OCZ ZS Series 650 W Power Supply Review

Introduction

The ZS Series is the latest mainstream power supply series from OCZ, with the 80 Plus Bronze certification. Available in 550 W, 650 W, and 750 W versions, these models don’t come with a modular cabling system. Let’s see if the 650 W version is a good buy.

The OCZ ZS Series power supplies are manufactured by Sirfa.

Figure 1: OCZ ZS Series 650 W power supply

Figure 2: OCZ ZS Series 650 W power supply

The OCZ ZS Series 650 W is 6.3” (160 mm) deep, using a 135 mm ball bearing fan on its bottom (Globe Fan RL4Z B1342512H).

This unit doesn’t have a modular cabling system, and all cables are protected with nylon sleeves. This power supply comes with the following cables:

• Main motherboard cable with a 20/24-pin connector, 19.3” (49 cm) long
• One cable with two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, 26.8” (68 cm) long
• One cable with one six-pin connector for video cards, 24.4” (62 cm) long
• One cable with one six/eight-pin connector for video cards, 24.4” (62 cm) long
• One cable with four SATA power connectors, 15.4” (39 cm) to the first connector, 3.2” (8 cm) between connectors
• One cable with four SATA power connectors, 28” (71 cm) to the first connector, 3.2” (8 cm) between connectors
• One cable with four standard peripheral power connectors, 24.4” (62 cm) to the first connector, 3.2” (8 cm) between connectors

All wires are 18 AWG, which is the correct gauge to be used.

The cable configuration is excellent for a mainstream product, with eight SATA power connectors and two video card power connectors. As you can see, this power supply doesn’t come with a floppy disk drive power connector, and the distance between SATA and peripheral power connectors is too short.

Figure 3: Cables

Let’s now take an in-depth look inside this power supply.