OCZ Fatal1ty 1000W PSU Review

[siopao1984]

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Even though OCZ bought PC Power & Cooling several years ago, the firm never stopped developing and marketing power supplies under their own brand name. Today we are going to have a close look at one of the latest and most powerful units from OCZ, the Fatal1ty 1000W unit. As the name suggests, this is a product “approved” by Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel, the famous professional gamer. OCZ goes as far as to market this unit as a “gaming” power supply. Although it will certainly not help you attain better framerates or become a professional gamer yourself, the Fatal1ty 1000W certainly has a very distinct set of features which have it standing out of the crowd.

Manufacturer’s features and specifications"Pros don't just play games, pros win games! - Dedicated to delivering premium power solutions, OCZ’s latest PSU was co-developed with twelve-time world champion Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel to meet the specific needs of fellow gamers in performance, stability, and ease of integration to reduce system downtime.Built for Gamers - The OCZ Fatal1ty 1000W PSU sports a gaming-ready look with a sleek design, clean connectors, and a glowing red LED fan. With a high build quality using 100% Japanese capacitors and a powerful single +12V rail, this PSU is capable of delivering 1000W of continuous power at 50°C ideal for a demanding multi-GPU gaming rig.Efficient Performance - With 80-PLUS Gold certification and powered by a large 140mm thermally-controlled fan to reduce heat in your case, maintain ultimate stability and silence during the most intense gaming sessions by eliminating distracting noises from your PC.Premium Modular Cabling System - Featuring individually-sleeved modular cables, the Fatal1ty Series eliminates unnecessary wire clutter for a cleaner overall presentation and superior airflow in high end systems that are packed with components.Leading Warranty and Support - The Fatal1ty 1000W Series comes backed by a 5-Year warranty for the ultimate peace of mind."

• Continuous 1000W output at 50°C
• Built with 100% Japanese low ESR 105°C capacitors
• Single +12V rail
• Temperature and load controlled 140mm double ball-bearing fan with Red LED
• 80-Plus Gold certified for up to 90% efficiency (typical load)
• Individually sleeved modular cables
• Active Power Factor Correction (PFC)
• ErP compliant for low power usage in standby
• Heavy-duty protection circuitry
• Dimensions: 150mm(W) x 86mm(H) x 180mm(L)
• MTBF: 100,000 Hours
• 5-Year Warranty

Read more: OCZ Fatal1ty 1000W PSU Review by VR-Zone.com

[siopao1984]

OCZ supplies the Fatal1ty 1000W unit inside a large cardboard box featuring a dark red/black visual theme. The artwork is focused on a partial picture of the unit itself and a sketch of Johnathan Wendel.



Inside the box we found the unit very well packed and secured, enclosed in a cloth bag and protected by thick polystyrene foam pieces.



Despite the grandiose packaging and extensive marketing, the bundle of the Fatal1ty 1000W unit is limited to the basics. OCZ supplies only a basic instructions manual, an A/C power cable and a few simple cable ties. We would expect at least a few high quality cable straps and decoration stickers along with a unit which bases a lot of its market potential on aesthetics.



The individually sleeved modular cables, which are one of the major features of the Fatal1ty 1000W unit, are supplied inside a nylon purse. Although high precision is required to individually and uniformly sleeve every cable, OCZ performed an immaculate job which it would be very difficult for an individual to achieve by hand. Nevertheless, we should note that the individually sleeved cables do look better but they also are considerably more bulky than normal cables, taking more space inside a case.

[siopao1984]

As it is based on a standard ATX compliant chassis design, the OCZ Fatal1ty 1000W unit is visually not much different than the majority of high performance power supplies. The chassis has been sprayed with a matte dark grey paint and large stickers cover the sides of the unit, while a standard round grill covers the translucent LED fan.



The large stickers covering both sides of the unit are once again based on a sketched portrait of Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel, alongside his signature and the series logo.



As usual with units which have decorative stickers covering their sides, the sticker with the basic electrical specifications of the unit has been placed at the top side of the power supply. It is noteworthy to mention that the sticker is printed both in English and in Chinese, indicating that OCZ has high hopes on the Asian market.



The front side of the power supply is almost entirely covered by the red connectors for the modular cables. The few native cables come out of the usual opening towards the left side of the unit. It is noteworthy to mention that even though only the 24 pin ATX cable, two PCIe cables and the CPU 12V cable are hardwired to the unit, their width covers most of the hole which would otherwise be sufficient for all of the unit’s cables.



The rear side of the Fatal1ty 1000W unit is entirely plain, with only a large rocker on/off switch besides the typical A/C power cable plug.

[siopao1984]

As we mentioned in the previous page, OCZ went with a translucent 140mm LED fan for the cooling needs of the Fatal1ty unit. However, we were astounded to see that the fan’s manufacturer is Hong Hua, a virtually unknown company amongst enthusiasts. Little information could be found regarding the fan, except that it has a ball bearing.



