Lets Look a Little Deeper Into This OCZ Issue

computerpro3

LightningRod
Joined
Mar 29, 2003
Messages
8,702
Well, it came to my attention that tons of the OCZ Powerstream (really toppower, so it's not OCZ's fault) 520w and 470w (and some 600w) have been dying premature deaths, usually in a spectacular fashion. I talked with Ice Czar a little about this in another thread, and we agreed that it was worth it's own to see if we can go further into the issue, and maybe even find out why, or get some kind of official response or something.

Here's what I found in 5 seconds on only the first page of google...

Dissolved: my msi neo2 did the same thing to me.. i dunno what happened but its piont blank dead. my x800 lived, and my ocz 520w seems ok, but im going to rma them

esoteradactyl: had 2 neo's die on me. im starting to see more threads about these boards mysteriously dying. i was using an ocz 520w both times this happened. is it just a coincidence??

JessM: just bought a new amd 64 system and i wanted to overclock so the ocz powerstream psu was the perfect psu to get. I had just found my max stable overclock of 2.47 htt of 275 and ran prime 95 for 9 hours 0 errors. I turned off my computer for an hour then turned it back on and heard a loud crack right when i hit the power button. Now the computer will not turn on, but the green led on the mobo is still glowing... swaped out psu and it booted up and posted (didnt attempt to load windows) i also switched motherboards (put in my spare abit av8) and the psu still didnt work so...... this a psu problem?

glorfy: PSU is incapable of running system at Ultra speeds (tested with 2 PSUs to cconfirm that system was stable all the way up to CPU = 2585 and Graphics card = 420/1140). Single OCZ 520 PSU can't even manage 375/1040, CPU = 2200 stable - which is suprising particuarly when you considered I'm using a winchchester, and thereby saving 1a! I posted in the overclocking forum initially, but wanted to post here to just get an answer.

Additional information

Running a DVD RW, DVD, and 2 Maxtor Diamondmax 9 160GB hard drives (not raid)

fooforon: Hi,

this is my second psu and this is the second time its popped, and I know its not me cause before I got them my I had my old psu running alot longer with the same spec and still runs the computers as the OCZ psu is dead. What should I do? I like the psu when its running but they keep dieing!

1st one: The first time I put it in and turned it on poped. it was dead, returned no problem

2nd one: Ran for about 4-5 months(was very good for that time) then one moring went to turn on my computer and pop again. its dead. I cant return it ot the store cause they are closed till Jan 5th

Mr Smiley: When I tried turning my computer on this morning the power supply made a faint popping noise. The noise was not loud at all and the fans did spin for like 2 seconds but then it shut off. I checking all wires inside the case and I even switched the power chord but the dang thing still wouldn't start. So I switched back to my old 300W back up and to my dismay my computer turned on. So I don't know what to do know.

SIN: Same thing happened to mine mr smiley

Type R:Ok i have a little problem i can not power up my computer.
The board tell is beig suplied with power because that litle green light that asus board have is on but when i push the button to turn power on nothing happs. I´v plugeed and unplugged all connectors in every combination possible, and nothing can seem to get pc started with Modstream, because with may old PSU there is no problem.
nop doesn´t jumstart and i went and buy on of those already made things to jumstart psus since i't only 1,5€ the psu is pretty much dead
Hates: Just got my new setup today and the PSU seems to be killing every mains lead I put into it. The fans on the mother board move a fraction and then thats it. Then I get nothing more and the leads is dead, even when I try it in a different appliance.
JKB2198: Just recieved the new power supply from xoxide two days ago. I install new mb and cpu and new pcz 520. Everything works great and am very satisfied. Well I watched a movie last night and when I wake up today it will not power on. So I put back in my antec 480 true blue and it powers up just fine. I am a computer bench tech and it the powersupply does not smell burnt at all. Also all the lines where always green for the two days. The power supply worked. It was also turned off multiple times because this was during a fresh install of xp pro so lots of resetting going on. I dont know what to do.

z80: Brand new connected for test, checked voltage was correct , turned on power and BANG!.
Already rma'ed it, i notice other people have had them go pop as well i hope this isnt a production error, surely they are tested after assembly
Garnet: I had the same big bang and blue sparks when I plugged my brand
new 420 PowerStream in for the first time yesterday

pudds:Ive just got one of the new 520w psu's and when i plugged it in it just went pop. Id checked the voltage selector beforehand and i thought it was set right. Ive switched it to 240v now but every time i switch it on it just blows the fuse in the plug

mikepvan: Just got my powerstream 520 from new egg 9-14-04. I turned on my computer last nite the second I pushed the power button I heard a pop, saw a flash out of the back of the computer, and its dead.
Please help.

