Contents
- 1Introducing the Zalman ZM600-GVM
- 1.1Packaging and accessories
- 2Connectors & cabling
- 2.1Casing & cooling
- 3Input filtering
- 4Primary side
- 4.1+5 V stand-by rail
- 5Secondary side
- 5.1Build quality
- 6Load testing
- 6.1Loading +5 V SB
- 6.2Voltage hold-up time
- 6.3Combined loading
- 6.4Combined loading ripple
- 6.5Crossloading, overloading
- 6.6Crossloading, overloading ripple
- 6.7Fan speed and temperatures
- 7Conclusion and evaluation
- 7.1Thanks
- 7.2Discussion
Connectors & cabling
All wires used for the ZM600-GVM (besides those which carry only very small current like Power Good or PWR On) are 18AWG. The fixed cables are sleeved, while the modular cables are all black and have been molded together to form flat ribbons. None of the connectors are gold-plated nor do they have any clips to help facilitate their removal. It is worth noting the manual specifies completely different cabling from what is actually present.
In total, we have:
Fixed cabling:
- 1× Main ATX (20+4pin): 49 cm
- 1× ATX 12 V (4+4pin): 59 cm
Modular cabling:
- 2× PCIe (6+2pin): 1× 50 cm, 1× 65 cm
- 8× SATA: 3× 50 cm, 2× 66 cm, 3× 82 cm
- 4× peripheral molex: 1× 66 cm, 3× 97 cm
- 1× Berg for FDD: 103 cm (uff)
Casing & cooling
The metal chassis of the Zalman ZM600-GVM is made out of 0.9mm SECC steel, and it has a matte black finish (which is most likely a powder coating). We have the same fan grill as with the 500W version, in the form of holes that are punched directly into the chassis. It does have an interesting shape, but I still feel that it’s somewhat more restrictive in terms of air flow than if they had used just an ordinary wired grille. There’s also the sticker in the middle reassuring us that this unit is of “high quality”, but last time, things were not so bright. Then again, as all things are relative, it is important what is your standard of quality…
The design of the base part of the chassis is still the same, as for many other Sirtec units. Well, why not use the same one when you already had them in stock… It uses an ordinary hexagonal mesh pattern which doesn’t cover the entire back, like around the AC receptacle and switch, but at least there are still some holes underneath them. We should therefore expect that there won’t be any pockets of hot air trapped in this unit. And like the Silverstone, the chassis also has a short depth to it. We can observe on this image (and the one above) that the cooling fan is partially covered by a plastic sheet. The external cables are protected by a plastic grommet at the point where they exit through the metal casing.
The foil covers about 1/3 of the ZM600-GVM fan, which is the same Globe Fan S1202512L, a fluid bearing 120mm one. According to its datasheet, the maximum speed should be 2000 RPM with a maximum airflow of 67.28 CFM and a noise level of 34 dBA. That is if you believe it has exactly the same specifications as ordinary sleeve bearing version.
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