OCZ have a brand new line of power supplies under the Fatal1ty series name. Let’s see if it lives up to the name.
Product on Review: OCZ 550W Fatal1ty Series Power Supply UnitManufacturer and Sponsor: OCZ Technologies
MSRP: $84.99 USD
Street Price: £51.98
Over the recent years, OCZ have really expanded in the memory business, churning out enthusiast level products without compromising on price. It’s no surprise that they have made such a name for themselves and their popularity reflects their quality very much. Their success hasn’t ended there. Like many other memory companies, OCZ have looked at expanding into new products and today we’ll be looking at their new line of Fatal1ty Power Supply Series in the form of the 550W model. This is marketed under their Modular series and if previous Fatal1ty branded products are anything to go by, this should be an excellent performer worthy of the legendary gamer himself!
Some info on OCZ:
About OCZ:
Entering the memory market in August 2000, OCZ Technology was built around the determination to manufacture the best high speed DDR and RDRAM. OCZ was founded by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts, and our commitment to the end-user has not digressed. OCZ Technology has been an innovator in many areas. We were the first manufacturer to make Dual Channel optimized memory available to the public, which originally took advantage of nVidia’s Twinbank or Dual DDR architecture, found in their nForce chipset. We have now taken that technology and tailored it for the Canterwood, and Granite Bay chipset’s. OCZ developed and was the first to implement ULN technology, which has been a critical element in our manufacturing process for some time. We at OCZ diligently work to improve communication with CPU and motherboard chipset manufacturers prior to the release of their products. Only in this manner can we fine-tune our memory’s SPD settings, ensuring a synergistic relationship between the memory module, memory controller, and microprocessor. In today?s rapidly evolving semiconductor industry, such communication is not simply research, but a necessary component of our manufacturing process.
Our Goals:
At OCZ we have one primary goal, and it is to make sure that every customer is 110% satisfied. Every employee at OCZ is dedicated to accomplishing this goal. Our engineers are constantly developing the fastest and best performing products. Our finance department works every angle to bring customers our product at the best price. Our marketing department ensures all the information needed to make an informed purchase is available and presented in an easy to understand format. The technical support department constantly studies and tests the latest hardware to be as informed as possible to help you with any issue you may have. Our customer service department is filled with customer satisfaction fanatics who will refuse to let you be unsatisfied.
Customer Service Goals:
We offer a Lifetime warranty on every memory module we sell. We back this warranty with friendly, courteous staff that is willing to answer any question. At OCZ, if a staff member cannot answer your question, they will be forthright and put you in touch with a technician or engineer who can properly assist you. OCZ Technology is in tune with the needs of enthusiasts and overclockers alike, because we are just like you. Chances are you may have already spoken with an OCZ employee in a hardware forum, as we do bring our work home. We seek motivated, qualified applicants, whom already have a firm grasp, and a passion for the PC. Our technicians are available to answer your questions anytime, and our “technical” section can be referenced at anytime.
We have come from the grass-roots to bring you to new heights, and our products speak for themselves. There is a reason OCZ is considered the best memory on the market and that reason is that we will not settle for anything less then perfect.
OCZ have certainly been a pioneer in what they do so let’s see if this success can be transferred to their PSU division.
Features and Specifications
550W Modular Configuration•OCZ PowerWhisper Technology
•“EZMod Technology” for custom cabling
•Internal 135mm fan
•SLI™-Ready
•80+ Certified
•3 year warranty backed by [url=http://www.ocztechnology.com/support/warranty/OCZ’s exclusive PowerSwap™ Warranty[/url] replacement program. No more endless return-for-repair loops!
Technical Specifications
•5.9in x 3.4in x 6.3in (W x H x D)
•ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V
•up to 82% Efficiency
•Overvoltage/OverPower/Short-Circuit protection
•(.99)Active PFC
•MTBF: 100,000 hours @ 25C
550W Connectors:
•1 x 20/24-pin ATX
•1 x 4-pin CPU
•1 x 8-pin CPU
Modular Connectors:
•1 x 6-pin PCI-E
•1 x 6+2-pin (8-pin) PCI-E
•4 x Peripheral
•2 x Floppy
•6 x SATA
The 2x12V rails are quite strong and can no doubt support SLI, as long as the cards are not power hungry. Interestingly all the rails provide the same output current. The 12V rails supply 82% of the total 550W power output.
Back of Box:
Powerful: Delivering 550W of maximum output and utilizing a dual +12V rail design, the Fatal1ty Gaming Gear PSU allocates power where your system needs it most. This power supply can fuel the most demanding systems to gamers who take their talent seriously.
