Here are the specs of the Zalman 400w PSU.
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The 12v rating is pretty low-- only 15a, significantly lower than my TruePower 430. However, the rest of the ratings on this unit look pretty good. One of the nice features about the Zalman 400w is the Active PFC. To put it in simple terms, Active PFC PSUs are more expensive but also more efficient. Here's a good link to read up more on Active PFC PSUs, and how they are better than passive ones.
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Here's a chart of the noise that this PSU will be generating. The PSU does not budge over 32dba or so, but should probably be under 20dba in most cases, which is basically inaudible.
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The Zalman 400w Active PFC PSU is encased in a non-glossy black metal casing. It looks pretty slick, especially in an acrylic or windowed case (black ones even better).
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The back of the Zalman PSU is pretty plain; since this is an Active PFC PSU, it doesn't have a voltage selector switch, since it doesn't need one. It contains a single fan made by NMB. While I don't know much about the fan in here, I do know that it's quiet. Additionally, I use NMB fans in my second computer, and they are nearly silent.
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In Zalman's never-ending effort to end noise, they have a ventilation grill in the front of the unit. This helps to intake a little "cool" air (not cool by definition of ambient temperature, but cooler than the internal PSU temperature) in the PSU without the need of a second fan. This is a first on the PSUs I've seen.
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This is interesting; this unit has a multi-fan connector. Basically, you can hook up two fans at normal speed, and two at low speed (5v). The bummer is that they have to be 3-pin, which a lot of fans are not. Use of 4-pin fans will require a converter.
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The ATX connector is not sleeved, as you can see here. A lot of companies are sleeving the ATX connector, since it is unrealistic to sleeve it aftermarket (unless you use Flexo Wrap). We would have liked to see Zalman do this, but I guess you can't have everything. Other than that, the connectors are unremarkable; they generally extend about 16-18 inches from the PSU, enough for mid towers; however, much like my Antec TruePower, it's a stretch with my PC-70.
Let's move on to the testing!
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