OCZ PowerStream 600W PSU Review
An enthusiasts necessity or just another power toy for those who can afford it? This is the question I will be answering today about OCZ’s newest PSU the PowerStream 600 watt.
OCZ, rather than aiming at the mod builder who wants as many neon lights as his case will allow, has recognized place in the market for those of us who care about our power quality and efficiency. Today ladies and gentlemen I bring you one of the most sensible yet customizable PSU’s available, prepare to be dazzled.
The model I am testing today is the OCZ-600ADJ EU which is the European
version of this PSU. With new technologies always on the horizon, and
existing ones such as SLI and Dual Core processing becoming a part of
people’s upgrade plans owning a PSU of quality and reliability has
never been as important as it is today. No longer is the word dual RAID
seen as something only heard from your Twinkie eating cousin as many
members of this site own four or more Raptors as well as a couple of
large storage EIDE drives, add to that a X800XT or 6800Ultra GPU and
your 400-500W PSU suddenly seems less capable than it did last year.
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Packing
The actual box design of the PowerStream is well thought out, my first impression of OCZ was of a company who bows to the l33t h4x0r community. That assumption was proven false with the level of detail which has gone into putting all the features onto the front of the box while still maintaining appealing artwork.
I must assume opening the PowerStream box is what it feels like unveiling a Rolls Royce as the PSU is so well packaged I can’t imagine many being damaged in transit. The PSU is cased in thick bubble wrap, while the power cord and range of coloured ‘slip on wire jackets’ are cased in a very strong shrink wrap, along with four mounting screws.
As this is no ordinary PSU it requires a manual to explain how all the features work. Included in the package were three leaflets, yes you heard correct three paged fold out leaflets, with each leaflet covering; English, French and Dutch you would think I would be underwhelmed by their size. I wish every company could fit so much information into such small documentation, instructions on installing into a new case and replacing an existing PSU are included along with the mildly amusing ‘Please refer to X or Y manual for specific instructions’ which makes sense.
I found the adjustable power rail to be the best part of the included documentation by far, stating the minimum and maximum voltages achivable as well as handy tips and instructions on getting the most out of altering the voltages. One part of the instruction states that if your power lights all show you to be within the recomended safe zone not to alter the voltage range, this was when it struck me that there is absolutely no advertising in any of the packaging or documentation. Very unusual and to be honest most refreshing to see a company concentrate all it’s efforts into making the manual as compact and understandable as humanly possible. One last part of the documentation worth meantioning is that the PSU will turn itself off in the event of:
- Over current
- Over voltage
- Under voltage
- A short circuit
No substitute for a good quality UPS but very impressive power safety technology none the less, a full list of voltages and situations in which the PSU will power down are listed in the documentation are also included.
With more bling than Mr.Diddy’s jewelry cabinet the PowerStream is very attractive for a PSU, a 100% chrome finish covers the PSU outer casing, this has made photographing the power supply very difficult as it’s so reflective you could comb your hair in it. Since in most cases (pardon the pun) the Powerstream will either be hidden or barely visable through a side door this makes little difference but a very attractive cover all the same, and all without the support of interior lights.
Packing: 5/5
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Features
OCZ PowerWhisper? Technology OCZ PowerFlex? individually adjustable power rails with LED indicators.
OCZ ConnectAll? universal connector. (ATX, BTX, SATA, P4 and EPS12V)
ATX12V 2.01
OCZ PowerShield? power leads
ActivePFC
5 year warranty backed by OCZ?s exclusive PowerSwap? replacement program
175x150x86 mm
23 dBA @ 60% load
100~120Vac / 200~240Vac 10/6a
600W:
+3.3V(28A)
+5V(46A)
+12V1(20A)
+12V2(18A)
For cooling the OCZ PowerStream Comes with front and rear fans, putting my hand close to each it feels as though the interior fan is barley working, after feeling around the rear fan I felt the warm exit of hot air. Placing this PSU inside of my case has not altered temperatures, at first I admit to not being able to hear the PSU in operation at all, so I pulled it out of the case and even under full load one inch from my ear it was silent. This was contrary to my expectations, it is evident PowerWhisper technology is exactly as it states, maybe PowerWhisper would have been a more fitting name to this product as well.
