Some people out there don’t like modular power supplies, personally I really like them. Depending on who you talk to people will tell you different things about the modular type power supplies, they’ll tell you about the connectors and how they can break, or having the connections the way they are is a bad thing. Well I’ve owned quite a few of them and have never had one problem with any modular power supply related to any of the cons that people might list for these types of PSU’s. That being said today for review I have a modular power supply (imagine that!?) and it’s from our friends at OCZ and it’s a 780Watt version of the ModXStream, so read on to learn more about a great power supply…
OCZ ModXStream 780Watt Power Supply
Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio AkA Dracos
Sponsor: OCZ Technology
Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
OCZ ModXStream 780Watt Power Supply
Description:
OCZ ModXStream / 780W / EZMod Cable Management / Active PFC
The OCZ ModXStream Series is a new line of power supplies designed to offer consumers a combination of OCZs legendary PSU architecture and an efficient modular cable management system. Available in 780W and 900W models, the high efficiency ModXStream offers the industrys highest performing modular power supplies on the market.
As a gamer or case modder, modular cabling is a necessity when building a cool and orderly system. To optimize airflow and eliminate cable mazes, the ModXStream power supply is equipped with EZMod technology to allow complete customization of your power system by utilizing only the cables you require.
The ModXStream was engineered to be the quietest PSU available so gamers can hear their games and not their PC. Kept ultra-cool with a load-controlled 120mm fan, the powerful ModXStream still remains virtually silent and supremely cool even at peak loads.
Next generation platforms and high performance graphics cards are essential to modern gamers and enthusiasts. Complete with 2(780W) PCI-Express cables and six serial ATA connectors, the rock solid ModXStream is built to provide sufficient output to power demanding GPU and setups. With a sustained output of 780W or 900W and four +12V rails to provide uniform distribution of power, the ModXStream is the superlative solution for and driving today’s higher end systems.
The OCZ ModXStream provides Universal Input and Active PFC (Power Factor Correction) to effectively regulate input voltage across worldwide power grids and maintain an economical, yet stable supply of power.
All OCZ ModXStream power supplies come backed with an industry-leading three year OCZ PowerSwap Warranty for the ultimate peace of mind.
Specs:
780W & 900W Configurations:
OCZ PowerWhisper Technology
Internal 120mm fan
Blue LEDs
3 year warranty backed by OCZs exclusive PowerSwap replacement program. No more endless return-for-repair loops!
Technical specifications:
150 x 140 x 86mm
ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V
OCZ ConnectAll universal connectors (see product sheets)
High efficiency
> 80% @ 115V (Typical load)
> 80% @ 230V (Typical load)
Overvoltage/Overcurrent/Short-Circuit protection
Active PFC
MTBF: 100,000 hours @ 25C
100~240Vac 10-5A 50/60Hz
+3.3V(30A), +5V(30A), +12V1(20A), +12V2(20A), +12V3(20A), +12V4(20A) Maximum ratings are shown.
Part Numbers:
780W – OCZ780MXS
A Better Look at Things
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I’ve always liked the packaging for all OCZ products, it;s bright, informative and kind of exciting looking. The ModXStream box is no different, we can find pictures of the PSU itself and all the specs and features listed on the panels of the box.
Opening the box box we find the ModXStream wrapped nicely in bubble wrap for protection, along with the PSU we find black mounting screws, power cable, the modular cables and an owners manual.
The OCZ 780Watt ModXStream features a silent 120mm fan that has blue LEDs in it.
On the back we find the common honeycomb style ventilation, along with the main power input and an I/O rocker power switch.
On the front is where we find the connections for all the modular cables, and the hard wired main power connections coming out.
As with most power supplies on the side we find the specification label, and we see there are four 12v rails listed as well.
If we look at little closer at the label we’ll find a number that we can reference on JohnnyGuru’s website that tells us who actually made this power supply, the number is E190414, and we see it was made by FSP Group Inc who also makes power supplies: FSP, Sparkle, OCZ GameXstream, some In Win, Aopen, Power Man, Powertech, Zalman, Engelking, Sharkoon, some SilenX.
The cables included with the OCZ ModXStream for modular use are all nicely sleeved as are the main power cables that are hardwired to the PSU itself. One thing you’ll notice is that there really aren’t that many standard Molex connectors, only four.
And here’s the obligatory Void the Warranty photos of the inside of the ModXStream:
Installation, Testing and Comparison
Of course this power supply would be installed in my main system which consists of:
ECS NF650i SLIT-A Motherboard
Intel Core2Duo E6420 with Noctua NH-U9F CPU Cooler
2 BFG 7900GT OC vid cards
2 gigs Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC2-8500
3 hard drives (2 are in powered/active cooled mobile racks)
2 dvd/rw
Vizo Multi-Panel2
Antec Nine Hundred Case with 2 120mm fans and 1 200mm fan
Installation is easy, it’s pretty much just like installing any other power supply, except that since this is modular you can decide which connectors you need and only connect those cables to avoid cluttering your case with unused cables.
For testing I got out my handy multimeter and check out the 12v and 5v rails while my computer was sitting at Idle and at Load. To get my Idle voltages I let it sit for 30 minutes just running Windows services, and to get Load voltage I ran Orthos and 3dMark06 in SLI Mode, to make sure I had a nice load going on the system.
Idle:
12v – 12.56v
5v – 4.91v
Load:
12v – 12.51v 12.52v
5v – 4.92v
The 5v line is a bit low, but it’s still within tolerances and the 12v line is a bit high, but again within tolerances. I’d rather have higher 12v line than a lower one honestly…
The fan of the OCZ ModXStream is silent, the ModXStream replaced my OCZ GameXStream actually and I immediately noticed a difference in the sound levels of my case, I thought the GameXStream was fairly quiet, but the ModXStream is much quieter even under load.
Summary:
As I mentioned in the intro I like modular power supplies, I like the ability to use only the cables I need and not have to try and hide the unused ones somewhere in my case. The OCZ ModXStream is a very competent power supply, that is stable, silent and looks great. The only drawback I can see is the lack of Molex connections, and honestly I think it’s a pretty big deal, I ended up having to use a ‘Y’ splitter to get everything connected, if you don’t have one lying around, well you’ll need to get one if you have lots of stuff in your case.
DragonSteelMods gives the ModXStream 780Watt Power Supply a 4.5 out of 5 score.
{mosgoogle right}
Pros:
-Modular
-Silent
-Powerful
-Cool blue fan
Cons:
-Lack of Molex connectors (only 4 included)
I would like to thank OCZ Technology for the chance to review the ModXStream 780Watt Power Supply and for their continued support of DSM.
review #226