Thank you
Mike

alterbridge86: Hey guys - i've had my PowerStream 520 for a few months now and i've been very pleased with its performance until now. I just yesterday switched to AMD platform and I hooked it all up, booted up and the computer was running. Adjusted some settings in the bios, turned it off, turned it back on and i began to smell a little burning smell...so iturned it off immediately...i sniffed the scent back up to the powersupply - so i tried to turn it on again to see if it was really that and sure enough, computer would not turn on. I through my roommates PSU into my computer and powered it on and it worked perfectly, so i definately have to say that my PowerStream is dead as a doornail How do i go about getting an RMA? Please let me know ASAP as it is urgent that this computer is returned to working status! Thanks for the help

canadianputergu: Hey heres the story.

I recently bought a DDR Diagnostic Device which worked fine out of the box m but a few days later it began having issues with staying or booting with the set voltage.

Anyways today when i booted the system it again was incorrect on the DDR booster (supposed to be 3.0 but instead was 2.7) and the system wouldnt boot from mem failure unable to run at my settings with this voltage, so i waited a few minutes in bios and rebooted hoping maybe the booster would warm up but still a no go.

So i reboot again and wait in bios for 5 minutes to see if it corrects itselve because i REALLY dont want to open my case up AGAIN and re adjust the booster. So i come back and restart the computer , again its 2.6-2.7 on the booster and i miss the bios screen and it starts to load windown but hangs on a black screen so i have to restart my computer by holding the power button down for 5 seconds.

So i shut the system down and turn it back on but this time as soon as i hit the power button there was a flash of light from the PSU near that back (think it was whitish/blue) and a very slight snap like noise and the psu and system is dead off with no response from the psu when i try starting the system again, i try unplugging the psu from the Power bar for a hour and try to start again but nothing, Im using a P4C800E-Deluxe and it has a little green led on the mobo that is always on even when the computer is off as long and the psu is connected , this light and the LAN lights will not go on period.

The PSU appears dead , i had to run out and BUY another PSU (antec) as a replacement so i could get on the net and get some help , as there where NO phone numbers in or on the box , manual or leaflets for the OCZ PowerStream 520 or the DDR Diagnostic device. Did i miss something?

prim3: I just got from newegg.com. I hooked up to my system and all the fans turned on for about a second and everything turned off. It's acting like the over voltage system is coming on. I have setup to 115 and all, I don't understand. Brand new and I can't get it to work. I've hooked up to my friends tower too and does the same thing. Is there something I need/forgot to do or is this thing just f'n dead already.

hoobnoob: Hey Guys,
Bought a Powerstream 520w psu bout a month ago, fitted it and it ran kosher up untill yesterday. went to turn on mah pc, everything came on for about 1/2 sec, then went off, an won't come back on. I checked to see whether any wires were shorting, checked the mobo to see if that was shorting and dissconected all but the essentials but it seems totaly dead. I tried kick-starting the PSU using the bridge-the-green-and-black-wires-using-a-paper-clip method, but when i hit the power switch, all i get is a violent blue flash from inside the PSU. OK.
I figure the things out for the count, so all I really want to know is how I send the thing back to OCZ so they can repair it/send me a new one? I live in the UK, so do I need to phone someone or what?

craigyp70: hi i just bought a new 520w ocz psu, installed it into my new case, add the adapter so that it would fit into my asus socket 939 mobo. i changed the setting so that is was set to 230v coz i live in the uk, i turned it on, my processer fan just span once, and the mother board led flicked on. checked that everything was installed properly, disconected all the things that didnt need to be connected and tryed again, same problem, i then used the psu in my old mother board to see if that would work but again the mother board led just flicked on and then off. is there anything that i am doing wrong?

