OCZ ZS Series 750 W Review 0

OCZ ZS Series 750 W Review

Cross Load Tests »

Test Setup

All measurements are performed utilizing ten electronic loads (seven Array 3711A, 300W each, and three Array 3710A, 150W each), which are able to deliver over 2500W of load and are controlled by a custom made software. We also use a Picoscope 3424 oscilloscope, a CHY 502 thermometer, a Fluke 175 multimeter and an Instek GPM-8212 power meter. Furthermore, in our setup we have included a wooden box, which along with a heating element is used as a Hot Box. Finally, we have at our disposal four more oscilloscopes (Rigol 1052E and VS5042, Stingray DS1M12 and a second Picoscope 3424) and a CEM DT-8852 sound level meter. In this article you will find more details about our equipment and the review methodology we follow. Finally, if the manufacturer states that the maximum operating temperature of the test unit is only 40°C then we try to stay near this temperature, otherwise we crank up the heat inside the hotbox up to 50°C.

Voltage Regulation Charts

The following charts show the voltage values of the main rails, recorded over a range from 60W to the maximum specified load, and the deviation (in percent) for the same load range.







5VSB Regulation Chart

The following chart shows how the 5VSB rail deals with the load we throw at it.


Efficiency Chart

In this chart you will find the efficiency of ZS 750W at low loads and at loads equal to 20-100% of PSU’s maximum rated load.



Voltage Regulation and Efficiency Measurements

The first set of tests reveals the stability of voltage rails and the efficiency of ZS 750W. The applied load equals to (approximately) 20%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 80% and 100%, of the maximum load that the PSU can handle. In addition, we conduct two more tests. In the first we stress the two minor rails (5V & 3.3V) with a high load, while the load at +12V is only 2A and in the second test we dial the maximum load that +12V can handle while load at minor rails is minimal.

Voltage Regulation & Efficiency Testing Data
OCZ ZS 750W
Test12 V5 V3.3 V5VSBPower
(DC/AC)
EfficiencyTemp
(In/Out)
PF/AC
Volts
20% Load10.564A1.948A1.943A0.978A150.00W85.08%40.7°C0.875
12.154V5.136V3.396V5.109V176.30W46.2°C231.5V
40% Load21.574A3.928A3.920A1.180A300.00W86.67%42.2°C0.920
12.089V5.091V3.367V5.082V346.15W49.6°C229.9V
50% Load27.006A4.919A4.923A1.585A375.00W86.36%43.8°C0.931
12.053V5.082V3.351V5.047V434.25W53.3°C229.2V
60% Load32.462A5.924A5.937A1.989A450.00W85.80%43.9°C0.940
12.020V5.064V3.335V5.029V524.45W56.1°C229.3V
80% Load43.645A7.939A7.996A2.407A600.00W84.39%45.7°C0.954
11.951V5.038V3.302V4.984V711.00W61.9°C229.7V
100% Load55.637A8.980A9.055A3.037A750.00W81.92%47.1°C0.965
11.868V5.011V3.280V4.939V915.50W67.9°C226.5V
Crossload 12.002A16.000A16.000A0.500A158.70W77.04%43.4°C0.886
12.171V4.984V3.252V5.109V206.00W53.3°C232.6V
Crossload 254.007A1.000A1.000A1.000A656.75W83.98%46.5°C0.958
11.910V5.100V3.373V5.056V782.00W64.0°C229.9V

Efficiency at 20-80% of max rated capacity is high enough, for a Bronze unit, but at 100% load it drops significantly, at least with the high ambient we had in our hot box. Voltage regulation at +12V and 5V is within 3% range and 3.3V are a little higher at 3.61%. Overall voltage regulation is decent for the category of the ZS 750W. Finally PF readings are a little low throughout all load ranges but still meets the 80 PLUS Bronze certification requirements (at least 0.9 PF at 50% load).

Efficiency at Low Loads

In the next tests, we measure the efficiency of ZS 750W at loads much lower than 20% of its maximum rated load (the lowest load that the 80 Plus Standard measures). The loads that we dial are 40, 60, 80 and 100W (for PSUs with over 500W capacity). This is important for scenarios in which a typical office PC is in idle with power saving turned on.

Efficiency at Low Loads
OCZ ZS 750W
Test #12 V5 V3.3 V5 VSBPower
(DC/AC)
EfficiencyPF/AC
Volts
11.836A1.950A1.939A0.193A40.00W71.81%0.840
12.203V5.127V3.404V5.163V55.70W234.8V
23.394A1.950A1.939A0.389A60.00W77.72%0.862
12.201V5.127V3.403V5.136V77.20W234.7V
34.952A1.951A1.940A0.584A80.00W80.85%0.870
12.196V5.127V3.401V5.136V98.95W234.5V
46.522A1.951A1.941A0.782A100.00W82.78%0.869
12.172V5.127V3.399V5.136V120.80W234.1V

Efficiency at low loads is fairly good for a Bronze unit, since we didn't see below 70% readings even at worst case. With 80% and 100% load the unit surpasses the 80% mark so even in idle mode you will get decent efficiency and save some money on electricity bills, along with the environment.

5VSB Efficiency

ATX spec states that the 5VSB standby supply's efficiency should be as high as possible and recommends 50% or higher efficiency with 100mA load, 60% or higher with 250mA load and 70% or higher with 1A or more load.
We will take four measurements, three at 100 / 250 / 1000 mA and one with the full load that 5VSB rail can handle.

5VSB Efficiency
OCZ ZS 750W
Test #5VSBPower (DC/AC)EfficiencyPF/AC Volts
10.100A0.52W47.27%0.072
5.163V1.10W234.4V
20.250A1.29W60.85%0.133
5.163V2.12W234.4V
31.000A5.11W71.57%0.321
5.109V7.14W234.6V
43.000A14.95W70.02%0.458
4.984V21.35W234.5V

Efficiency at 5VSB is very close to the ATX recommendations. Only with 0.1A is under the 50% mark but in all other tests is slightly above the equivalent thresholds.

Power Consumption in Idle & Standby

In the table below you will find the power consumption and the voltage values of all rails (except -12V), when the PSU is in idle mode (On but without any load at its rails) and the power consumption when the PSU is in standby (without any load at 5VSB).

Idle / Standby
OCZ ZS 750W
Mode12 V5 V3.3 V5VSBPower (AC)PF/AC Volts
Idle12.235V5.163V3.428V5.163V4.65W0.188
233.1V
Standby0.44 W0.029
233.4V

With only 0.44W vampire power the unit easily meets the ErP Lot 6 requirements.
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Oct 4th, 2024 22:21 EDT change timezone

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