Tagan's BZ 800W
Modular with a twist

Tagan's BZ power supply lineup stretches from a base 700W model all the way up to 1300W. There are several ESA-certified units along the way, as well. Unfortunately, the 800W model we have in-house for testing isn't ESA-compliant. Tagan has elected to roll out ESA compatibility with higher wattage models first, and you'll need a BZ with at least 1100W to play in the Enthusiast System Architecture.

ESA certification would have gone a long way toward justifying the BZ's relatively high $220 street price. That's a lot to pay for only 800 watts. Fortunately, the BZ has a number of unique features that set it apart from the competition.

First among these is a little switch that toggles between normal and "turbo" 12V modes. In its normal configuration, the BZ spreads 12V power across an astounding six voltage lines. Switch to turbo, and those lines are consolidated into a single rail. Turbo mode is recommended for heavier loads, so that's where we set it for testing.

Modular cables are a big part of the BZ's appeal. The key isn't so much the modularity but Tagan's execution. Each modular connection point is ringed with color-coded LEDs that light up when the PSU is in use. Even the connectors themselves have unique appeal.

Rather than using simple plastic plugs, the modular cables screw into the power supply with metal fasteners. Screwing them in takes a little extra effort, and it can be a bit tricky if the PSU is already installed in a crowded case, but the end result reminds me of some of the higher quality power supply mod jobs I've seen over the years.

Tagan does sheathing, too, even going so far as to encase the PCIe leads in heavy plastic. Everything comes neatly bundled together in a carrying case.

The case also has a few interesting extras, including some anti-static gloves and a rubber spacer that helps to dampen vibrations when the PSU is installed in a system. The spacer is a particularly nice touch, although I have to wonder if power supply fans really spin fast enough to generate vibrations.

DC voltages look pretty good on the BZ. Even the greatest outliers—12.249V on the 12V rail and 3.410V on the 3.3V line—are well within tolerances.

We actually had to expand the scale of our AC ripple graph by five millivolts to keep the BZ in frame. That doesn't bode well, but despite looking much worse than the other PSUs we've tested, the AC content on the BZ's DC lines is still within acceptable ranges. There's certainly more AC ripple here, but not so much that we're concerned.

The BZ only manages 80% efficiency up to a 50% load. When pushed harder, efficiency drops as low as 76.4%.