mikehowett: My PC was working this morning, went to turn it on when I got in from work and nothing! Checked the fuse in the PSU plug and it was fine, checked all cables/connections, again all was fine, but still nothing! I decided to remove the PSU from my case and start it manually by connecting the green and black pins, still nothing! I guess it's dead! Also, I don't know if this is normal but there's something rattling around inside it, dunno what it is? I've only had it about 3 weeks
mikehowett: Hey guys, just to let you know I managed to get an RMA with the shop I bought the PSU from. Also I turned it on after leaving it for at least 12 hours just to make sure it wasn't working and after about 2 seconds it made a very loud bang! Gave me quite a fright

mikehowett: AGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I don't belive this, I just got my new RMA replacement PSU, connected it all up went to turn it on and nothing Is there any way I can check that the new PSU isn't faulty without having it all connected up

kennon: This is the problem that I'm having with mine except it's not all the time, just when I plug in my 9800 Pro.


jinu117: Was extremely happy with PSU till today...
Moved all the item to new case, connected it, turned on and saw spark flying out toward power socket of PSU!!!
shocked, I checked the connection at back which looks fine... opened side window to find that mobo isn't getting any power. Took out psu to test and it doesn't turn on. Fortunately other components are fine (spare 300W psu handy). However, the Powerstream is refusing to even start.
What could be wrong?

hoof: Hey guys new to the forums but just having problems with my PSU.
My brand new OCZ PSU from newegg just got here I hooked it up and it worked fine for a minute. Then I heard a loud pop or what sounded like a spark and I look at my PC and its all off. I tried turning it back on after dismantling the entire PC and putting it back together to make sure of no Mobo shorts etc but the PSU just wont work. I hooked it into my other PC and it wont even turn on. I've tried everything and any help with this would be great since I really was looking forward to using this wonderful product


Those are all 520w ocz's. There are tons more about the 600w and 470 model too (although for the 600w i think its just from that recall issue) but I got tired of copying and pasting. You'll notice the words "bang", "spark", and "2nd in a row and 3rd in a row" keep popping up.

Strangley, the 420w does not seem to have issues. OR maybe that's because it's not as popular?

While I was looking through all the failures, I tried to come up with a common thread linking the systems together. There's not an obvious one, but I MIGHT, MIGHT have stumbled upon something. Whether this is just because of the popularity of the board, or because there exists a compatibility issue between it and the ocz, I'm not sure, but so far I've got 7 psu deaths (sometimes killing the board and video card too) on MSI K8N Neo 2 boards.

Here's a few links about the MSI, all the others are on xtreme too, I'll go try to find them

http://www.bleedinedge.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6509
http://www.bleedinedge.com/forum/sh...53477#post53477
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums...8941#post648941
http://forum.pcstats.com/showthread.php?t=27585


Now I know lots of people must have the combo, so if you could post here and let us know how it's going, that would be great.

What's causing all these deaths?


edit: linking to xtreme doesn't work, so I added them in the first two quotes
 
OCZ 520 Watt PSU is the best power supply I have ever owned.

It seamed no matter what PSU I researched there was always someone to say it was good or bad, so I just went with the OCZ 520 Watt PSU and it fixed my computer freezing problems.

I am running a MSI Neo2 Platinum, AMD 64 3500, 1 Gig RAM, 1 SATA HD, 1 Ultra ATA 133 HD, BFG GeForce 6800 GT OC, DVD+RW.

OCZ in my opinion is one of the best PSUs in its price range.
 
Tom's said that Tagens, also made by Topower, failed a lot in their comparison of Intel vs. AMD CPUs.
 
MSI Neo2 Platinum, AMD 64 3200 @ 2.5, 1 Gig RAM, 1 WD Raptor 74 SATA HD, 1 PATA 250 gig WD HD, ATI 8500 PRO, Optical drives.

1 Antec True Control 550.

Running since the day after Christmas.

Unit runs 100% CPU usage 24/7 doing distributed computing and has become my main computer used for just about everything. Never a glitch.
 
OCZ 520 Watt PSU is the best power supply I have ever owned.

It seamed no matter what PSU I researched there was always someone to say it was good or bad, so I just went with the OCZ 520 Watt PSU and it fixed my computer freezing problems.