Although I said that there are no interior lights on this PSU it does come with an exterior green light, the backlight emits a soft glow and does not contrast with my existing blue case lights.
The reason this PSU was createdis to comply with the ATX 2.01 standard ATX2.01 is the new thing, even if you don’t want it to be, there is no escaping it. All power supplies are starting to shift over to the new standard.
Connectors!! The powerstream is loaded with connectors, Six molex connectors in all and two very special molex connectors made for a GPU/HDD, although that counts as eight if your graphics card uses the pci-e connector supplied and you don’t have a critical backup drive. The VGA/HDD leads also make use of OCZ PowerShield technology, aditionally two SATA connectors and two floppy connectors are supplied. Notice the rather fat band on the end of the VGA connector in the picture. This is designed to lower inbound and feedback RF interference, as taken from the OCZ site:
One of the most original ideas put into this model is the ability of clipping connectors together to make larger ones. The ATX power connector for example has a little four pin clip attachment which converts it into an ATX 2.01 power clip, much more simple than using an adapter.
ATX 2.01 requires two 12v rails, known as dual rails this PSU model has a 20A and 18A rail. The idea is that by using two rails you cut down on noise going across the wire and get more power because of it. As I do not own an ATX 2.01 motherboard I am unable to test for the difference but perhaps I will at a later date.
The two 12v rails also connect together to make an eight pin connector used in EPS12V sockets, the second 12v rail named P4+ doubles as a second pci-e power cable, useful in SLI setups. The Powerstream has six individual power rails to increase the signal as well.
Features 5/5
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Installation
On installing the PowerStream I was left scratching my head, being used to a more simple ATX layout I am more accustomed to the screws being aligned in a square formation. Yet again more surprises as the Powerstream is built to be installed into an ATX or BTX case. I personally use the Thermaltake Shark case, it is very versatile and it has a number of screw holes on it’s PSU mounting bracket. Lifting the PowerStream was easy as it only weighs 2 kg and does not need the support bar my case offers, infact I found that it will sit very firmly on only two screws.
The PowerStream comes with three rear lights and three blue voltage screws above them, if your rig needs more power on the 12v/5v/ 3.3v lines then you will hear the onboard case fans get slightly louder or softer and upon checking the rear of the PowerStream will see if they need to be adjusted.
The three colours are:
Yellow = Voltage too low – Case fans will appear softer than usual
Green = Voltage within range – Everything will sound normal
Red = Voltage is set too high -Case fans will sound louder than usual
It is not hard to set up the Powerstream. You should have everything working as you would with a reugular PSU. The ability to finely tune the voltages to suit your exact system gives this PSU the edge in many tests.
Installation: 5/5
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Performance
To test the PowerStream I will be using two methods, software and hardware. For the software tests Speedfan 4.24 beta 18 will be my tool of choice, and for the hardware my brand new multimeter. Both tests will be run under the same conditions against my Magna 600w PSU, the Magna is perfect as a standard PSU for comparrison. It only costs around ?10 and is a good representation of the standard PSU (in this wattage range) most people would buy. All tests will be run on the final OEM version of Windows XP Professional x64
Test Rig
Athlon64 3500+
Gigabyte K8NS -939
Audigy 2 zs
1GB Crucial Micron Valueram in Dual Channel
Aeopen Aeolus 6800GT (AGP)
Western Digital Raptor 74GB
ThermalTake Shark with two internal 6" fans
Gigabyte Rocket Pro HSF
Software being used
Pariah in window mode
Bonic running einstein@home
WMP playing the right profile by The Clash (I had no banjo music off hand)
Win DVD 6 playing the film Dirty Harry
Windows Movie Maker creating a video from a series of games clips
Prime95 torture test
As the PowerStream can be adjusted to any voltage you may like I have set it as close as I could to the recomended voltages, the purpose of this test is to see how far I can stress both power supplies by using convetional means, I will try to replicate how the average power user stresses his rig. Each test will be run for thirty minutes to gain an acurate result.
