Scoring is done in four categories. Each category has it's own weight in the
final score. We'll start with performance:
Performance (40% of the final score): There's no doubt that
this unit has done very well here today. It puts out it's advertised power,
its efficient and, up until the unit started to whine, was relatively quiet.
I should point out that Wolf noted the same kind of whine during high loads
when he tested the Sparkle 1250W. Voltage regulation was pretty good. It's
not the best we've seen, but it's very acceptable. Ripple and noise was nonexistent
on every rail and at every load. I'm half tempted to take a half point away
for the noise and another half point away for the voltage regulation not being
as good as we've seen recently, but in reality we've only seen better regulation
only in the industry very recently and there's absolutely nothing detrimental
about having regulation this well within spec and only .5% away from near perfect.
Performance score is 9.5.
Build Quality (20% of the final score): The build quality
here is really quite good. The soldering is not the absolute best I've
seen, and with so many high end units using Japanese capacitors, it's surprising
to see Teapo put into use here. Over all, I'm going to give the OCZ ZX 1000W
a 9 for build quality.
Functionality (20% of the final score): This unit is compact,
fully modular and has plenty of connectors, including two CPU power connectors
and six PCIe power connectors for almost any high-end build. This power
supply is a system builder's dream. In fact, if you
need more connectors than what this OCZ offers, you need a bigger power supply.
For functionality, I'm giving the ZX 1000W a 10.
Value (20% of the final score): Finally, we rate the "value"
of this unit. Let's take into consideration the amount of power it puts out,
the performance of the unit, the efficiency of the unit and the fact that it's
compact and fully modular. Right now, the OCZ ZX 1000W canbe found for about
$189.99. That puts it right with a number of other 1000W, 80 Plus Gold rated
units. Many of these units, on the other hand, are not fully modular. And,
ironically, the price of the OCZ on Newegg is a whole $30 cheaper than the
Sparkle Gold Class 1000W, which uses the same Great Wall platform and isn't
fully modular. I do have to ding this PSU a half point for not having as high
of an overall build quality as other units in this price range, so for all
this, I'm giving the OCZ ZX 1000W a 9.5 in
the value category.
Performance
9.5
Build Quality
9
Functionality
10
Value
9.5
Total Score
9.5
Summary:
I have to say this PSU was so close to getting 10's on every level. An upgrade
of the DC to DC VRM's would've improved the non-primary rail's regulation.
Maybe if OCZ even "down rated" them to 25A, 25A, 150W would've helped. And
it seems that Great Wall hasn't yet figured out what the whining noise is that
this platform seems to create at higher loads. Start using Japanese capacitors
in this unit as well and I would be very happy. Of course I realize that upgraded
VRM's and Japanese capacitors come at a cost and the end result may be a unit
that retails $20 more than it does today. That's a jagged pill to swallow in
a product category that so many unfortunately see as a commodity item and therefore
feel that everyone must compete on price. It's a tough balance. It's like they
say: You can't have your cake and eat it to. Of course, that saying's never
made sense to me. I mean... what's the point of having a cake if you're not
going to eat it. Eventually, it's going to go stale and then you're just going
to throw it away. I think the Frogs have a better saying with "vouloir le beurre
et l'argent du beurre", which means, "you want the butter and the money for
butter." That makes a lot more sense, especially as it pertains to my feelings
about this butter.. err.. power supply.
The Good:
Fully modular
Plenty of connectors
Very efficient
Very quiet (except for the high load whine)
Excellent ripple suppression
Compact size
Excellent price
The Bad:
Whining noise at higher loads definitely not cool
The Mediocre:
Teapo caps are ok, but Japanese caps are better
Voltage regulation is pretty good, but by today's standards we know that
it can be better