I am running a MSI Neo2 Platinum, AMD 64 3500, 1 Gig RAM, 1 SATA HD, 1 Ultra ATA 133 HD, BFG GeForce 6800 GT OC, DVD+RW.

OCZ in my opinion is one of the best PSUs in its price range

Do you work for OCZ AdamMT1618?
 
I still hold no judgement for or against the OCZ PSU's, but that generally means I avoid them.

I'll stick with Antec and PCP&C.
 
i wouldn't call it a scandal yet, perhaps just an incompatibility issue or a bad cap shipment or something....

But something is def. going on
 
computerpro3 said:
i wouldn't call it a scandal yet, perhaps just an incompatibility issue or a bad cap shipment or something....

But something is def. going on

a conclusion that both computerpro3 and I came to before we started this thread (he asked)
investigation I think is warranted, see if we can locate a common trend


category_five said:
Do you work for OCZ AdamMT1618?

and I thought I knew all the secret OCZ reps :p

so far this is easily explainable as a statistical anomaly
but the shared mobo is somewhat indicative, thus this thread ;)

we are interested with anyone that has this combo and if you do, what the full config is, UPS ect

thanx
 
larrymoencurly said:
Tom's said that Tagens, also made by Topower, failed a lot in their comparison of Intel vs. AMD CPUs.

It's ePower if I remember right, but this is correct, OCZ don't make their PSU's in house, they subcontract them out to ePower/Tagan. Take a look at the ePower Cheetah or Jaguar, you'll see a striking similarity to the OCZ units, and I think the amp ratings for OCZ units of the same wattage are the same across the board.
 
actually larrymoencurly is correct, epower is another rebrander
Topower makes both, and further they are both P6 series Topower supplies'
I have that direct from an OCZ rep

the Powerstreams have a few of the standard Topower options
and possibly some non-standard upgrades
(there is a decrepancy between the powerstreams claimed specs and the published specs for the P6 series)




who makes the Modstream is still unknown, though Topower is certainly a suspect
and a good one considering the similarities

http://www.dansdata.com/top686p6.htm
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article173-page1.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article208-page1.html
 
From browsing posts both on the [H] and other forums it seems to be a trend that;

1-the MSI board is indeed very popular.

2-If accurate the configurations listed with those boards seem to be pretty well loaded, not to mention over clocked.

Many mentioned having a problem on re-boot. Especially warm reboot. Warm components will draw more current. A warm PSU has less current to deliver.

In contrast a computer in a very cold room will draw even more current to start the drives moving, but the PSU should be at it’s prime in those cases.

Either way “Start up” seemed to be a common thread in most of what I have read.

Just some thoughts for the collective (hive) to think about.
 
BillR said:
Just some thoughts for the collective (hive) to think about.

you callin me a queen?
wtf33.gif



:p :p :p
 
interesting thread here -- The question I have, what are the general feelings about the OCZ Modstream? This one in particular: http://directron.com/ocz45012u.html


I have an MSI K8N Neo2, 9800Pro, 5hdds, and a DVD burner. After reading this thread I'm worried if i should spend the extra 30 bucks and buy an Antec Neo.

I want something at least 450W, modular, and it would be REALLY nice if it was sleeved.

Thanks
jeff
 
wow....i am scared....maybe i shouldn't order a powerstream520w after all..... i got 80 bucks now....stilll saving......hmmmm antec neopower 480 looks pretty damn good right now...hehe

and gosh...first page of google... lots of popping and dead pc's hehe
 
after dealing with as many dead psu's as i did working for a local pc builder... (they were notified of a defective series of psu's but had sold a few thou. pc's with that psu...)

i will stick with antec or delta psu's .. i have a 400watt antec running a case with 6 fans, 7 hdd's and 2 burners! also has 3 CCFL lights.. im very pleased with antec, and have heard nothing but good from them!
 
THis kind of worries me.... I have an ocz powerstream 520w running with the msi motherboard. It seems to be workign well right now, but I haven't tried overclocking yet. Should I try and sell/return it and pick something else up?
 
poopy said:

Since both products came into wide use at the same time his statement that it seems to be a problem with the motherboard power supply issue seems pretty bold.

I’d say we need more evidence.

