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OCZ Powerstream or Modstream?

D

DaLurker

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Sep 23, 2000
Messages
1,681
Just wondering, which powersupply out of the two are better? I can get a 420watt, either Powerstream or Modstream for about the same price. I would prefer something slightly more powerful :)

Also, is the powerstream ATX 2.0 certified? Will it handle a AMD64 system down the road?
 
Powerstream is considered better
now actual data to back that up....

:p

It would have less resistence
has externally adjustable pots (use a DMM not the LEDs)
as to any difference in AC Ripple, Load Regulation or Line Regulation
all rumour

both are based off Topower P6 Series supplies
and exceed basic spec


http://www.dansdata.com/top686p6.htm
http://www.topower.com.tw/home/power_supply_atx12v.htm
http://www.topower.com.tw/home/product_option.htm
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article173-page1.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article208-page1.html
 
Ice Czar said:
both are based off Topower P6 Series supplies
and exceed basic spec
Click to expand...
Are you sure? Comparing the spec sheet on the Topower P5 and the Modstreams nets a very similar result.
 
Ice Czar said:
Powerstream is considered better
now actual data to back that up....

:p

It would have less resistence
has externally adjustable pots (use a DMM not the LEDs)
as to any difference in AC Ripple, Load Regulation or Line Regulation
all rumour

both are based off Topower P6 Series supplies
and exceed basic spec


http://www.dansdata.com/top686p6.htm
http://www.topower.com.tw/home/power_supply_atx12v.htm
http://www.topower.com.tw/home/product_option.htm
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article173-page1.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article208-page1.html
Click to expand...


I wish that data that backed things up actually contained data. I LOVE SilentPCReview... Don't get me wrong. But what IS 470W? How much of that is on the 12V? How much on the 5V? That's what really got me with TrustedReview's review. They're blowing up power supplies and not even telling you what they had the tester set to!

Here's my experience w/ the 520ADJ so far: http://www.jonnyguru.com/powerstream/

Now, I may have gotten a bad unit. In fact, I'm almost CONVINCED of that because my ModStream performed way better than the PowerStream under load. That very idea blows my mind because the PowerStream is so much LARGER inside.

But then again....

The PowerStream ran hotter and was louder than the ModStream. This might actually be a window to it's "problem." Regardless of how many VR's you have, the power supply is still only going to produce so much DC (Wattage) on the back end of the 3.3V, 5V, 12V, etc. regulation, but as you have more and more MOSFET's (the OCZ has six completely seperate transistors. One for each rail as opposed to the usual 4 or 5 or six that actually step down already stepped down voltage like the infamous "3.3V + 5V combined.") you're producing more and more heat, so you need bigger heatsinks and fans that move more air to move them.

So Cliff notes: The PCB is bigger because there are more, larger MOSFET's and then larger heatsinks to cool them and then higher RPM fans to cool those heatsinks and all and all there's still only so much wattage available to those MOSFET's which, although the seperate rails make for CLEANER power, still allows the rails to completely interact with each other.

That said, I would venture to guess that the 600ADJ might be a completely different animal because it's dual rail. From what I understand, two 12V rails, even if the end result is the same total combined amperage, runs cooler than one big one. So the 600ADJ has more MOSFET's, but the two that are the least efficient and produce the most heat are replaced with two smaller units.

I guess I'll have to see if I can get a 600ADJ to play with! :)

But until I can get my 520ADJ replaced or at least some answers out of OCZ, I'm going to say that the ModStream is a very quiet and cool running power supply that is TOTALLY capable of producing more power than you'll need. ;)
 
oh I agree wholeheartedly I hope that Oleg Artamonov's crossload methodology sees wider adoption than just his site.