Ultra-Efficient: High-performance does not need to translate into over-the-top energy use! With an Ultra-high 82% efficiency rating, the 80-Plus Certified Ftal1ty Gaming Gear PSU offers ultimate stability driving up your energy costs.
Superior Cooling: Experience leading-edge reliability and performance. Powerful yet quiet, the Fatal1ty PSU is cooled by a 135mm top-mounted fan for superior air flow that remains stealthy-quiet during game play.
Active PFC: Active PFC effectively regulates input voltage and delivers Premium Sag and Surge Protection (.99 PFC) to distribute superior operation in a wider range of environments with varying voltages.
Good Looks: A case-modders dream, the Fatal1ty line features black sheathed cables for a clean, professional look and bright LEDs to illuminate the inside of your case for a striking appearance.
Cable Management System: The Fatal1ty Gaming Gear PSU promotes a cleaner and cooler case environment thanks to its modular cable system, a plus for those who don’t like extra wires. All cables are detachable, except for the necessary mainboard connectors.
Multi GPU Ready: Equipped to fuel the demands of high-performance gaming systems, the SLI-Ready Fatal1ty Gaming Gear unit has a complete array of connectors and the stable output to power multiple GPUs – an essential part of top gaming builds.
OCZ 3 Year Warranty: The best gaming PSU deserves the finest warranty, and the OCZ stands behind the Fatal1ty 550W with its 3-year PowerSwap warranty for the ultimate piece of mind. No more endless return-for-repair loops!
Technical Support: Just as OCZ Technology is committed to bringing you the best products for your personal computer, we strive to provide the best customer support in the industry. Call our support staff toll-free or visit our online support forums for direct advice from the experts. Please email support@ocztechnology.com for more information.
Packaging
The front view of the box
When initially presented with the package, it’s hard not to notice the vibrant colours used on what is essentially a regular power supply cardboard box. It comes shrink wrapped so the box remains undamaged. On the front you are shown a picture of the power supply with a brief blurb of the features. Being a Fatal1ty branded PSU, his logo is also printed in the corner.
The back of the box covering all the features
The back goes into more detail on the features of the PSU and shows the certifications it has gained. Across the grey band on the right is the power output rating of the PSU. The power specification is written on the top side of the box while at the bottom, there is a list of the cables provided. In all, it holds all the relevant information so the user knows what to expect.
Neatly packed are the manual, power supply, power cord and cables
Opening the box, we are greeted with the manual, on which you can see Fatal1ty himself, and below it is the PSU in a clear plastic sleeve. The cables are neatly tucked under the piece of card on the right. You can also notice the handle protruding out for easier carrying should you need that. The PSU also sits comfortably in a foam tray to minimize movement during transport.
The bag can come in handy for Lan parties!
As you can see, the bundle comes very neatly packaged and the cables, rather than being loose, are found in the Fatal1ty bag. It sure lives up to the name of being a “Gaming Gear Unit”. The main motherboard cables attached to the PSU and a power cable is also provided. It is a fairly standard bundle but what sets it apart are the small touches like the bag. The manual is concise but nonetheless clear and is written in 9 languages. It contains installation instructions and the electrical specifications.
The power supply itself
The PSU has a large 135mm fan that is designed to exhaust the hot air while remaining silent. The back of the PSU itself is made up of a metal grille to allow hot air to circulate out. What’s interesting to note is that the plug is sideways rather than aligned horizontally. From the top, the heatsink based cooling can be seen inside the PSU over the capacitors and transformers.
Closer Look
Above the 6 pin connectors is a label specifying the individual pins
The PSU itself is of steel construction to ensure a sturdy and solid build. I has a very nice smooth finish but it does scratch easily when mounting it. At the back, there are the 6 modular connections that use 6/8pin connections. The black ones are for general peripheral and Serial ATA connections while the red ones are dedicated to the PCI-E connections. The main cables come from the interior of the PSU. There is a small circular plastic ring surrounds the hole out of which the cables come from and I noticed that it did come loose occasionally. This was not detrimental at all and was just for aesthetic purposes. A cable tie kept all the cables together for tidiness and all the cables were sleeved right to the end.
To avoid clutter, only the mainboard cables are captive. It would have been better to have the PCI-E cable there as well rather than a seperate modular cable
The main motherboard connectors include a 20+4pin ATX cable for all motherboards, a 4 pin and 8 pin CPU cable to power them under stable conditions. The 4 pins on the ATX cable can be detached if only the 20 pin connector is required. Plugging the 2 in a 24 pin connector on the motherboard was easy and didn’t require much effort for the two cables to attach properly.
The Fatal1ty brand reminds us once again the gaming philosophy behind this power supply
OCZ provides all the adequate cables to populate the connectors at the back and they should be enough for however many components you use. The side of the PSU list the Amp readings on the individual rails as shown previously. The PSU is fairly compact in size so it should fit in any case, including smaller ones for Lan Parties.
