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- Date:
- Tuesday , March 03, 2009
- Author:
- Paul Johnson
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
OCZ ModXStream Pro 700w 40C Update
We are doing something we have not done before, and that is going back and giving a "failed" PSU a second a look. Ends up that the PSU was labeled incorrectly and therefore gave us some expectations that we probably should not have had. This should also serve as a good overview of our testing expectations as well.
One More Time!
As we state in the conclusion page of every review we do here, just because a power supply fails our load testing that does not mean that the PSU in question is a "bad" unit:
HardOCP’s testing methodology is intended to very much push power supplies to their advertised wattage rating in temperatures that will represent some of the hottest computer enthusiast cases. So if a unit passes all our testing it is definitely not something to take lightly. In fact we expect more power supplies to fail our testing than make it through unscathed.
Now looking back at the Pass and Fails we have assigned to power supplies evaluated to date, we do in fact have more "failed" power supplies than "passed" PSUs. In the process we have undoubtedly "failed" a number of "good" units. Those good units that failed weren't bad they just were not up to HardOCP’s testing standards and as such we could not recommend them to you, our readers, in good conscience. To be specific, we have built our own set of testing standards that are primarily based on ATX specifications. These specifications are what we believe should be the base line for enthusiast-level power supplies. Certainly we have applied these rules to non-enthusiast power supplies as well, and certainly when we have done that we have found some gems in the rough, especially at the lower end of the PSU spectrum.
Today we are revisiting a power supply that previously failed our review process the OCZ ModXStream Pro 700w. OCZ took issue with our failing the unit. It was brought to our attention that these units were not rated at 50c as their packaging stated but rather at 40c. As such, with revised packaging in hand we thought we would give the OCZ ModXStream Pro 700w a second pass through the review process to see if the correct advertisement held up when we gave the unit a run through the wringer. Keep in mind here that we have lowered our normal 45C testing environment to 40C as is stated on the packaging now.
40C Load Testing
120v
100v
Torture Test Results
Final Thoughts
At the time we wrote the original review of the ModXStream Pro 700w, the packaging for this unit clearly advertised that the unit was rated at 50c and as such we commented on the unit's failing performance as, from what was provided to us at the time, the unit was under-performing by the manufacturers guidance not just our testing standards. However, after the unit’s failure we were informed that the unit is actually rated at 40c (not 50c) and the current packaging we have in hand does indeed now indicate this rating. So today, we have retested this unit at 40c and found that, yes, the unit is capable of full power in specification at 40c. With our original review there is no doubt a large part of our negative impression of this unit was due to the fact that we had what appeared to be a unit failing at 5c UNDER its advertised temperature NOT the reality of having a unit failing at 5c ABOVE its rated temperature.
Over the last couple of years we have gotten a number of power supplies in that were rated at 40c which have done well in our testing. Indeed some did not just do well, some of those units even won awards, such as the Seasonic S12II-500, PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750, and BFG ES-800. On the flip side though, we have also gotten in units we know were rated at 25c or 40c and those units did not pass testing since they don’t meet our standards for realistic and stressful operating temperatures.
As such, the ModXStream Pro 700w is a capable power supply at 40c, but not at 45c where we make our cutoff and there are units that do make this cutoff including OCZ's own PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750. So while the OCZ ModXStream Pro 700w did not pass our parameters it certainly belongs to the group of units that were "good," yet non-passing, as opposed to the units that were just a waste of good solder.
The Bottom Line
Obviously some PSU builders do not like our Pass/Fail standards nor do they like the associated "Fail Logo" that we deliver with the content in order to make sure our readers understand that the PSU did not meet up to HardOCP standards. That however does not mean that the power supply in question was not a "good" unit. In fact there have been units that we have talked about being of value even with our Fail Logo stamped on them. HardOCP’s PSU testing standards are in fact our testing standards and no one else’s.
Hopefully this little look back will help our readers understand that our PSU testing suite serves to ferret out the most exceptional power supplies built, not just those that are OK.
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