Is OCZ a good PSU maker?

[HostileDonut]

I know for a while OCZ had a bad PSU problem. Are they like that with there new line up? I know some PSUs say they can supply a power that they really can not. Does OCZ supply the power it says it does?

 

[enzo matrix]

Seasonic is really the only best one that provides all the power they advertise and more. Corsair's power supplies are made by Seasonic.

OCZ I have found to be quality power supplies. But their +12V rails power are about 85% of the advertised total power. Keep that in mind when making calculations. As for their quality, they make good quality power supplies.

 

[ahthurungnone]

All power supplies are essentially the same design and quality. Name brand psu's (except the very high end versions) are the same as the "generic" brands. They do the same thing: move electric current thru copper wires.

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but in most cases you are just paying for a "label" and a warranty.

 

[HostileDonut]

Seasonic is really the only best one that provides all the power they advertise and more. XFX's power supplies are made by Seasonic.

OCZ I have found to be quality power supplies. But their +12V rails power are about 85% of the advertised total power. Keep that in mind when making calculations. As for their quality, they make good quality power supplies.

What do you mean 12v rails are only 85%? It says it have 4 12v rails with 18a each. What does that mean?

 

[enzo matrix]

What do you mean 12v rails are only 85%? It says it have 4 12v rails with 18a each. What does that mean?

Not much. You'll be wanting to look at the combined wattage on those rails. For example, my OCZ 600W has 500W combined on the +12V rails that can be drawn.

"All power supplies are essentially the same design and quality. Name brand psu's (except the very high end versions) are the same as the "generic" brands. They do the same thing: move electric current thru copper wires. "

Obviously you know nothing of electrical or computer engineering. The circuits are much more complex than that. They have to go through several phases to convert the 120V AC from the wall to +12VDC, +5VDC, +3VDC and -12VDC for the various components in the computer. The power supply need a step down transformer, diode rectifiers, filter capacitors and voltage regulators.
Bad quality components or overzealous companies claiming they can handle a higher current draw than they can can lead to low end power supplies blowing up and sometimes taking the computer with them. I've had it happen. Most for me have died silently rather than blowing up though due to old and non very good quality parts. But yes, most power supplies on the market are at least decent enough quality to be able to provide power without blowing up if you don't stress them too much. There's also the matter of a consistent quality signal with little noise so that your parts are not damaged but I've yet to meet a power supply where the manufacturers made such cuts.

 

[HostileDonut]

So I ordered a OCZ StealthxTreme 600w the other day. You said the 12v only provides 500w. Does that mean I can not go over 500w? Can the PSU supply 600w? How do I calculate how many watts I have on the 12v rails?

 

[enzo matrix]

Well, that depends on what you are powering. I have the modxstream. In the case of the stealthxstream:
http://www.ocztechnology.com/resources/drivers/600wchart.JPG

As an idea, The +12V rails are heavily used for the CPU and video card.

Based on the ATX standard pinout charts and the colours of the wires, the following devices draw power from the following voltages. Or, at the very least, it has wires connected available to it from these voltages:
Hard drives, DVD drives, Video card (a single pci-e power cable has 3 of these +12V wires), CPU (the CPU connector give the CPU access to two of these) all have dedicated +12V wires available to them. The hard drives/DVD drives also have a +3.3 and +5V available to them. The ram I believe runs on the +3.3 rails alone.

Watts is Voltage times current but combining the +12V rails does not mean adding the current.

 

[HostileDonut]

So the StealthXstream 600w can deliver 580w to the CPU, GPU, ect. The RAM gets the other 20w right?

 

[enzo matrix]

So the StealthXstream 600w can deliver 580w to the CPU, GPU, ect. The RAM gets the other 20w right?

The components draw what they need. Other components do draw from the +3.3V rails but they are not immediately obvious to me.