If it were the motherboard I would think we would see more issues with other less then “up to spec” PSU’s as well.
 
strange observation (i'm a sort-of power supply designer that's doped high on Neo Citran right now, so this might make absolutely no sense)

- OCZ powerstream supplies are dual rail, afaik
- The MSI mobo has an inductor directly after the ATX12V connector, with no capacitance before it. Most other brands I see (Asus, my Soltek, etc) have a capacitor directly after the connector.

This is a bad move on the part of MSI - it means switching noise from the VRM can travel up the ATX cable into the OCZ, and it's being shunted in the output capacitance of the OCZ. This is a recipe for EMI (which the +12V cable is likely radiating a ton of) and it has the potential to wreak havoc on the OCZ's control loop for that 12V rail.

And wether the inductive load presented by the motherboard falls within acceptable limits of the OCZ's control loop, is unknown. Who knows, the thing could go completely unstable and go bang, if the power supply wasn't designed to handle a weird load impedance which the motherboard could be presenting.

I'm just rambling (i'd need to bring a Neo2 and an OCZ into work to know for sure what the problem is) but it's issues like these that lead to compatibility issues, which lead to dead power supplies and other dead hardware. The ATX 2.01 specification only specifies a maximum capacitance that a supply should be stable into, but doesn't give any sort of transient response / load impedance / etc specifications, which it should. It needs to be more detailed, or I'm sure we'll end up seeing more power supplies blowing up even more things...
 
well the 470 and the 520 are single rail ATX12V v1.3s
the 600 watt was their entry into the ATX12V v2.0 dual rail field
but your little ramble as always has sent me off to research some more :p

looks like yet another learning curve to tackle ;)
 
hey czar, got any webspace I can host a file on?

I'm writing up a "silver box howto", describing the inner workings of PC power supplies and how to tell wether one sucks or not. It'll probably be in PDF form.
 
gee said:
hey czar, got any webspace I can host a file on?

I'm writing up a "silver box howto", describing the inner workings of PC power supplies and how to tell wether one sucks or not. It'll probably be in PDF form.

1. Id be happy to recode it for a sticky
2. I can get it hosted on these servers most likely
3. If not I'll find some damn place to :p
 
Ice, YGPM, and feel free to send that link/info to computerpro and gee for use hosting anything for the PSU forum
 
I just switched from a Antec True Control 550w to a OCZ 600w Powerstream two days ago. Specs are in my sig. The system runs off a Isotel surge suppresser. A UPS is one of my next buys. Only complaint so far is the cables are to short.
 
Ice Czar said:
1. Id be happy to recode it for a sticky
2. I can get it hosted on these servers most likely
3. If not I'll find some damn place to :p
ok, thanks.

I'm quite busy right now between work and life, hopefully I'll have it done soon.
 
Vertigo Acid said:
Ice, YGPM, and feel free to send that link/info to computerpro and gee for use hosting anything for the PSU forum

thankyou

gee whenever your ready #3 is done thanks to Vertigo Acid
I'll give #1 top priority and once I have something in hand can hit up Kyle for #2

(I like redundancy :p )
 
gregr said:
THis kind of worries me.... I have an ocz powerstream 520w running with the msi motherboard. It seems to be workign well right now, but I haven't tried overclocking yet. Should I try and sell/return it and pick something else up?

I have an MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum and an OCZ PowerStream 520w right now and i have had no issues with it whatsoever.

There is going to be a certain failure rate with any popular power supply and the OCZ PowerStream 520w is one of THE most popular power supplies on the market for the moment. Its the reason why its never in stock and its the reason why it got so many editors choice awards for best power supply of 2004.

Anandtech uses one in all of their reviews and they do ALOT of them using alot of different components and boards. So do alot of other review sites because OCZ sent out quite a few of these puppies.

Unless your having some form of an issue that you can directly relate to the power supply then i wouldn't even consider returning this beast.

Tagan power supplies (manufactured by Topower as well) are some of the best out there and they are extremely popular in Europe especially and while they are top quality i've also heard that they can be a little spotty in the sence that you may get a bad one now and then.

This has to do with poor quality control instead of actual quality of the product itself. The bad ones dont get weeded out as often as they should.

Thousands of these PowerStreams have been sold. Only a handful of people have had an issue and by the time you factor in user error and other things that can go wrong then the failure rate is pretty low.

