Zalman 750W Heatpipe Cooled PSU

Product: Zalman 750W Heatpipe Cooled PSU
Provided By: Zalman USA
Price: ~$165.00 CAD.

Introduction:

We've looked at a few Zalman PSU's over the past year.  Zalman has a unique type of cooling system in their latest power supplies that uses heatpipes to provide better cooling properties and keep noise levels low.  The first of these heatpipe packing units we looked at was the 600W ZM600-HP and more recently we looked at the ZM850-HP 850W unit.  Other than 100W, there are a few things that differentiate the 750W from the 850W version.  They differ in length, surface finish and number of +12v rails.  The 850W unit has an impressive six rails that can deliver enough power to run a pair of 8800GTX graphics cards and any processor you can image.  The 750W version only has two PCIe connectors and is a bit more limited by its four +12v rails.  That being said, let's take a look at this unit and see if it is still good enough to power a gaming machine.

750W Box Front

First Impressions:

While the 750W ZM750-HP is no huge monster, the box still feels pretty hefty.  Although size and weight really don't have a lot to do with quality, a PSU that weighs a mere pound doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.  This PSU measures about 16.5cm long where the ZM850-HP is quite a bit longer at 21cm long.  As you can see above, the top of the box looks very professional; isn't super flashy while still giving enough information to the consumer.

As take a look at the bottom of the box and crack it open, we are greeted by a very tidy unit that will hopefully be a bit better than the Ultra X2 Titanium we looked at recently. 

750W Box Back

Open Box

The PSU boasts a 3 year warranty and features 80%+ (86% Maximum) Power Efficiency rating - meaning that if you're drawing 750W from the wall, the PSU is actually only providing a little better that 600W to your system.  This is something to keep in mind if you're using a Watt Meter on the input side of things.  Coming from Zalman we already expect this unit to be quiet, and this is due to a nice quiet 12cm fan as well as some heatpipes inside the unit.

PSU First Look:

Measuring 16.5cm long, the Zalman ZM750-HP will fit pretty much any mid-tower, full size or even many HTPC cases that are available.  Because of the short length of this unit, I really don't foresee any clearance issues with top exhaust fans on PC cases.  If you have an especially small case, it would still be a good idea to measure before you go and purchase this PSU.

Zalman Branded

Rear Grill

Fan Side

The ZM750-HP has a dull matte finish that hides fingerprints and dust much better than it's glossy big brother - the ZM850W-HP.  As you can see in the first picture above, this is not a completely modular unit at all.  In fact, if you've got a very basic system you won't even need to plug in any cables.  The cables that are hard-wired to the unit may be enough for some people.  If you are buying this unit though, and want to use all four 12v rails, you've probably got more gear.

The rear of the unit is well ventilated and you can see the heatpipe laden heatsinks through this wide open grill.  The entire unit is cooled by a very quiet 12cm fan that we clocked at 700-850 rpm during heavy use.  This provides adequate cooling with virtually no noise - which is what we expected from Zalman.

On the next page we'll take a look at PSU features and specifications.