Contents
- 1Introducing the Zalman ZM600-LX
- 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
- 6.2Hold-up time
- 6.3Combined loading
- 6.4Combined loading ripple
- 6.5Crossloading, overloading
- 6.6Crossloading, overloading ripple
- 6.7Fan speed, temperatures and noise
- 7Conclusion and evaluation
- 7.1Bonus
- 7.2Thanks
- 7.3Discussion
Connectors & cabling
The main cabling (Main ATX, ATX 12 V, PCIe) uses 18AWG wires which is nice. I prefer separate wiring for each PCIe connector, but this is just a low-end unit after all. The molex and SATA cabling are only 20AWG, as well as the feedback and low-current wires in the Main ATX connector. The main cables also carry sleeving.
In total, we have:
- 1× Main ATX (20+4pin): 51 cm
- 1× ATX 12 V (4+4pin): 62 cm
- 2× PCIe (6+2pin): 50 cm, 65 cm
- 6× SATA: 2× 49 cm, 2× 65 cm, 2× 81 cm
- 5× peripheral molex: 2× 49 cm, 2× 64 cm, 1× 79 cm
- 1× Berg for FDD: 79 cm
Casing & cooling
The metal chassis of the ZM600-LX consists of 0.9mm SECC steel which has a black (most likely powdered) finish. The backside has large hexagonal openings for the exhaust air. These are also present underneath the input receptacle and single-pole AC switch which is nice. The cables coming out of the unit are protected with a plastic grommet.
Zalman opted for a wired fan grille which is nice as it produces less turbulence and noise. There’s a warranty sticker over one of the case screws. You may have already noticed that part of the fan is covered with a plastic film.
As we can see, in this case it covers about one-third of the fan. Notice the openings in the film which is situated approximately above the input rectifier to provide some airflow for it. The fan is the usual 120mm Yate Loon D12SH-12. It is a fast-spinning model reaching as much as 2200 RPM with airflow rating of 88 CFM and noise level peaking at 40 dB. It makes sense as the efficiency of this unit isn’t that high, and at its peak rated power it will generate a lot of waste heat.
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