News Streacom ZS800 Rethinks PSUs for SFF Builds

[Admin]

Steacom's new ZS800 Hybrid SFX PSU takes a fresh design spin on modularity, cabling, and replaceable cooling fans.

Streacom ZS800 Rethinks PSUs for SFF Builds : Read more

 

[Lucky_SLS]

I am guessing the USB connection is for power draw, voltage monitoring and controlling the fan curve as per power load.

Will this fit with the same SFX mounting slot or something different?

 

[BillyBuerger]

Now this is something interesting. The replacable fan should be able to be implemented in ATX PSUs as well, not just SFX. And designing it as 12VO with an adapter to allow it to work with ATX systems is also a nice setup. Although I would prefer if the converter was standard and not proprietary but I'm sure there are reasons. But if they did a good job with it, maybe it could become a standard to support both that others could use as well.

 

[Co BIY]

A replaceable user selected fan is great idea!

 

[yngndrw]

Finally some genuine innovation. As others have said, it's a shame the converter board isn't portable.

 

[bit_user]

Just to play devil's advocate, there are a few downsides I can see to the fan idea.

The main problem I see is that while it lets you use a better fan, you could also use a worse one. In particular, one without enough airflow or static pressure, leading to PSU overheating. From a warranty/underwriting perspective, that's definitely not good.

While you or I might be careful in our fan choice, some people might be tempted to just use a fan they have lying around. Then, there's the unscrupulous/incompetent/lazy computer shop that might go for cheap fans just to save a couple bucks.

The secondary issues I see with the separate fan are that it's a little more bulky and seems a little more expensive.

Therefore, while I could imagine we'll see a few products doing this, I'm pretty sure it's not going to catch on in a big way.

 

[yngndrw]

Just to play devil's advocate, there are a few downsides I can see to the fan idea.

The main problem I see is that while it lets you use a better fan, you could also use a worse one. In particular, one without enough airflow or static pressure, leading to PSU overheating. From a warranty/underwriting perspective, that's definitely not good.

While you or I might be careful in our fan choice, some people might be tempted to just use a fan they have lying around. Then, there's the unscrupulous/incompetent/lazy computer shop that might go for cheap fans just to save a couple bucks.

The secondary issues I see with the separate fan are that it's a little more bulky and seems a little more expensive.

Therefore, while I could imagine we'll see a few products doing this, I'm pretty sure it's not going to catch on in a big way.

A PSU should have sufficient thermal management to protect itself - I.e. It should shut down before any damage is caused.

But this is also where the new 12VHPWR standard comes in. (When it's not busy melting graphics cards) The PSU could in theory use the standard to throttle back the GPU when the PSU is overheating.

 

[bit_user]

A PSU should have sufficient thermal management to protect itself - I.e. It should shut down before any damage is caused.

I agree, but that's going to turn into a headache for the PSU manufacturer, if they're getting more warranty returns and negative reviews, just because people paired their PSU with the wrong fan.

But this is also where the new 12VHPWR standard comes in. ... The PSU could in theory use the standard to throttle back the GPU when the PSU is overheating.

Interesting. Also, a little frustrating for those trying to debug performance problems, but I guess a bit of slowdown beats a bluescreen any day.

 

[BillyBuerger]

Just to play devil's advocate, there are a few downsides I can see to the fan idea...

Oh yes, there are definite issues/concerns to be aware of. But at the same time, a "good" PSU should already have protections in place if something like this happens. Fans will always die eventually. Or the PSU could get caked in dust over many years in a non-ideal situation. These situations can cause the same issue that a bad fan choice would and the PSU should deal with it in a non-destructive way. Most likely by shutting down. Also, with a USB connection to the PC, it could communicate these kinds of issues to the user before having to do something as drastic as shutting down. Give a notification of PSU thermals or insufficient airflow and possibly hibernate the PC instead of doing a hard shut off to avoid losing data or anything. Lots of options to deal with this safely.