APH checks out OCZ's latest PSU and concludes it delivers great performance combined with relatively good efficiency and silent operation.

"Until someone can effectively convince me otherwise, I am not an environmentalist. Let me clarify before we begin that the probability of convincing me otherwise is zero, so please do not even try. And no, egging my house will not change my mind. I can assure you I will promptly dial 911. On the other hand, don't take me wrong and label me as someone who don't care about the environment -- I do and will continue to do my part in recycling and the such. It is just I am not about to go out of my way just to 'go green'. Admittedly, I drive an 8th generation Honda Civic, and routinely get over 40 US MPG on average with some hypermiling techniques. But I do that not because I want to protect the environment per se. I just happen to really like my wallet. You know, using less gas saves me money. I like that. And let's be honest here -- do you think companies actually reduce their product packaging out of the goodness of their own hearts to save the earth? No, they're just saving money on reduced packaging so they can make more money; at the same time advertise they are being green. Therefore, let's deal with it: This is called killing two birds with one stone. At this point, you may be wondering what my whole little rant on being environmental has to do with our OCZ ZX Series 850W article today. In fact, this has everything to do with it. The latest flagship in OCZ's line of computer power supplies is unsurprisingly another 80 Plus Gold certified unit, meaning it is at least 87%, 90%, 87% efficient at 20%, 50%, and 100% load, respectively. In fact, every power supply we have looked at since August last year were Gold certified. Other than saying this is a very 'green' power supply, for most computer enthusiasts, this means it is yet another high performance PSU built with top notch components inside. Being efficient also means less heat is generated for a quieter operation in conjunction with improved thermal management inside your chassis. Oh yeah, you get to save some electricity and reduce your next utility bill. The best of both worlds? Sounds like a winner to me. So whether you are someone who cares about the environment or want maximum performance, we opened up an OCZ ZX Series 850W power supply for our report today. Read on to see what we have found!"



Link: APH Networks