OCZ GameXStream Power Supply 1010W
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Stress Testing
To test the power supply’s ability to provide power to components under stressful situations (like when running a game), I opened up the NVIDIA control panel and ran a full system stability test for 30 minutes. The test, which stresses the CPU, RAM, GPU, PCI-E bus and hard disk by running a 3D graphics loop, is pretty good analog of a gaming situation and also indirectly tests the stability of the power supply as it supplies power to the computer’s various components. To monitor the power supply’s reaction, I opened ASUS’s PC Probe II and watched the +3.3, +5.0 and +12.0 voltage monitors for any changes.

Voltage readings at the start of the 30-minute stress test.


The specs of the testing rig:
  • Processor: AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core 4200+ 65W
  • Motherboard: ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless
  • Memory: 2 GB of Crucial DDR2 PC2-8000 Ballistix Dual Channel RAM
  • Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 750 GB
  • OS: Windows XP SP2
  • Testing Software:
    • NVIDIA System Stability Test
    • ASUS PC Probe II
Note that this setup, running along with a few USB-powered devices and two optical drives, probably isn’t going to test this power supply to its full capacity.

During the test I noticed a few things: first, the +5.0 and +12.0 rails tended to fluctuate about .02 and .06 volts respectively, while the +3.3 rail stayed rock solid at 3.26 volts. Second, the +5.0 rail sat between 4.68 and 4.70 volts, which is a pretty large deviation from the 5.0 volts called for by the specification. However, keep in mind that motherboard voltage readings from power supplies are not always accurate, so this deviation may not be as bad as the monitor suggests. Given my success with the 600-watt version of the same power supply, I’m confident this potential issue won’t affect your computer’s performance. Third, the computer passed through the stress test without any issues, a testament to the GameXStream’s stability.

Voltage readings at the end of the 30-minute stress test.

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Conclusions
Overall, despite the potential voltage issue and the lack of modularity, the GameXStream line continues to deliver the power and stability gamers need for years of back-end operation. The 1010-watt GameXStream runs quiet, runs stable and, with its enormous capacity, should give you the overhead to add new and updated components to your system for several years without needing an upgrade. I continue to be impressed.



Highs
Stability through stresses any gamer would experience; Includes wattage capacity for years of expansion; Very quiet operation.

Lows
Not modular; Voltage tests indicated +5.0 rail does not run at specification.

Final verdict
OCZ continues to put out winning power supplies for gamers and the 1010-watt version is no exception.

90%

Apr 10, 2007

Review by Eric Hanson.

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