Introduction
We would like to thank Zalman for supplying the review sample.
In the last PSU review we tested the smaller brother of today’s review sample and spotted some drawbacks with the most significant being its high price. Now the ZM1000-HP Plus will try to defend Zalman’s pride and prove that it deserves the serious amount of money it will set you back if you decide that you need a 1000W silent PSU. Unfortunately, in the computers world, whatever is silent and works reliably usually costs a lot.
Zalman's ZM1000-HP Plus, like the ZM850-HP Plus features a dual heatpipe cooling system that allows the cooling fan to operate at lower RPMs and thus produce much less noise. The PSU has 1000W capacity, it’s semi-modular, supports up to three hi-end graphics cards and is 80PLUS Silver certified. In general, with the exception of the 150 more watts capacity, it shares almost the same features with the ZM850-HP Plus. In the rest of the review we will find out if it deserves the extra money it costs and if it has a better price/performance ratio. Given its high price, the ZM1000-HP Plus is competing with other PSUs from the super league so things will be really tough.
Specifications
Zalman ZM1000-HP Plus Features & Specs |
---|
Max. DC Output | 1000W |
---|
PFC | Active PFC |
---|
Efficiency | 80Plus Silver |
---|
Operating temperature | 10°C - 40°C |
---|
Protections | Over Voltage Protection Under Voltage Protection Over Current Protection Over Temperature Protection Short Circuit Protection |
---|
Cooling | 140 mm Double Ball Bearing Fan |
---|
Dimensions | 150 mm (W) x 86 mm (H) x 210 mm (D) |
---|
Weight | 2.7 kg |
---|
Compliance | ATX12V v2.3, EPS12V |
---|
Warranty | 3 years |
---|
Price at time of review | 249.99$ |
---|
The PSU is very long and probably many chassis will not support it. So before you buy it just make sure that your case can accommodate it. The maximum operational temperature, according to Zalman, is 40°C but we will blatantly ignore this since the PSU is ATX compliant so it has to operate without problems at 50°C and with full load. Finally, except OPP (Over Power Protection) all other protections are present.
Zalman ZM1000-HP Plus Power Specs |
---|
Rail | 3.3V | 5V | 12V1 | 12V2 | 12V3 | 12V4 | 5VSB | -12V |
---|
Max. Power | 25A | 25A | 28A | 25A | 35A | 28A | 3.5A | 0.5A |
---|
180W | 984W | 17.5W | 6W |
Total Max. Power | 1000W |
---|
What we have here is four +12V rails with weird Amp rating since one rail is rated at 25A, two at 28A and the stronger at 35A. The PSU can give almost its full wattage to the +12V rails, something that is very convenient especially in modern systems where power draw from 5V & 3.3V is low.
Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution
Native Cables |
---|
ATX connector (530 mm) | 20+4 pin |
---|
4+4 pin EPS12V (540 mm) | 1 |
---|
6+2 pin PCIe (500 mm) / 6 pin PCIe (+ 140mm) | 1 / 1 |
---|
Modular Cables |
---|
6+2 pin PCIe (510 mm) / 6 pin PCIe (+ 140mm) | 2 / 2 |
---|
SATA (500 mm+140 mm+140 mm) | 9 |
---|
4 pin Molex (500 mm+140 mm) / FDD (+140 mm) | 2 / 1 |
---|
4 pin Molex (500 mm+140 mm+140) | 6 |
---|
Distance between connectors is close to the optimal 150 mm and cable length is sufficient. The main ATX, EPS and PCIe connectors use 16 AWG wires while all the rest use 18 AWG. Finally six PCIe connectors for 1000W capacity are a sufficient number however we expected all to be 6+2 pin. Also in a 1000W PSU we expected to see at least two EPS connectors.
Power Distribution |
---|
12V1 | EPS, PCIe3, PCIe4, Peripheral |
---|
12V2 | EPS, ATX |
---|
12V3 | PCIe1, PCIe2 |
---|
12V4 | PCIe5, PCIe6, SATA |
---|
The ZM1000-HP, like its smaller brother, does not utilize the optimal power distribution among the +12V rails. Half of the EPS connector along with two PCIe and the peripheral connectors share the same rail while 12V2 has only the rest of the EPS connector and the ATX one. For a much better power distribution the full EPS connector along with the peripheral connectors should be fed through 12V2. Finally 12V3, the rail with the highest amp rating, feeds only two PCIe connectors while 12V1 and 12V4, that are weaker, feed additional connectors along with two PCIe! Next time Zalman should plan the power distribution more carefully.