Final Words and Conclusion

What We Did Like
The Zeus ZM1200M 1200W unit is perhaps the only workstation-grade PSU which is also fully modular, making it perfect for people who would like to have a high performance and reliable PSU matched with good aesthetics. It is also very efficient, cool running and silent enough under normal load, an aspect we found hard to believe for a unit of this power being cooled by a single 80mm fan. The build quality of the unit is nothing short of a demonstration of how a high output unit should be made, which is the primary asset of the ZM1200M.

What We Did Not Like
We were certainly disappointed by the performance of the unit while running the 12V lines separated, which is also the factory standard. The 12V lines tend to weaken greatly at high loads, failing to even meet the regulation specifications. As all of the rails are being fed by the same transformer, we believe that their individual regulation circuits are not working very well. Merging the 12V lines into one entirely transforms the performance of the unit, turning it to one of the better 1kW+ units we have ever tested in our labs. In order to do that though you will have to crack the unit open and therefore void your warranty. Even if you somehow manage to reach the tiny switch from the hole at the left side of the unit, Silverstone have mysteriously placed a warranty sticker over that hole. As you are going to void your warranty anyway, we suggest to crack the unit open as sticking tools inside the small hole without being able to see what you are doing is theoretically quite dangerous.

Who Would We Recommend It To
The Silverstone Zeus 1200W unit is a remarkable unit when running the 12V merged and any power user will love it because it combines an excellent build quality with good aesthetics and very high performance. Silverstone has to revise the position of the rails merging switch as noted above. What’s the point of providing such a good feature to the end user but telling them that they are going to void their warranty if they try to use it? Most sensible people will think twice about voiding the warranty, since this is one of the most expensive PSUs currently available worldwide.

Because of the excellent quality, thermal performance and efficiency of the unit, it earns our Shortlist Award. If Silverstone somehow fixes the position/access to the rails merging switch and allows end users to use it without voiding their warranty, this unit could easily nominate for an Editor’s Choice Award.


11th June 2008:
Since the publication of the review, we have spoken to SilverStone and they have confirmed that the warranty sticker issue has been resolved in the second production batch - this is no longer the case. SilverStone also state that they will fully warranty anyone who has a first production run unit and removes the aforementioned warranty sticker.