This is the reason why some companies can label a power supply that can only supply 600W to the +12V rails as a 900W power supply. They up the capability of the +3.3V rails to handle higher current, which it will never draw, to make up for the lower +12V rail capabilities. What's relevant is that the most power hungry components all draw from the +12V rails to a large extent.

 

[HostileDonut]

Ohhhhhh, Okay, I think I get it. So because most things run off the 12v rails you will need more watts from the 12v. Other companies label the power supply high wattages from the 3.3v rails that they will never use, so it sounds better to the customer. The OCZ 600w StealthXsteam version can deliver 580w off its 12v and 20w off its 3.3v, correct?

 

[enzo matrix]

^yep

 

[HostileDonut]

Thanks alot, you really cleared things up for me.

 

[stillerfan15]

The components draw what they need. Other components do draw from the +3.3V rails but they are not immediately obvious to me.

This is the reason why some companies can label a power supply that can only supply 600W to the +12V rails as a 900W power supply. They up the capability of the +3.3V rails to handle higher current, which it will never draw, to make up for the lower +12V rail capabilities. What's relevant is that the most power hungry components all draw from the +12V rails to a large extent.

Very nice and thanks so much for the details. Which are the most power hungry components aside from the GPU using the 12V rail? Thanks again,
Dave

 

[enzo matrix]

huh??

Thanks for catching that. I have edited. I meant to say Corsair!

 

[iam2thecrowe]

All power supplies are essentially the same design and quality. Name brand psu's (except the very high end versions) are the same as the "generic" brands. They do the same thing: move electric current thru copper wires.

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but in most cases you are just paying for a "label" and a warranty.

yeah like this one cause its the same as name brands.... http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Coolmax-CUL-750B-750-W-Power-Supply-Review/977/10
and this one http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=204
and this one http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=187

and many many more
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=71

 

[enzo matrix]

I should probably add this to the thread as a very useful article
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/psu-manufacturer-oem,2729-4.html

 

[HostileDonut]

I found OCZ and it was a bigger section, does that mean it is good?

 

[iam2thecrowe]

some ocz are not good. best bet is find a model you want, and then try find a review from hardwaresecrets or jhonnyguru. if it reviews bad, you will then know.

 

[HostileDonut]

I looked at the reviews on neweeg and everyone gave it 5 "eggs". Somebody said that their new line up (the one i bought) was improved from the last line up.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

no, the amopunt of eggs a PSU gets does not make it good or bad. Newegg PSU reviews base their review on did it work out of the box, or did it not. They dont go into load, ripple or voltage regulation tests. this http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/OCZ-StealthXStream-600-W-Power-Supply-Review/451/10 is the type of review you need to be reading. But yes, it looks to be a great unit.

 

[HostileDonut]

Oh, someone said that it delivered its promised watts. I thought that meant good. It said the the OCZ 600w I bought delivers 735w!

 

[enzo matrix]

Oh, someone said that it delivered its promised watts. I thought that meant good. It said the the OCZ 600w I bought delivers 735w!

But that contradicts the specs you read right off the package. Let's also try to make it clear that doesn't necessarily mean "good". "Good" means quality. Build quality. Reliable parts. The amount of wattage actually delivered is just something to watch out for and ones that deliver a lot less on the 12V rails than the total promised could indicate a power supply of a brand that may have cut a lot of corners.

 

[HostileDonut]

I know... I am kinda confused now. The review he gave me said that it is capable of 735w. If they got it that high, then I think it will. I am not going to push it that far though lol. Someone XF two hd6870 on one though.

 

[enzo matrix]

I know... I am kinda confused now. The review he gave me said that it is capable of 735w. If they got it that high, then I think it will. I am not going to push it that far though lol. Someone XF two hd6870 on one though.

Two 6870s in crossfire and a decent CPU will still draw less than 500W

 

[HostileDonut]

Oh, okay. It said on the hd6870 you need a 500w. Why would the review say that the 600w OCZ could do 735w though? I am confused.