Zippy Gaming G1 (GSM-6600P): Hybrid or Fence-Sitter?
by Christoph Katzer on August 3, 2007 2:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Intro
Zippy is a name that is probably not too familiar to most of our readers, since their gaming series was the first step into the retail market not long ago. However, Zippy is actually not a newcomer to the PSU business, as they have been in that market for over 20 years. Up until now, Zippy has specialized in server and redundant power supplies and has become an established name in that segment. When it comes to reliability in the server market, Zippy is one of the names at the top of many lists.
Producing that type of power supply requires a lot of research and background work, which is a good starting point for entering the retail market. In the server market reliability is probably the most important requirement, and that's where Zippy has built their reputation. Today, we're looking at the Gaming-series G1 with 600W. We have also received several more product samples from Zippy and will review them in upcoming weeks. All Zippy power supplies are made in Taiwan which gives the company a better control over the production and quality control; it may not make them inexpensive, but there are times when it's best not to cut corners.
The GSM-6600P (G1) comes with a single 12V rail as we have seen on many power supplies in recent months. This is against the regulation of the actual Power Supply Design Guide, but the guidelines are often disregarded by many manufacturers. The reason it's being ignored is that some manufacturers feel having a single 12V rail that support a higher load helps them to create a more stable PSU that can avoid situations that might lead to a blue-screen/crash/restart when one of the rails gets overloaded, i.e. by a graphics card that requires too much power. This is a somewhat dubious claim, and we will make sure to dig a little deeper into this matter.
Zippy is a name that is probably not too familiar to most of our readers, since their gaming series was the first step into the retail market not long ago. However, Zippy is actually not a newcomer to the PSU business, as they have been in that market for over 20 years. Up until now, Zippy has specialized in server and redundant power supplies and has become an established name in that segment. When it comes to reliability in the server market, Zippy is one of the names at the top of many lists.
Producing that type of power supply requires a lot of research and background work, which is a good starting point for entering the retail market. In the server market reliability is probably the most important requirement, and that's where Zippy has built their reputation. Today, we're looking at the Gaming-series G1 with 600W. We have also received several more product samples from Zippy and will review them in upcoming weeks. All Zippy power supplies are made in Taiwan which gives the company a better control over the production and quality control; it may not make them inexpensive, but there are times when it's best not to cut corners.
The GSM-6600P (G1) comes with a single 12V rail as we have seen on many power supplies in recent months. This is against the regulation of the actual Power Supply Design Guide, but the guidelines are often disregarded by many manufacturers. The reason it's being ignored is that some manufacturers feel having a single 12V rail that support a higher load helps them to create a more stable PSU that can avoid situations that might lead to a blue-screen/crash/restart when one of the rails gets overloaded, i.e. by a graphics card that requires too much power. This is a somewhat dubious claim, and we will make sure to dig a little deeper into this matter.
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Super Nade - Friday, August 3, 2007 - link
I wonder if you guys have access to 2900XT's and a quad to actually test this unit?I would have to disagree with you on comparing Seasonic to Zippy. Most currently available data suggests that Seasonic won't match up in terms of voltage regulation (ex: 's data and JonnyGURU's data).
Lack of connectors can be a shortfall, but I'm not sure if anything else really matters. I suppose we are looking at things from different perspectives. From an Engineering standpoint, I love the Zippy. That is how I look at things. EMI, good surge protection, resonant Q-Filter on the input, an MOV ... and everything else that leads to workhorse performance is how I look at it.
JarredWalton - Saturday, August 4, 2007 - link
Just turning off the highlighting (white text).Bjoern77 - Friday, August 3, 2007 - link
It's nice to see some different power supplies tested, and not again a Infiniti 720W test ;)(though i'd appreciate a 650w infinity test, since i'm currently choosing between the 650W Infiniti and the Seasonic 650w Energy plus)
And i wish Anandtech would put out reviews and guides at at least half the speed you do - ok, a bit unfair, since you review one by one.
Keep going,
B.
Bozo Galora - Friday, August 3, 2007 - link
Well, no one can say this review has a sugar coated conclusion - lolIts nice to know you can tell it like it is, even tho you are reviewing a unit that Zippy themselves sent, not one that you purchased retail.
wolfman3k5 - Friday, August 3, 2007 - link
Good review, really do appreciate it. This is the kind of product I like reviewed, not Enermax 500 Watt PSU that anyone can get their hands on. Heck, even the shop down the street from me had Enermax Liberty PSUs in stock. Zippy makes decent enthusiast/server PSUs, how ever I prefer to stick to my PC Power & Cooling Quad 750W. Keep up the good work guys, and thanks again for the review.Talcite - Friday, August 3, 2007 - link
I love how you guys have these new reviews on the PSUs but I sure miss the oscilloscope readings that other sites have posted. Is your chroma tester capable of also putting one of those out?None of your graphs realistically depict spikes and sags in the voltage, only the average obtained in the long run. I was under the impression that the ATX specs require PSUs to be within a specified range for both sustained voltage changes and instantaneous voltage changes.