Maxit Mag - OCZ Powerstream 600w PSU Review at MaXit

OCZ Powerstream 600w PSU Review at MaXit

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OCZ Powerstream 600w PSU Review at MaXit
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Price: £129 exc vat
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Manufacturer: OCZ Technology

When OCZ launched the Powerstream series of 420, 470, and 520W PSUs late last year, they really took the market and the overclocking community by storm. OCZ then followed up with a new 600W model, which is on the bench today. What?s new, and how much more power is there? Read on.

The exterior and voltage control are basically the same as the 470W version I reviewed previously, so I will refer you to that review for pictures and information on PowerFlex and just focus on what's new with the 600W version.

Probably the most welcome change is the combined ATX 20\24 pin connector. The 470 version came as 24pin with an adapter to 20pin, which made the cable longer and harder to route. This is an excellent solution that allows for a much cleaner install.

A power supply with this much electrical horsepower needs to be able to handle a multitude of hard drives, fans, video cards, etc, and the Powerstream 600 certainly doesn't disappoint. There are 2 native SATA power connectors and molex connectors galore, but that's something you could find on any high wattage PSU. What sets the Powerstream apart from the competition are two ATX+12V connectors that can be combined for an 8-pin connector, two copper shielded direct connection cables for video cards or hard drives and a third copper shielded cable with a 6-pin connector specifically for PCI-E video cards, which means its about as future proof as you can get in this business.

Testing the OCZ Powerstream

While the 420, 470, and 520 versions used a single +12V rail (30A for the 420, 33A for the 470 and 520), The 600 uses a twin rail, 20A+18A design for a combined 38A. Additionally, the +5V rail climbs to 46A, while the +3.3V rail remains at 28A. Compared to some of the latest quad +12V rail PSUs, the 600W does not have the most raw power you can get in its price range (around $200). However, the Powerstream 600 is near silent, and I assure you that those quad rail, 45A+ PSUs are not. Raw power also does not necessarily mean that a PSU is immune to voltage sags.

That's still the area where the Powerstream trumps the competition, as how much power it actually delivers on each rail is completely up to you.

My system consists of three Seagate Baracuda 7200.7s, an NEC-3540A DVD burner, a BFG 6800GT overclocked to 400\1100, and a socket 754 Athlon 3400+ overclocked to 2.5Ghz. While certainly not the most power hungry system in the world, it's no lightweight either when under full load conditions.

As a comparison, here are the results of essentially the same test system (though the CPU was a 3000+ at 1.6V) under full load with the Powerstream 470.

Until testing the Powerstream 600, those were the best results I had seen from any PSU. Here are the results for the Powerstream 600.

Simply amazing results. Keep in mind this is under full load conditions. While the 470 was able to keep fluxes under 0.1V, there was quite a bit of fluctuation, particularly in the +5V rail. The Powerstream 600, on the other hand, gripped the power output like the jaws of a Crocodile. Fluctuations on the +12V rail were less than 0.05V, and less than 0.025V on the +3.3V rail. This time the +5V rail did not move by even 0.001V. Like trying to punch solid concrete with your bare hand, my system couldn't even make a dent in the Powerstream 600's ability to deliver power at 100%.

Conclusion

OCZ continues to set the bar for enthusiast power supplies. The Powerstream 600 delivered the best performance of any power supply that I've tested, regardless of price or rated wattage, and its still the only PSU in town with adjustable rails and easy to read under/over voltage indicators. The power swilling will only increase with tomorrow's dual core CPUs and video cards, and getting a Powerstream 600 will give you the juice to handle them. Very highly recommended.

You can buy the powerstream online at: Chillblast.com for £129 ex VAT and well worth it for such a high specification product.