Power supply unit FSP ZEN 400: perfectly noiseless power
It is unlikely that some of our readers have not heard about
the FSP trademark under which power supply units by FSP Group (Taiwan)
have been sold for over ten years. The company is widely known
worldwide not only as a developer and manufacturer of various power
supply systems and units under its trademark. High percentage of FSP
produce is manufactured and shipped on OEM/ODM contracts. So, if there
is no FSP marking on your PSU, it is highly probable that it came off
the assembly line of this company.
 Today on
our test bench we are having a very interesting retail novelty of the
company - the power supply unit FSP ZEN 400. Above
all, it is remarkable for its fan-free, absolutely noiseless cooling
system, which is not typical for a 400 W PSU even despite all the
variety of modern choice.
The assembly of a powerful and
absolutely noiseless desktop system is a cherished dream, albeit not
attainable to all. Where do fans make most noise? Normally, on video
cards, chipset circuits, processors, housing fan systems, and of course
on PSUs.
It's easiest to sort it out with the
video card and chipsets, because there are currently more than enough
options with passive cooling. It is all more complicated with the CPU
and the in-housing ventilation, but even if you don't hang a pile of
pipes on the CPU or a huge piece of copper the way it is in some server
systems, anyway there is a way out in the form of an almost noiseless
cooler of huge diameter running at a low rotational speed. Left is the
power supply unit.
Indeed, these days you can easily
make available some good solutions with quiet huge fans or with a
cooling system that adjusts the cooler's rotational speed dynamically
(and thus the noise level) depending on the load. But ideally it is
more pleasant to have a power supply systems which is designedly
noiseless.
 Anyway, I am not talking for all the others: personally, I
have long had this dream – to fit a powerful noiseless PC at
home and not to annoy the ears of mine, my family, my pets, regardless
of any level of computational load. That is why on first seeing FSP ZEN
400 at the expo stand of FSP which was presenting its novelties at
CeBIT'07 in March I literally "glued my nose" to the showcase with that
exhibit (see
CeBIT'07, day two. FSP expo stand) and of course I first
asked just that for tests.
So as not to get distracted by
the inappropriate digression, let me finish my thought on building a
noiseless home-based system there and then. The past two years have
vividly shown that the computer is growing "vulgar" as it is being
promoted into masses, to the market of household electronics. By saying
"vulgar" I mean that the formerly "intricate and sophisticated tool for
learning the Universe" is increasingly turning to a routine household
item like a TV set or a DVD player, while borrowing the design and
handling simplicity typical of household appliances.
That would have been fine, but things
are not really good with noiselessness in most ways (we are now talking
about powerful systems and not about DTR notebooks of MoDT systems). It
looks like in practice it is anyway cheaper to ships a few fans rather
than a single expensive fan-free PSU. On the moment of writing this
article, I was not able finding FSP ZEN 400 PSUs in Russian price
lists, but according to overseas sources its price will be well over
$100. To cheer you up, I can only say that in Moscow the previous model
FSP ZEN 300 can be made available and its price is anyway below $100.
Quite possibly, the 300 W version will be quite sufficient for your
needs.
To start with, I am bringing in a traditional table of
specifications of the PSU as declared by the manufacturer.
|
PSU
FSP ZEN 400 Specifications
|
| Rated capacity |
400 Watt |
| PSU input parameters |
Alternating-current mains 110 - 240 V (99-265 V)
Frequency: 50/60 (47 - 63) Hz
Consumption current: 115V/5A; 230V/2.5A |
| Standard |
ATX 12V V2.2 |
| Cooling system |
Passive |
| Declared efficiency |
>85% |
| Output parameters |
+5V: 0A - 14.0A |
| +12V1: 0.2A - 14.0A; peak-point current 15A |
| +12V2: 0.2A - 13.0A; peak-point current 16.5A |
| -12V: 0A - 0.5A |
| +5VSB: 0A - 2.5A; peak-point current 3.5A |
| +3.3V: 0A - 20.0A |
| Distribution of combined load +3.3V&+5V, Max |
130 Watt |
| Security standard |
OVP, OCP, SCP |
| Total rated power |
400 Watt |
| Maximum on-peak power |
560 Watt |
| Output voltage protection |
+3.3V: 3.76-4.8 V |
| +5V: 5.6 - 7.0 V |
| +12V: 13.0 - 16.5 V |
| PFC (Power Factor Correction) |
Active |
| Power consumption in the standby mode |
< 1 W |
| Dimensions |
140 x 150 x 86 mm |
| Acoustic noise |
0 dB at maximum load |
| Environmental standard |
RoHS |
Packaging, package bundle, first impressions
ZEN 400 is shipped in a nice-looking retail package with a
handle to carry it around. On the package, there is a window to put up
a fine show, with the main specifications on the rear side; on the
sides there is a description of the technologies used as well as a
brief description of the major advantages in four languages (English,
French, German, Russian).
The package bundle of FSP ZEN 400 includes a power cable, a
very brief hard-copy user's manual in five languages (English, French,
German, Russian, Chinese), fastening screws, proprietary nameplate with
the company logo, and a sticker.
The design of the PSU is delicate - this is a "boxed product":
the noble dark blue color of the housing is augmented by the LED
highlight on the on-off switch which is of course of glamour
blue color!
The weight of FSP ZEN 400 is formidable – as much as
three kilos, which is quite normal for the fan-free structure in which
nothing else has yet been designed better than a scheme with active PFC
and high efficiency as well as good-quality massive radiators.
The cable interconnection system is made without the trendy
detachable design (which in many ways is absolutely useless) and
includes a 24-pin EATX power connector for the motherboard (shared with
other devices); a 6-pin power connector for PCI Express devices; two
dual power connectors for Serial ATA (2 õ 2); a 4-pin 12 V connector,
six 4-pin Molex connectors, and one FDD power connector. The cables are
packed into a multicolored netlike plastic shield.
Upon dismantling FSP ZEN 400 down to a screw, you can see the
anticipated view – the job of heat absorption and removal is
entrusted to powerful radiators which contact the additional heat sink
radiator via thermo paste, with the base of the structure used as the
radiator.
The base used as a radiator in its turn has a ribbed outer
surface with milled recesses inside.
The PSU components are mounted on a single main board, with a
few smaller accessory cards soldered into. Unfortunately, I am not an
expert at modern circuit technology to present a detailed analysis of
the converter circuit used, so I can only suggest that you should feast
your eyes with the photos of the system.
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