Software Tests
For the software tests the Magna seemed to dip the most, where as the PowerStream stayed stable. This software although well made obviously still has a few bugs as the 5v lines were all over the place. I was a little worried about the Powerstream until the Magna started showing the same results, time for a more accurate piece of testing equiptment I think.
Magna 600w
Normal operation
+3.3v =3.26
+5v =4.01
+12v =11.71
Full load
+3.3v =3.22
+5v =2.96
+12v =11.66
OCZ PowerStream 600w
Normal operation
+3.3v =3.31
+5v =2.46-5.20
+12v =12.10
Full load
+3.3v =3.31
+5v =2.46-5.20
+12v =12.10
Hardware Tests
My multimeter is brand new and costs around ?60-70 so it is of decent quality for testing power supplies. The magna, when tested, was all over the place on the 12v and 5v tests but once I started to stress the PSU it dropped asyou would expect for a cheap PSU. It did hold up well in the 5V test. I would not recommend this hardware to overclockers or anyone who stresses their machine as the 12v and 3.3v tests showed it was very weak.
The PowerStream was quite the opposite, I was unable to stress it at all until I remembered a review in which the PSU was stressed by opening the optical drives. After opening the drives the PowerStream dropped by 1v for a split second, this drive has taken everything and is still running at the settings I configured. I was also happy to see the 5v readings to be accurate on both models.
Magna 600w
Normal operation
+3v =2.89
+5v =5.05 – fluctuating between 5.05/4/6
+12v =11.57/8
Full load
+3v =2.81
+5v =5.03
+12v =11.47
OCZ PowerStream 600w
Normal operation
+3v =3.33
+5v =5.07
+12v =12.04
Performance: 5/5
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Price
Costing almost as much, in the UK, as a 3500+ this is a very expensive PS. You do get a good 5 year warranty and guarantee of fast replacement. $212 will buy you this excellent power supply if you can afford it. There are, however, cheaper alternatives for those who don’t need or want that much power. If you are not a hardcore enthusiast and have no interest in overclocking or watching your voltages then the ModStream may be a better buy. If you do want one of the most stable PSU’s on the planet then this is your buy and for those who can afford it once you plug it in you won’t want to replace this PSU for a long time. Simply put the PowerStream is worth it’s price.
Price: 4.2/5
{mospagebreak title= Conclusion}
Conclusion
Coming with a host of features to improve your power quality and reliability, having easy to adjust connectors and being able to fit into any modern case with minimum hastle, the PowerStream is an amazing PSU. I was barely able to stress it and should you fill your case up with as much RAM as it can hold, a ton of hard drives, and dual SLI 6800Ultras, you would still be able to up the voltages from the back of the case. Simply put OCZ have spent a lot of time listening to the needs and wants of the overclocking and power user community, this PSU is the result of a lot of research and knowlege and it shows. The only downside I was able to come up with is the price, $212 or ?160 is a lot for any component especially a power supply, although you do get a very good 5 year warranty and guarantee that you will get a replacement as soon as possible. The 5 year warrenty takes the sting out of the price a little but it is still a lot of money to part with, if you can afford this PSU then you will be safe knowing that you have one of the most customizable and silent PSU’s around.
I would like to thank OCZ for sending us this amazing product for review as it will be used in my test rig from now on, as I stated at the start of the review I was sceptical of OCZ and thought their products were overpriced for their value, my view has now changed after testing the PowerStream and I would recommend it to anyone wanting a good solid PSU. For all the modders out there who are most likely thinking ‘I wish it had more lights’ there is also the ModStream which BTJ has tested and is an excelent alternative for those wanting a more asthetic rig.
Pros:
Dependable
Customizable
Utterly silent when all voltages are set to in range
Looks great for those wanting a more sensible PSU
The Warranty
Cons:
Expensive
Not a lot else
Final Score: 19.2/20
The OCZ PowerStream is awarded our best on the planet award