Right now I have a very short list of relevant reviewers
Oleg above at Xbit
Mike Chin at SPCR
Lee Garbutt at overclockers, systemcooling and amdmb
and you at SLCentral :p

which I plugged yesterday as the new "weekend guy" newsposter for [H]ardocp ;)

at least the four of you are actually testing more than just a static config
Oleg has a decent crossload profile up for the old discontinued OCZ Powerstream 470


_Korruption_ said:
Are you sure? Comparing the spec sheet on the Topower P5 and the Modstreams nets a very similar result.
Click to expand...

well I have it from the horses mouth regrading the Powerstreams, and Ive attributed the Modstreams to the P6 series because of the physical similarities of components based on Mike's Pics and the displayed load regulation in his tests which was in the 2% range and (very) narrowly edged out the Neopower he tested
 
But by the looks from his graph that while the PSU is at 28A on the 12V rail, the 5V is at 24A. I wonder what the 470 does if the 5V is over 24A.

Keep in mind that the label is 33A on the 12V and 34A on the 5V. ;)

I do agree that his graphing represents realistic load balancing.....

....and everyone has to realize that my three tests are a simulation of three builds with worst case scenario and the full load test is just to see if the manufacturer is full of shit. ;)
 
jonnyGURU said:
Here's my experience w/ the 520ADJ so far: http://www.jonnyguru.com/powerstream/

Now, I may have gotten a bad unit. In fact, I'm almost CONVINCED of that because my ModStream performed way better than the PowerStream under load.
Click to expand...

Interesting results thus far... they seem to suggest (at least to me anyway), that Oleg's odd results of the 520w and its fluctuating regulation on the 5v rail at Xbit may not be an isolated incident. We might be witnessing a design flaw here... the 470w did ok at Xbit.

I don't think the Modstreams are P6 based... Topower has quite a few models that resemble each other.
 
Oklahoma Wolf!!!! OMG! Is that you!??!?!



Just kidding. ;-)
 
From X-bit Labs:

...when the load on the +5V rail became very high and on the +12V rail very low, it's regulator would lose stability, changing output voltages in a leap.
Click to expand...
I guess my findings aren't unusual after-all. I'm sure my 5V would never exceed my 12V. As Oleg states: "...it is rather hard to distribute the load in such a way in a real computer system..."

But I hate being fed bunk, so I'm pissed at OCZ. ;)
 
jonnyGURU said:
Oklahoma Wolf!!!! OMG! Is that you!??!?!
Click to expand...


LOL I managed to lure him to our little garden party here :p
there arent all that many dedicated PSU forums


so are we venturing any guesses on what the Modstream is based off of?

TOP.jpg

(Photo Mike Chin SPCR hosted independently)

certainly looks like a Topower
 
It definitely is a Topower, but it's too different of an animal compared to the P6, at least that's what it looks like.
 
ahh but its performance when tested by Mike exceeded the basic specs of the P5 series
http://www.topower.com.tw/home/power_supply_atx12v.htm
(simple v1.3 compliance of 5%) of course it simply might not have been pushed hard enough

and the P5 series looks like this

vantec.jpg

(Photo Mike Chin SPCR hosted independently)

which is a Vantec Stealth


hmmmm, it does look an awful lot like a P5 hybrid of some sort now that I put those up together
 
Ice Czar said:
so are we venturing any guesses on what the Modstream is based off of?
Click to expand...

My best guess is the Topower XP line, but Topower has so many different models out there it could be modified versions of a few models.
 
I was thinking P6 because of the stoopidly high 5V rail (that you can't really use.) ;)
 
The XP's are like that too when you get up to the higher power levels. Seems like something common to most Topower lines now that I think about it. The difference between the XP 500w and 600w is 9A at 5v and 4A at 12v.
 
preserving backward compatibility for older servers and the likes would be my guess
(from the Topower point of view of basic series suitability, they all are v1.3s after all)

jonnyGURU said:
You're welcome to use my photos too. ;)
Click to expand...

thanks for the official permission (they always get hosted seperately)

we need to get you an oscilloscpe so you can answer one of the remaining OCZ Powerstream conundrums
is the 1% AC Ripple spec just for the leads w\ the caps and ferrite cores or for the supply as a whole ;)
 
jonnyGURU said:
Oklahoma Wolf!!!! OMG! Is that you!??!?!