If anything i'd put the blame on MSI for issues with the PowerStream and the K8N Neo's.

Do a search for Antec power supplies and you'll get the same kind of negative feedback from a handful of users out of thousands.

PC Power and Cooling has very high quality PSU's but another reason their failure rate is so low is because there are so few in use in comparson to other brands.
 
burningrave101 said:
I have an MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum and an OCZ PowerStream 520w right now and i have had no issues with it whatsoever.

There is going to be a certain failure rate with any popular power supply and the OCZ PowerStream 520w is one of THE most popular power supplies on the market for the moment. Its the reason why its never in stock and its the reason why it got so many editors choice awards for best power supply of 2004.

Anandtech uses one in all of their reviews and they do ALOT of them using alot of different components and boards. So do alot of other review sites because OCZ sent out quite a few of these puppies.

Unless your having some form of an issue that you can directly relate to the power supply then i wouldn't even consider returning this beast.

Tagan power supplies (manufactured by Topower as well) are some of the best out there and they are extremely popular in Europe especially and while they are top quality i've also heard that they can be a little spotty in the sence that you may get a bad one now and then.

This has to do with poor quality control instead of actual quality of the product itself. The bad ones dont get weeded out as often as they should.

Thousands of these PowerStreams have been sold. Only a handful of people have had an issue and by the time you factor in user error and other things that can go wrong then the failure rate is pretty low.

If anything i'd put the blame on MSI for issues with the PowerStream and the K8N Neo's.

Do a search for Antec power supplies and you'll get the same kind of negative feedback from a handful of users out of thousands.

PC Power and Cooling has very high quality PSU's but another reason their failure rate is so low is because there are so few in use in comparson to other brands.

1. You know VERY WELL that most of those "editor's choice" awards are meaningless, as 99% of review sites are simply NOT equipped to do a psu review.

2. Some TAgan psu's are good, such as the ones I linked in the psu thread. However, there is no issue with simply getting a "bad one every now and then", they are OUTLAWED for unsafe qualities in some countries. So don't use Tagan to justify your claims.

3. Agreed. Don't return it yet as there is still no PROVEN issue with it and the MSI.

4. A hell of a lot more than a handful of people are having problems, I found over 30 dead psu's on the first page of google.

5. No, the failure rate is not as low in comparison to fortron, pcp&c, or even the antec neopower. And ALL THREE of those companies at least match the total shipping units of the OCZ.

6. For your unproven claims about the relative anonymity and un-use of the pcp&c's, consider this:

Pc Power and Cooling has been in business since 1985 producing power supplies. They are also made by Zippy and some parts by the FSP group. They also have the Dell contract. I will paypal you a million dollars if you can back up your claim that OCZ has shipped more tha pcp&c. :)

7. What exactly is the difference between poor quality control and lots of poor quality psu's being shipped? Please explain, because to me, the consumer, I don't really care WHY the psu died and took out my $3000, I want a psu that works. Whether it is poor quality control or defective units, what exactly does it matter?

You contradict yourself so much when you argue, pointing the finger at OCZ's quality control, than MSI, then saying a problem doesn't exist at all. It's almost difficult repealing your baseless opinions because your statements go in several different directions. At least pick one thing and stick with it.


However I am not going to turn this into a pcp&c vs OCZ thread, for one because it's pretty obvious which company will win ;) , and two, because you know what will happen between me and you pertaining to the quality of the thread. I don't even think I was the one that brought up pcp&c this time. So let's not take this any further, mmkay?
 
computerpro3 said:
1. You know VERY WELL that most of those "editor's choice" awards are meaningless, as 99% of review sites are simply NOT equipped to do a psu review.

2. Some TAgan psu's are good, such as the ones I linked in the psu thread. However, there is no issue with simply getting a "bad one every now and then", they are OUTLAWED for unsafe qualities in some countries. So don't use Tagan to justify your claims.

3. Agreed. Don't return it yet as there is still no PROVEN issue with it and the MSI.

4. A hell of a lot more than a handful of people are having problems, I found over 30 dead psu's on the first page of google.

5. No, the failure rate is not as low in comparison to fortron, pcp&c, or even the antec neopower. And ALL THREE of those companies at least match the total shipping units of the OCZ.

