Box & Bundle
Typically, the box features a photo of the product on its front. On the same side, you will find the efficiency badges and the model number, along with a description of the capacity. Around the back are more details on the product’s technical specifications.
Product Photos
Although the exterior design doesn’t feature any exotic elements, the elegant fan grille, ruffled fan wings, and white accent around the fan form an appealing combination. At the unit’s front side, there is no switch to enable or disable semi-passive operation. On the same side, you will find the AC receptacle and the power switch.
The modular panel has nine sockets, including a native 12V-2×6 header.
| Modular Cables | ||||
| Description | Cable Count | Connector Count (Total) | Gauge | In Cable Capacitors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATX connector 24 pin (550mm) | 1 | 1 | 18-22AWG | No |
| 4+4 pin EPS12V (650mm) | 1 | 1 | 16AWG | No |
| 8-pin EPS12V (650mm) | 1 | 1 | 16AWG | No |
| 2x 6+2 pin PCIe (600mm) | 2 | 2 | 16-18AWG | No |
| 6+2 pin PCIe (500mm+150mm) | 1 | 2 | 16-18AWG | No |
| 12+4 pin PCIe (595mm) (600W) | 1 | 1 | 16-28AWG | No |
| SATA (500mm+150mm+150mm+150mm) | 1 | 4 | 18AWG | No |
| SATA (510mm+150mm) / 4-pin Molex (+150mm+150mm) | 1 | 2 / 2 | 18AWG | No |
| AC Power Cord (1350mm) – C13 Coupler | 1 | 1 | 18AWG | – |
There are enough cables and connectors to handle the unit’s max power smoothly. I would like it to have a longer ATX cable, reaching 600mm, and why not EPS cables that reach 700mm. This is to ensure compatibility with massive chassis, where these two cables must be routed and cover relatively large distances. Of course, the shorter the cables, the lower the energy losses, which is why some brands tend to send PSUs with ultra-short cables for efficiency certification in schemes that do not specify cable length in their reports.
It is good to see 16AWG gauges in the high-power cables and 18AWG as the minimum in all power transfer gauges. Lastly, the distance between the peripheral cables is ideal, at 150mm.
The PowerZone has relatively loud transformer noise, even in standby. You can hear it from the next room. Otherwise, it’s electrically quiet — no coil whine or other weird stuff — but the base hum is quite loud. What about this one?
Can you recommend a power supply that’s completely silent, even in standby? I’ve tested a few and ended up sticking with the PowerZone 2 because it’s a good all-rounder and gets a lot of things right. But that low hum or faint squeal drives me crazy. Every morning I wake up thinking, “Damn, I forgot to switch off the power strip again before going to bed