Just kidding. ;-)
Click to expand...
JonnyGURU!!! OMG! Is that you???

(chuckle)

Sorry, had to repeat it. Haven't seen you in awhile, not since I regularly perused SLCentral. And of course, I miss your rants and all (remembering when I did the same kind of tech-work, right around the time you posted those I think).
 
Ice Czar said:
preserving backward compatibility for older servers and the likes would be my guess
(from the Topower point of view of basic series suitability, they all are v1.3s after all)
Click to expand...

/rant mode

Yeah.. Nothing wrong with backwards compatibility, but even an old off-the-shelf dual proc (say PIII), 4 SCSI drive, with five fans server only typically comes with a 300W power supply with 30A on the 5V. Some of these 5V ratings are nuts. And then companies like Antec negates the whole "backwards compatibility" theory by doing something like NOT including the -5V lead to the motherboard. :confused: Ok, Antec... So is it backwards compatible or not?

In the past, 5V rails would be high because 3.3V, 5VSB and -5V would all regulate off of that one 5V rail, but the max load you'd put on all of those rails is about 40W out of the 150 or more available? But now you've got power supplies that have "independent rails," which means that the 5V isn't being regulated past just being a 5V rail.

My best guess is that it's just dirt cheap to get MOSFET's that can regulate 5V all of the way up to 30A, 40A or even 50A. And then average users don't know that they're getting the shaft because all they see is "500W" or "600W." :(
 
LoneWolf said:
JonnyGURU!!! OMG! Is that you???

(chuckle)

Sorry, had to repeat it. Haven't seen you in awhile, not since I regularly perused SLCentral. And of course, I miss your rants and all (remembering when I did the same kind of tech-work, right around the time you posted those I think).
Click to expand...

I made the connection with Oklahoma Wolf and OCForums when I used to post over there. Once I saw his avatar, it clicked.

I remember when you posted at SLCentral, LoneWolf. Good to see you around these parts too! :)
 
jonnyGURU said:
And then companies like Antec negates the whole "backwards compatibility" theory by doing something like NOT including the -5V lead to the motherboard. :confused: Ok, Antec... So is it backwards compatible or not?
Click to expand...
The -5V rail was removed from the ATX12V spec when we hit v2.0, as far as I know.
 
_Korruption_ said:
The -5V rail was removed from the ATX12V spec when we hit v2.0, as far as I know.
Click to expand...

That is correct. Which is my whole point...

Why make a power supply 100% ATX12V compliant and make it NOT backwards compatible by removing the -5V lead and then make it backwards compatible by giving it a huge 5V rail. See the oxymoron?

That's like selling the PC with the floppy drive installed to make it backwards compatible with older removable media and then installing a motherboard without a floppy controller! :p
 
well Antec actually did that

only they call it the Phantom :p

(when I said servers I was thinking dually PIII 1.3GHzs and gobs of SCSI controllers)
but your preachin to the choir in here :p
 
Ice Czar said:
well Antec actually did that

only they call it the Phantom :p
Click to expand...

They call it the Phantom, the NeoPower and the TruePower 2.0. Waste of a good wattage rating INMHO. They ALL have high 5V and they ALL are missing the -5V.

At least Topower's are somewhat backwards compatible by having a -5V even on ATX12V power supplies, but they still have more 5V then you would ever need.

Ok.. I'm going to stir some shit up now....

ModStream 520 > PowerStream 420ADJ > PowerStream 520ADJ (in terms of price:performance and rail stability.) Give me a sec to put the flame suit on.....
 
_Korruption_ said:
Where's the Modstream 450 in there?
Click to expand...

Can't say. I tend not to comment on things I haven't used.

Keeps me out of trouble. ;)
 
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