The OEM behind the Fatal1ty 1000W unit is Sirfa, a well-known and experienced manufacturer of high performance power supplies. It is also interesting that OCZ sleeved the cables all the way down to the PCB.



As usual, the filtering stage begins at the back of the A/C receptacle and continues onto the unit’s PCB. There are four Y capacitors, two X capacitors, two filtering chokes and a surge suppressing MOV. Although the filtering stage is merely equivalent with that proposed by the design guides, it undeniably is sufficient for the needs of this unit.



Two Nippon Chemi-Con 400V/390μF capacitors can be found on the primary side of the unit, with the secondary side capacitors all being supplied by Nippon Chemi-Con as well. The APFC FETs are also placed on a separate heatsink instead alongside the primary side components.



We were astonished by how small the heatsinks of this unit are, especially considering the 1000W rated power output. The primary side heatsinks are nothing more than a small slab of metal, which provides almost no heat dissipation surface at all. The secondary side heatsink is notably better, even though it still appears to be small considering the unit’s great maximum output.



The daughterboard PCB which houses the modular cable connectors is also home to the DC to DC conversion circuits. This causes a little bit of cable clutter as a few cables from the 3.3V line and 5V line need to return back to the main PCB, both for the unit’s safety circuits and for use by the native cables.

[siopao1984]

In order to provide you with the most professional and accurate reviews, we are using the following equipment to test the performance of power supplies:

Modified SECC steel case with thermal generation and control components installed
8 Vantek electronic loads, USB controlled
3KVA VARIAC
Extech 380803 TrueRMS Power Analyzer
USB Instruments Stingray Oscilloscope
SL-5868P digital sound level meter
CompuLAB interface
MyPClab thermal interface
Labjack U3-HV interface
Custom calibration box
Custom software
More information about our testing equipment and methodology can be found in this article.



The electrical performance of the Fatal1ty 1000W unit is well above average. Even though the voltage regulation of the minor (3.3V and 5V) lines is above 3%, it is somewhat expected from a design which is obviously focused around the 12V line alone. On the other hand, the voltage ripple of all three voltage lines is extraordinarily low, especially for a unit with this kind of power output.



OCZ markets this power supply with an 80Plus Gold certification, therefore the very high electrical efficiency is something to be expected. The 80Plus Gold certification dictates that the unit should reach 92% efficiency at 50% load when powered from a 230VAC power source and the Fatal1ty 1000W manages to reach that figure, even if only barely.



Despite the use of very small heatsinks, the Fatal1ty 1000W unit operates at fairly low temperatures while nominally loaded. If the unit is heavily loaded however, the operating temperature will rise considerably, reaching uncomfortable levels if the unit is left to operate at 90%-100% load for prolonged periods of time.



Acoustics usually are merely a reflection of the unit’s thermal performance, thus it is no surprise that the Fatal1ty 1000W unit remains very quiet up to about 70% load, after which limit noise starts rising exponentially as the fan is struggling to cope with the increased cooling demand.

[siopao1984]

Quality (30% of the total score)

Quality is one of the strongest selling features of the OCZ Fatal1ty 1000W power supply. OCZ chose an excellent set of components, especially regarding the capacitors as Nippon Chemi-Con is a renowned manufacturer among enthusiasts. Sirfa did an excellent job and the unit is very well made, both externally and internally, with a perfect paint job and detailing on the outside and an excellent assembly on the inside. Perhaps the best indicator of quality is the individual sleeving job which, despite it being a very difficult process, is immaculate. The only quirk may be the use of an unknown 140mm fan from a company we never heard of before, which may prove to be an excellent product but we simply have no experience with the particular company and/or their products.

Quality Score 9.5/10



Performance (40% of the total score)

When it comes to performance, the lack of balance of the OCZ Fatal1ty 1000W unit has left us with mixed feelings. Electrically, on one hand we have an exceptionally low voltage ripple and on the other hand the voltage regulation is mediocre. Thermally, the unit displays excellent thermal and acoustics performance under low and medium loads but the drop is significant once the power supply is heavily stressed. Overall, the performance of the Fatal1ty 1000W unit is well above average but minor upgrades could significantly improve the scoring of this power supply.

Performance Score 8.5/10



Value (20% of the total score)

The OCZ Fatal1ty 1000W unit can be found retailing for about 230 USD (290 SGD) at the time of this review. Although the market price is definitely not low, it is a fair price considering the unit’s performance and number of features, placing it at a good spot against the competition.

Value Score 9.0/10



Aesthetics (10% of the total score)

Aesthetics are the trump card of the OCZ Fatal1ty 1000W unit, which has been primarily designed to please gamers -slash- modders. Although the unit is based on a standard chassis, OCZ did a very good job designing this power supply in order to stand out of the crowd. The strongest feature of the Fatal1ty 1000W unit is the individually sleeved cables which, even though they do add a significant amount of bulk, they certainly make for a unique appearance.

Aesthetics Score 9.5/10

[jus23]

nindot ni sya for aesthetics purposes..pro performance wise corsair tx/ax series and seasonic x-series gihapon siguro..hehehe, just my two cents...