6. For your unproven claims about the relative anonymity and un-use of the pcp&c's, consider this:

Pc Power and Cooling has been in business since 1985 producing power supplies. They are also made by Zippy and some parts by the FSP group. They also have the Dell contract. I will paypal you a million dollars if you can back up your claim that OCZ has shipped more tha pcp&c. :)

7. What exactly is the difference between poor quality control and lots of poor quality psu's being shipped? Please explain, because to me, the consumer, I don't really care WHY the psu died and took out my $3000, I want a psu that works. Whether it is poor quality control or defective units, what exactly does it matter?

You contradict yourself so much when you argue, pointing the finger at OCZ's quality control, than MSI, then saying a problem doesn't exist at all. It's almost difficult repealing your baseless opinions because your statements go in several different directions. At least pick one thing and stick with it.

However I am not going to turn this into a pcp&c vs OCZ thread, for one because it's pretty obvious which company will win ;) , and two, because you know what will happen between me and you pertaining to the quality of the thread. I don't even think I was the one that brought up pcp&c this time. So let's not take this any further, mmkay?

2. I was just having a discussion with someone on another forum the other day about Tagan power supplies and the fact that they were top quality but a few people had been having issues with them failing randomly. Something like that leads me to believe it would be same circumstance with the PowerStreams regarding the fact both are manufactured by Topower.

4. There could of been an issue with a shipment of them. 30 dead power supplies out of thousands of satisfied customers doesn't mean much. I bet there are 30 Antec and Enermax PSU's that die on a weekly basis across just the United States.

5. How can you establish that fact? Do you have any actual numbers to support that idea? Most people dont even know about the quality of Fortron power supplies and few pay the premium for an overpriced PC Power and Cooling unit. The OCZ 520w PowerStream has went out of stock on every sites its been on within a matter of hours most of the time when new shipments come in. It was one of the most advertised PSU's of 2004 and continues to be in 2005.

6. Topower has been in business since 1986.

7. It matters in the sense that a working unit is top quality and one of the best power supplies on the market at the moment while a defective unit is one that should of been tested and screened out. A defective unit doesn't lower the quality of a product itself, only the effectiveness of the quality control to make sure all the units are in proper working order.

I wasn't pointing a finger at OCZ quality control, i was pointing it at Topower because i've seen this same problem being talked about with random failures with Tagan PSU's.

If the issues are all primarily related to MSI boards then there could also been an issue there instead.

And i never said there wasn't an issue at all other then the fact that i think the issues are isolated and not a major problem with a large percentage of PowerStreams. Most of the issues you have stated regarded the PowerStreams could be nothing more then user error.

You have no idea what the issue could be any more then i do and the only thing we can do is speculate. And that is exactly what i was doing.

I never tried to turn this into a PCP&C vs OCZ thread. I only stated that in comparison to other brands the PC Power and Cooling units sell in far fewer numbers for custom built machines.

Do a search for Antec or Enermax or another name brand PSU thats popular in the same manner you did the OCZ PowerStream and see if you dont get the same kind of results. I just did it for Antec and i found alot more then 30 lol.
 
:group hug: can't we all just get along?

This thread is more about investigating *emperical evidence* pertaining to prevalent issues between the MSI Neo mobos and OCZ Powerstream PSUs than opinionated debate.

It's not just an issue about dying powerstreams; we expect PSUs from all manufacturers to die in certain numbers, no doubt, we even see an occasional dead Turbo-cool around these parts sometimes. I think the difference that you aren't getting is that we are seeing a trend that is not evident between other mobo/psu combos.
 
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=45896&highlight=antec+neo2

I think its just an issue with the MSI K8N Neo2. Do a search on Google for the Neo2 and PSU failure and you'll find all different brands of power supplies.

The Neo2 is one of the most popular motherboards out there and was deemed the fastest s939 board on the market in 2004 so i'm sure there were thousands sold.

The failure rate for an OCZ PowerStream is no greater then any other name brand PSU and until i see some actual percentile numbers that show otherwise then that fact will remain.

BTW, while were on the subject of OCZ vs PC Power and Cooling i would just like to say while i also feel a PC Power and Cooling PSU is the best, i dont think its THAT much better to warrant its price tag.

Here are a few of my reasons why...

