Zalman ARX ARX-ZM1000

Zalman attracts the attention of enthusiasts

When it comes to power supplies, the Zalman name is primarily associated with low-cost power supplies on OEM platforms. A couple of years ago, the brand decided to attract the attention of wealthy enthusiasts and introduced a new line of ARX power supplies, which became one of the most affordable "platinum" options in east european retail.

Platinum at a discount

And a reasonable question arises in my head, what did they save on here and what surprises should we expect? Looking ahead, we will say that there will be no surprises, the power supply is well-assembled, the circuitry is exclusively Japanese (capacitors from Nippon, Rubycon and Unicon), the hybrid cooling system does an excellent job, and the platform from Enhance Electronics gives no reason to complain. In tests, Zalman ARX showed high voltage stability (perfect for 12 V and good for the rest), minimal ripple and high efficiency.

There are a lot of connectors, they are distributed quite well along the cords, besides, all the cords are removable.

Let's make some noise!

As testing has shown, the relative cheapness gives only the only objective reason for nitpicking — noticeable noise at high load. When operating at low power, when the PSU is in passive mode, the noise level is very low, but at a load of 170 W, the fan turns on and makes a noticeable noise. In general, if the "gold" power supplies seem to be insufficiently efficient, and the "titanium" ones are too expensive, then this "platinum" option is a very attractive offer. In our opinion, it makes sense to choose more expensive alternatives only with increased requirements for acoustic comfort.