All the cables bundled
There are 6 cables provided with the red ones being the PCI-E cables and the rest dedicated to SATA and peripherals. Of the 2 PCI-E connectors, one is a 6 pin and the other a 6+2pin for more power hungry cards. The two cables dedicated to SATA power connectors have 6 connectors in total mounted at 90 degrees to the cable except at the ends. This means there are enough for an optical drive and 5 hard-drives. The other two cables are for Molex connectors to help power fans and other peripherals. One of those cables have a floppy drive connector at the end rather than a Molex.
The red fan certainly fits the gamer attire
Once installed and powered on, the fan spins away and LED shines brightly to illuminate the computer without going overboard. It’s subtle enough not to make it seem like a Christmas tree…
Test Setup
CPU – Intel Core i7 920 – 4ghz
RAM – 6GB (3x2GB) OCZ platinum DDR3 1333mhz
Motherboard – Biostar T-Power x58
Graphics card – Gainward 896MB GTX260 216
Cooling – Noctua SE 1366 NH-U12P
Hard Drive – Samsung F1 320GB
Western Digital Caviar WD3200AAKS 320GB
Drivers – ForceWare 185.66
Power supplies:
OCZ 550W Fatal1ty Series Power Supply
Enermax Revolution 85+ 850W
Program Suite:
LinX stress Test
Furmark
How I tested:
To record the power being used, I will be using a power meter in which I will plug the computer. This will record the minimum and maximum power, representing idle usage and a fully loaded computer. To load the computer, the LinX stress test will be running simultaneously with Furmark to load both the CPU and the GPU. For maximum load, the components have been overclocked with the CPU at 4ghz and the graphics card at 706/1452/1202mhz. This is to test whether the power supply can cope with such loads and run at its rated power rating.
To test the rail, I will be making use of a multi meter and probing the 24pin ATX connector while the computer is idling and under load. This guide from Driverheaven gives you more details as to how this is done so my thanks to them!
Results
Let’s start by looking at the wattage recorded. Under full stress, it peaked at 509.9W which is probably a lot higher than you would get during normal extended usage. So the power supply is ideal for a mid-high end computer sporting a single GPU. It did not even break a sweat under the extreme testing conditions. While the power supply is SLI certified, I would only recommend it for mid-range GPUs sporting a single 6pin power connector. A crossfire 4850 setup or SLI 9800gt should be the maximum that this power supply could cope with.
The +3.3V rail was out by 0.1V at idle and 0.08V under load, which is still acceptable. The +5V rail was pretty much bang on. The +12V rail on the other hand was on the high side. At idle it was 0.49V higher than it should have been but under load, it lowered to a more acceptable level.
Despite these high readings, general usage was stable and there were no crashes or issue at all. Even while recording the voltage readings, they did not fluctuate and remained stable.
Noise
The 135mm fan helped keep the power supply cool and quiet although I did notice a slight whirring noise at one point. Overall it is a very quiet unit and will not distract you at all.
Efficiency
Rated at 82%, it is a bit on the low side compared to many modern power supplies, but these cost upwards of £80. In that sense, the OCZ Fatal1ty is a good compromise and compared to the Enermax Revolution 85+, it only consumed 20-30W more.
Conclusion
Owning an Enermax Revolution 85+ myself and a fairly power hungry computer, I was very sceptical as to whether the OCZ 550W Fatal1ty Series power supply would be enough for my needs. By the end of the testing, I can happily say that unit met all the requirements and performed wonderfully. All the cables were nicely braided and the \\\”EZMod\\\” cable management system made sure that everything was tidy. The unit itself felt very solid and the addition of the LED fan livened it up.The only shortcoming of the power supply, is that the PCI-E cables were on the short side but that depends heavily on the case being used and the position of the graphics card. It is certainly not the most powerful PSU on the market but it wasn\\\’t designed to be so, no negative points there then. In fact I would say that it did a commendable job powering quite a high end system with no problem at all. Since many people tend to buy similar components, the PSU will feel right at home powering them. The rails are on the high side but again it suffered no instability and showed no signs of struggling.
Pros:
•Stable when stressed
•Cables are nicely braided
•Good package and bundle
•Low price tag
•Easy to install with modular design
•Quiet operation with large LED fan
Cons:
•Rails are on the high side
•PCI-E cables are a bit short
•Efficiency does not match newer power supplies
In conclusion, the OCZ 550W Fatal1ty Series Power Supply truly deserves the Fatal1ty branding and as such deserves the Vortez Hardware Silver award. Had it been a higher end model with much higher efficiency, it would have received the Gold award!
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