Introduction

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

Lightning bolts and thunder introduce the new Zeus ZM1350 PSU from Silverstone, and, yes, it will take the top spot in their line-up of PSU offerings. This unit brings Silverstone's top-of-the-line series called "Zeus" back to life after four years. The new ZM1350 promises, besides its high capacity that can be delivered at extra-high ambient temperatures, tight voltage regulation (Silverstone speaks of 1%, which is exceptional for this category), low ripple and noise on all rails, and high enough efficiency to make it compatible with the 80 Plus Silver certification. But those are not the only aces up its sleeve since it utilizes a fully modular cabling-design for optimal cable-management. Its additional features will also thrill all hard-core overclockers: user accessible voltage adjustment pots for all three major rails (+12V, 5V and 3.3V), a characteristic that we have come across in other commercial PSU, and, on its rear, a switch which converts the six +12V rails into a powerful single rail. Another switch on the front of the PSU enables the fan's turbo mode.

Silverstone apparently put a lot of effort into their new Zeus ZM1350 unit in an attempt to make a strong comeback to the high-end category of PSUs. Nevertheless, some specifications still look a little outdated; that is, "only" having a Silver efficiency-certification means that it cannot compete with its competition's Platinum levels, the +12V rail can't deliver the full power of the unit, its extra-long width is not a boon, and a small 80 mm fan is an unusual choice for such a unit. But we shouldn't draw any quick conclusions until the Chromas reveals the unit's true potential.

Specifications

The PSU is very strong with its 1350 W maximum nominal capacity and a 1500 W peak. Both can be delivered at up to 50°C, and Silverstone states that the PSU can deliver 1080 W at even 60°C! This is one of the very few PSUs that provides a power rating for such a high operating-temperature.

Efficiency is Silver and available protections include everything but OTP. The manufacturer probably considered OTP unnecessary with such a wide temperature-range during operations, but we would still like to see it included.

The small fan that handles the cooling of this beast uses double ball-bearings for increased lifetime and is mounted on the front of the PSU, which is rather outdated since almost all current PSUs utilize a much larger, top-mounted fan to allow for a lower RPM that provides better cooling and less noise output.

The PSU is very long, so you should check to see if your chassis can accommodate it before purchasing the Zeus. This is one of the heaviest PSUs we have ever encountered. The warranty is long and its price is quite stiff, putting this unit into the high-competition zone where its adversaries feature similar capacities with Gold and Platinum efficiency ratings.


Its overall power-output is high; however, the power that the +12V rail(s) can deliver is "restricted" to 1260 W. We wonder why its manufacturer set such a low limit for the +12V rail since the PSU utilizes DC-DC converters for the generation of the minor rails. Also, the minor rails are too strong for today's needs, and the 5VSB rail has sufficient capacity to cover any system.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

The PSU is equipped with enough cables and connectors to power every system out there. Especially the number of SATA connectors is insanely high, while the number of peripheral connectors is conservative. The main ATX cable is strangely short, and an additional 100 mm would have been ideal given this PSU can only be installed into a full-tower case; it simply won't fit into a smaller case. The length of the second EPS connector is small as well, and the same applies to the length of all PCIe connectors. We really do wonder why Silverstone restricted the length of most cables to 500 mm since, as we have already stated, this unit only fits into a large full-tower case.

The 24-pin ATX, EPS and PCIe connectors use 16AWG gauges for lower voltage drops, while the other connectors utilize normal 18AWG wires.

The ZM1350 can toggle between single rail and multi-rail mode through the flip of a switch, so let's take a look at the power distribution of the +12V rail.


Power distribution is good since each one of its EPS connectors is fed through a dedicated rail. Each one of the 12V4, 12V5, and 12V6 rails feeds two 8-pin PCIe sockets, and a possible problem could occur if you use both cables that feature double PCIe connectors on sockets that are powered by the same rail. You had better pay some attention to the cables connecting with the modular PCB, or simply engage its single +12V rail mode; that is, if you plan on using all PCIe connectors.