-pin peripheral power cables) and one for 2x12V, so at maximum load, we had 18A and 19A on those lines. Zalman cites 16A maximum on each 12V line. We expect that Intel's ATX12V v2.2 guide of 18A current limiting for the 12V lines was used.

The good thing is that the 12V overcurrent protection circuit definitely works. The bad thing is that the OCP works, so this means if you do have a high power system, you'll have to take some care to distribute the 12V load evenly. You may have to experiment with different cable combinations to avoid this issue with very high power systems.

and

Unfortunately, a gaming rig is typically not the realm of quiet computing. The unit performed quietly only at <150W load, and would most likely be amongst the loudest components in a typical "quiet" system. It's strange, since Zalman's product pages are littered with talk about "ultra-quiet" systems ? maybe they're talking about ultra-quiet relative to the typical high-end gaming rig. Their ZM460B-APS power supply boasts a feature Zalman calls CNPS (Computer Noise Prevention System) that is supposed to keep the fan running slowly until the internal temperatures reach 30°C, but the ZM600-HP has no indication of such a feature on their website. Our results suggest that the absence of such a claim is no accident.

One possible source of the problem lies in the tight spacing of the heatsink fins on the heatpipe. With such a small gap between the fins, the fan needs to spin faster in order to provide sufficient pressure to sufficiently cool the device. For high airflow systems, this provides more efficient cooling, but it significantly reduces performance in low airflow situations. Although the heatpipe heatsink is interesting, it has not helped Zalman to produce a PSU that uses less airflow for cooling. Or one that's quieter than the competition.

Seasonics own this PSU for less money.

 

[corsa]

.... Silverstone for me.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Zebo
Seems pretty crappy for $150

During testing, the system simply shut down when we were testing it at or close to the maximum load. This happened a number of times, with the unit coming back on immediately when reset or with a very minor reduction in 12V load. It was undoubtedly the result of the current limiting on the "four independent lines". We have only two independent loads, one for 12V1 (main ATX cable and 4-pin peripheral power cables) and one for 2x12V, so at maximum load, we had 18A and 19A on those lines. Zalman cites 16A maximum on each 12V line. We expect that Intel's ATX12V v2.2 guide of 18A current limiting for the 12V lines was used.

The good thing is that the 12V overcurrent protection circuit definitely works. The bad thing is that the OCP works, so this means if you do have a high power system, you'll have to take some care to distribute the 12V load evenly. You may have to experiment with different cable combinations to avoid this issue with very high power systems.

and

Unfortunately, a gaming rig is typically not the realm of quiet computing. The unit performed quietly only at <150W load, and would most likely be amongst the loudest components in a typical "quiet" system. It's strange, since Zalman's product pages are littered with talk about "ultra-quiet" systems ? maybe they're talking about ultra-quiet relative to the typical high-end gaming rig. Their ZM460B-APS power supply boasts a feature Zalman calls CNPS (Computer Noise Prevention System) that is supposed to keep the fan running slowly until the internal temperatures reach 30°C, but the ZM600-HP has no indication of such a feature on their website. Our results suggest that the absence of such a claim is no accident.

One possible source of the problem lies in the tight spacing of the heatsink fins on the heatpipe. With such a small gap between the fins, the fan needs to spin faster in order to provide sufficient pressure to sufficiently cool the device. For high airflow systems, this provides more efficient cooling, but it significantly reduces performance in low airflow situations. Although the heatpipe heatsink is interesting, it has not helped Zalman to produce a PSU that uses less airflow for cooling. Or one that's quieter than the competition.

Seasonics own this PSU for less money.

The 600 watt M12 is actually more expensive.

I agree that Seasonic is better but 2nd best is not bad at all.

 

[Indyboy2]

For anyone interested http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=46

 

[JEDIYoda]

Zebo -- Seems pretty crappy for $150

SPCR doesn`t hold a candle to JonnyGURU`s reviews.....
In all fairness if you take away the quiet aspect of SPCR`s reviews they are rather ho hum and have on more than one occasion been totally wrong in their reviews!!
SPCR is sort of the Antec of reviewing sites....
At one time ages ago they were good...now they are just ho hum at best for a reviewing site!



Ok... So I think that about wraps this up. Let's take a look at how I score this thing....

