We first looked at the OCZ Powerstream PSU in its 470W guise well over a year ago and were suitably impressed. At the time it provided comprehensive connectivity, excellent performance and good value. Moving on into the end of 2005 and the competition have caught up – the Powerstream’s connectivity is no longer the revolution it was, in fact it actually falls behind some of the competition. A 20/24 pin main power loom is provided, with a 4 pin auxiliary that can be expanded to facilitate 8 pin requiring P4 boards as well. There are 8 Molex plugs, two mini Molex connectors, a single PCI-E cable and facilities for 4 SATA hard drives. Two of the Molex cables and the PCI-E cable have been fully shielded with what looks like a ferrite braid. These provide maximum EMI protection for sensitive devices like video cards and SLI motherboards.
The facility to convert the two shielded Molex cables into a single second PCI-Express cable is provided, though this feels like a bit of a “me too” addition than something that was designed in mind from the start. The 600W model we are looking at is a special UK edition, which means it has a specially adapted active PFC circuit to cope with our higher-than-average European voltage output.
Aesthetically, the Powerstream looks the part, with lusciously braided cables all around and a sleek chromed gun-metal body. Both of the unit’s 80mm fans are of the LED variety, and glow green when activated. The unit itself is by far the largest PSU on test, so you should check your compatibility before purchasing. Cases with small PSU bays such as the Lian Li PC-V1000 will certainly not accommodate this behemoth.
Despite its size, the OCZ Powerstream is pretty quiet in operation – much quieter than the Tagan and almost on a par with the Antec True Control. Another ability it shares with the True Control is adjustable rails. Sensibly these are not as open to abuse as the Antec’s front panel, and need to be adjusted using a fine Philips-head screwdriver. There are helpfully coloured LEDs to show when you are going over or under the recommended voltages, though really you should be closely monitoring the rails in the BIOS when tweaking the Powerstream.
In terms of performance, the Powerstream took everything the workstation could throw at it, though its Rails were not the best on test. Whilst this is a very capable, smart and desirable PSU, for £150 it simply doesn’t offer anything over the Enermax and Seasonic alternatives that cost so much less.