1.) The OCZ 520w PowerStream is cheaper. I got mine from Directron for $125 shipped while a PC Power and Cooling 510w is around $200 or more.

2.) The OCZ PowerStream has better aethetics then the TurboCool. It has a beautiful mirror finish and an LED fan.

3.) The OCZ PowerStream has better functionality in the sence that you have easily adjustable rails through the pots on the back of the PSU with LED indicators. The TurboCool's pots are within the PSU casing.

4.) The OCZ PowerStream is dead silent compaired to a TurboCool 510w. I can't hear mine running at all and its rated for around 23dBa at near full load.

5.) An OCZ PowerStream 520w will provide MORE then enough power for most any system you go to install it in. It would take a pretty uber system to bring a PowerStream 520w to its knees.

And lets not forget the guy that reviewed an OCZ PowerStream 520w here a while back and said it performed better then his TurboCool 510w ;).
 
That comparison total side-steps issues such as voltage regulation (1% vs 3%), ripple (10mv vs who knows how much), transient response, and the ability to handle a varying AC input and keep on chugging. All of those add to the stability of a system, something that is very important to me. It's definitly been worth the extra $90 or so I spent. But to each his own
 
burningrave101 said:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=45896&highlight=antec+neo2

I think its just an issue with the MSI K8N Neo2. Do a search on Google for the Neo2 and PSU failure and you'll find all different brands of power supplies.

The Neo2 is one of the most popular motherboards out there and was deemed the fastest s939 board on the market in 2004 so i'm sure there were thousands sold.

The failure rate for an OCZ PowerStream is no greater then any other name brand PSU and until i see some actual percentile numbers that show otherwise then that fact will remain.

BTW, while were on the subject of OCZ vs PC Power and Cooling i would just like to say while i also feel a PC Power and Cooling PSU is the best, i dont think its THAT much better to warrant its price tag.

Here are a few of my reasons why...

1.) The OCZ 520w PowerStream is cheaper. I got mine from Directron for $125 shipped while a PC Power and Cooling 510w is around $200 or more.

2.) The OCZ PowerStream has better aethetics then the TurboCool. It has a beautiful mirror finish and an LED fan.

3.) The OCZ PowerStream has better functionality in the sence that you have easily adjustable rails through the pots on the back of the PSU with LED indicators. The TurboCool's pots are within the PSU casing.

4.) The OCZ PowerStream is dead silent compaired to a TurboCool 510w. I can't hear mine running at all and its rated for around 23dBa at near full load.

5.) An OCZ PowerStream 520w will provide MORE then enough power for most any system you go to install it in. It would take a pretty uber system to bring a PowerStream 520w to its knees.

And lets not forget the guy that reviewed an OCZ PowerStream 520w here a while back and said it performed better then his TurboCool 510w ;).

I thought you weren't going to turn it into a OCZ vs. pcp&c thread?

Yet another contradiction :rolleyes:

It's amazing how every thread you walk into goes into the toilet.
 
Vertigo Acid said:
That comparison total side-steps issues such as voltage regulation (1% vs 3%), ripple (10mv vs who knows how much), transient response, and the ability to handle a varying AC input and keep on chugging. All of those add to the stability of a system, something that is very important to me. It's definitly been worth the extra $90 or so I spent. But to each his own

But do you seriously believe you could ever tell an actual difference between having the two installed? Specs on paper are great but considering these are both very high quality power supplies it would be highly unlikely your going to have issues with ither one or even another name brand PSU from someone like Antec, Enermax, Fortron, TTGI and so on.

computerpro3 said:
I thought you weren't going to turn it into a OCZ vs. pcp&c thread?

Yet another contradiction :rolleyes:

You started it by mentioning the PCP&C and OCZ debate :).
 
sure, in a normal, everyday situation. pcp&C can handle droops down to 60V thats HALF of spec. OCZ bottoms out earlier, look at the maximum pc review. OCZ would shut down, pcpC keeps on chugging. The OCZ got outclassed by neopower, and PCP&C and got a rather normal 7 verdict in the review. And for looks, imho it looks downright gaudy, I love pcp&c's "labeless" matte black look with stealth black sleeved cables. It speaks of class, not rice. And I can't hear my turbocool either so....

Oh, and can I have a link to that "guy" you mention so I can have a good laugh?
 
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