Performance (weight of 40%): The ZM600-HP is a very solid PSU with excellent voltage regulation. It is efficient (although not 80 Plus material,) has active PFC and is very quiet. I'm giving it a 9.5 with the only thing keeping it from perfection is better efficiency and just a little more juice for those using G80 SLI or a Quad Father (which I've yet to be able to boot with anything less than a 700W when running SLI.)

Aesthetics (weight is 10%): The housing of the Zalman lacks any kind of "gloss" or shine. It's a flat black metal housing, but the fact that it's compact, has all sleeved cables, is modular and has the blue LED's inside, helps it considerably. I easily give this PSU a 9 here. With a black chrome finish or maybe a nicer looking fan and fan grill, we could have had a 9.5 here too.

Value (weight of 30%): With a street price of about $130, the ZM600-HP is a bit more than most 600W power supply units. But given it's performance, the fact that it's quiet and is modular, it is actually quite the value. I'm awarding the ZM600-HP a 9 in the value department.

Functionality (weight is 20%): Functionality is pretty good here. It's compact, modular, plenty of connectors. No, it doesn't have four PCI-e, but I wouldn't use a 600W PSU for a rig that needed four PCI-e connectors. 6 SATA connectors is a fairly decent quantity and seven peripheral Molexes should be enough for most folks. I'm giving the Zalman a 9 here.

Performance 9.5
Aesthetics 9
Value 9
Functionality 9
Total Score 9

recommended by the GURU!!!

 

[Towermax]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
Zebo -- Seems pretty crappy for $150

SPCR doesn`t hold a candle to JonnyGURU`s reviews.....
In all fairness if you take away the quiet aspect of SPCR`s reviews they are rather ho hum and have on more than one occasion been totally wrong in their reviews!!
SPCR is sort of the Antec of reviewing sites....
At one time ages ago they were good...now they are just ho hum at best for a reviewing site!

Depends on what you're looking for--SPCR is about silence, so that's the single most important issue for the people who frequent the place. Many have no concern at all about appearance, and value to them includes a hefty portion of silence. SPCR also reviews a much more than power supplies. When looking for a power supply, I check both sites.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
SPCR doesn`t hold a candle to JonnyGURU`s reviews.....
In all fairness if you take away the quiet aspect of SPCR`s reviews they are rather ho hum and have on more than one occasion been totally wrong in their reviews!!
SPCR is sort of the Antec of reviewing sites....
At one time ages ago they were good...now they are just ho hum at best for a reviewing site!

Please.... :roll:

I can easily count on one hand the number of websites that know how to properly review a PSU.

Both SPCR and Jonny do very good reviews. SPCR's stand very well on their own merit even if completely ignore their excellent acoustic measurements. Yes there is (obviously) a strong emphasis on noise but they are very valuable even if noise is of no concern.

Personally I tend to find SPCR's reviews a bit more professional and objective so those are the ones I personally read and link to.

 

[idiotekniQues]

i saw this on jonnyguru's site but i decided to go with the corsair hx620. still glad i did, though this PS was in the running.

 

[Remedy]

Did anyone purchase this yet?

Want to comment on the noise verse your previous supply?

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

The Corsair is a better platform, populated with Nipponese caps and has a five year warranty.

I think the Zalman heat pipe is neato but it is kind of a hook to catch-ya. It is based on the FSP Epsilon but unlike the Epsilon does not go out of ripple spec near full output.
We have no idea what was changed to bring this about aside from the fact that Epsilon/OCZ use OST caps on their secondary and FSP used CapXon on the Zalman's secondary. CapXon are to be considered higher quality than what OST offers.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Yeah I wasn't too sure whether to go corsair or that zalman for awhile. I ended up going with the Corsair because I knew it was a really good unit and quiet and I wasn't totally sure on how the zalman stacked up to it.

 

[RallyMaster]

Corsair is FTW. Duh...

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
Yeah I wasn't too sure whether to go corsair or that zalman for awhile. I ended up going with the Corsair because I knew it was a really good unit and quiet and I wasn't totally sure on how the zalman stacked up to it.

The Zalman *might* be a little quieter after about 350~400W of output.
I bet these Zalmans will be selling for < $120 in 90 days. They are good units..Just not as good as the 620HX.

 

[s44]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
I bet these Zalmans will be selling for < $120 in 90 days.

They already are. Actually, I think they have been (in various places) since the beginning.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: s44

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
I bet these Zalmans will be selling for < $120 in 90 days.

They already are. Actually, I think they have been (in various places) since the beginning.

I got generous, notice that the post was edited. I first posted << $100.