OCZ ModStream 450 Watt
Feb 21st, 2005 | By Archive
OCZ ModStream 450 Watt
Date
: 02/22/05 – 12:49:47 AM
Author
:
Category
: Power Supplies
Page 1 : Introduction
Manufacturer: OCZ Technology
Price: $90.00 (Street)
In August 2000, a new contender entered the computer memory market. This company, known as OCZ was "founded by enthusiasts for enthusiasts". They worked hard developing and improving RAM, developing several technologies that are widely used today such as the first Dual DDR optimized RAM available to the public and the first to implement ULN Technology (Ultra Low Noise shielded PCB boards).
Striving to make sure every customer is 110% satisfied, OCZ hires employees that are "dedicated to accomplishing this goal".
With their strong innovations in the memory market, let's take a look to see how OCZ's ModStream 450W power supply fairs in today's thriving power supplies market.
Page 2 : Package
OCZ ships the ModStream in a box with a wealth of information about the contents.
This particular model arrived directly from our good friends at Xoxide
Opening the box reveals a variety of contents. Inside we have a power cord for the power supply and some velcro cable ties.
Also inside the box are the modular power cables:
Finally, inside, we have our beauty queen, which we can look at more closely in the next section. . .
Page 3 : Exterior
Removing the power supply itself from it's protective bag was somewhat degrading. The first time you touch this power supply you leave a nice big finger print in the beautiful paint. However, the unit won't do us much good inside of the bag.
All around, you get a great view of this power supply in all of its beauty. The paint on this power supply is down to close to a pure mirror finish, but perhaps the equivalent to its beauty is its functionality. Modularity is taking the power supply market by storm!
On the back of the power supply you can see the connectors in which you can add your cables for however many devices you desire. At the top are your SATA and PCI-X power connectors, and towards the bottom you see the 4-pin molex connectors.
The back of the power supply is entirely covered by a mesh vent, which is not only very cool looking, but also will provide with superior cooling.
As the caption to this article says, we have quite a sleek and stylish casing to this power supply. Along with its paint job, we have modular connectors to attach your gear to, so you have less clutter within in your case. So is all this power supply provides is good looks? Let's take a look at the specifications…
Page 4 : Specifications/Interior
Per OCZ's website:
General Specifications
:
- OCZ PowerWhisper Technology with 120mm fan
- OCZ PowerShield PCI-Express lead
- OCZ EZMod advanced cable management system
- Supports ATX/BTX/PCI Express/SATA
- Active PFC**
- 3 Year warranty backed by OCZs exclusive PowerSwap replacement program. No more endless return-for-repair loops!
Technical Specifications
:
- 160x150x86 mm
- 95~132Vac / 190~264Vac 10/6a
- 450W: +3.3V(28A), +5V(45A), +12V(26A)
- 520W: +3.3V(28A), +5V(52A), +12V(28A)
- Over-voltage/Short-Circuit protection
Note:
Opening this power supply will void your warranty! And opening any power supply is hazardous! Please do not do this if you don't know what you are doing.
With that aside, we'll take a quick look inside the power supply.
And here you can get a good view of that 120mm Blue Led fan inside:
The power supply has a good bit of weight to it, which has been generally an easy way to tell overall quality of the power supply.
Let's take a look to see how well it performs and looks!
Page 5 : Installation/Testing
Installation of the ModStream 450w is pretty straight forward, as it is with most power supplies. Once you have it installed into the back of your case, you can decide how you want to arrange your modular cables. With my installation, I only needed one to power my hard drive and video card.
Unfortunately, in my case, the side with the window also had the side of the power supply with the big specifications sticker, so the beauty is hidden a bit.
The entire back of the power supply cut out as a grille, and the blue LED fan look awesome in dim light.
Abit NF7-S Rev 2
Corsair 512mb pc3200
Maxtor 40gb
Case 2 – Powered On, 120mm fan
Case 3 – Idle
Case 4 – Full Load
Case 5 – Idle, copying 200mb file to HDD
Page 6 : Conclusion
All and all this is a great power supply. This thing has simple yet awesome looks in it's paint job. The modular power supplies seem like the only way to go to help prevent the power cables from taking over our boxes. Although this power supply is not "truly" modular because the ATX plug or the ATX+12v are not modular. You wouldn't really need to remove those in most situations. However I found it very strange that the BTX extender (you can attach the BTX extender to the end of the ATX connector) is not modular either. The majority of people using this power supply will not use the BTX connector, however it gets to sit there, and you have no way of removing it besides cutting it off.
Overall for a good looking solid performer the OCZ ModStream series is a good choice. Some improvements could be made to really make this a top of the line power supply, but it'll look great inside most anyone's case!
Advantages
:
- Great looks
- Modular
- 120mm fan for quiet cooling
- Great performance
Dis-Advantages
:
- Not completely modular
- No other fan colors available
We'd like to thank Xoxide and OCZ for providing Overclockers Online with this sample.