OCZ PowerStream 600W - Features

The OCZ retail box

Among all the candidates we've tested so far, OCZ really takes the prize. Not only is it possible to manually adjust the voltages of the individual rails, but the manufacturer also touts a turbo mode of sorts with which the 600W PSU can temporarily deliver up to 700 watts' worth of juice. Here, the marketing heads were obviously allowed to cloud the engineers' judgment. That's because any change in the voltages of the individual rails can lead to destruction of the system components. OCZ argues that especially modders showed great interest in that feature... The kicker is that OCZ advertises the fact that any such adjustment will result in its warranty being null and void. The device is not to be had for a song and requires an investment in the neighborhood of $250. OCZ has a solid reputation in the overclocking scene thanks to its very good memory modules.

Truly long: the OCZ unit requires lots of space inside the case, which is not to everyone's liking.

Here you can manually adjust the voltages to the individual rails. This "feature" is utterly dangerous!

Turbo mode for 60 seconds: The 600W PSU is supposed to be able to deliver 700 watts for short time periods.

Test Results

We had problems with testing our first sample and are working with the manufacturer on the reasons why. In the meantime, OCZ representatives have told us the following:

"We are proactively working with the editors at Toms Hardware Guide to understand what happened to the PowerStream test units during the "Live Stress Test." These units were tested under full load in our facility for 48 hours prior to being sent to Germany. We have also not witnessed any of these anomalies with customers in the field. To proactively address the issue the power supplies are being sent back to our labs in the United States for a complete diagnosis. OCZ remains committed to the design and manufacture of high end power supplies that address the unique needs of gamers, high power users, and enthusiasts."

The results so far: