Suggestions...
Test this version. Even if not licensed it will still be mostly full-featured during the trial period. Retain your old installer and license info.
What are your PC's specs: CPU/GPU/free space on C:/RAM?
Created a ZOOM area, then scaled up to full frame. Then used SCALE alone to display the same area. Exported each and took a screen grab. One was indistinguishable from the other.
Zoom was reworked in recent versions and should convert original resolution to output in one step. Say if you zoom both 1/2 width and height on a 4K video and export to 1k, There will be no scaling. Do a resolution comparison and link it here.
Not seeing your issues reported in the forum or in projects recently tested.
The best way to get to the bottom things is to share via a public link. Then others can see what you see.
Here's how... http://nch.invisionzone.com/topic/23659-tips-for-getting-help-on-this-forum/
If it contains sensitive material you can link it in a personal message (PM) to me, via the envelope above. Be sure to FILE|SAVE PORTABLE PROJECT AS, not simply SAVE PROJECT, and don't forget to share it.