OCZ ZX850W Power Supply Review

A Closer Look

Single rail +12VDC at 70A ensures there is enough current to power high end gaming systems and rigs featuring SLI/CrossFire setups.  The single rail design is a convenient feature that many manufacturers have moved towards. Multi-rail power supplies were a design called for by previous generations of ATX standard that limited the electrical current or amperage that may pass through a set of wires or rail of a power supply.  The 20A limit forced designs to include multiple rails or circuits to support the ingress of power hungry CPUs and multi-card graphics setups.  With a sizable supply of 70A on the +12VDC rail this beast will deliver power where and when you need it regardless of the connector type your require. How easy is that? Other awesome features to ensure a pleasant installation experience are the  fully modular cable management system, overvoltage/overcurrent/short-circuit protection, and long lengths of cable to ensure a successful and tidy bottom-mount installation option. Modular cabling allows you to install only the necessary cables to hook up your setup, leaving you with extra room to work, and your system with a better airflow advantage. Circuit protection technology shuts down the power supply unit in the event of overload or short-circuit (such as a grounding issue or damaged wiring) to reduce the risk of damaging components in your system. Designed with bottom mounting as an option, the ZX850W features a 22 inch 20/24 pin ATX connector cable ensuring a nice long reach.  All of the modular cables are sufficient in length to satisfy a large or even a full tower size computer case setup. Check out the mechanical drawing of the OCZ-ZX850W for complete cable lengths. This PSU is an active PFC or Active Power Factor Corrector as opposed to cheaper made passive PFC units.  Without giving a lesson in electrical engineering, Active PFC allows for higher power efficiency and reduction in total harmonics – both good things with powering sensitive and expensive electronic components. The features of this power supply are impressive but one specification we would have liked to see in an enthusiast PSU is the 50^oC  Power Rating. This rating of 100% continuous output at 50C shows that a power supply will provide 100% advertised power rating under full load at high temperature.  This is something a high-end gaming system with multiple graphics cards and/or processors may need to ensure stable operation – especially during a crucial gaming session.

Specifications

• 850W Continuous power
• Ultra quiet 140mm ball-bearing fan
• +12VDC @ 70A Single Rail Design
• SLI™ and CrossFire™ support
• Fully modular cable management system
• 150 x 175 x 86mm (W x L x H)
• ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V
• 80-Plus Gold Certified
• 92% Efficiency (Typical Load)
• Over-voltage/Over-current/Short-Circuit protection
• Active PFC
• MTBF: 100,000 hours
• 5 year warranty backed by OCZ‘s exclusive PowerSwap Warranty replacement program.
• Modular Connectors
• 20+4 pin ATX
• Dual 4+4 pin CPU
• 4 x PCIe 6+2 pin
• 12 x SATA
• 9 x Molex
• 1 x Floppy

On to the battlegrounds! Or maybe some tests to validate the published specifications? Join us in the next section…

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