OCZ Fatal1ty 700w ATX PSU

Introduction

Published: 25th February 2009 | Source: OCZ | Price: £108.09 | Author: James Napier

Introduction

Let's be honest, the Fatal1ty brand has been around the block a few times over the past few years. From XFX to ABIT, to Creative to Zalman and probably a few more I've forgotten in between, it's always been quite easy to build near on an entire PC system just from Johnathan Wendel endorsed parts. Back in July '08, OCZ jumped on the bandwagon too, introducing several DDR2 and DDR3 memory kits developed by "working closely" with the e-sports player and putting in to place yet another piece of the fully Fatal1ty system.

But OCZ were far from finished with the 12-time world champion gamer, and several months later announced the release of their Fatal1ty-branded power supplies developed in conjunction with PCP&C and Mr. Wendel himself. Obviously there's a certain irony here in that the only part of a PC system with the potential to cause serious injury or death is being labeled by OCZ as their 'Fatal1ty' series, but based on our previous experience with OCZ PSU's I wont be fearing for my life just yet! Instead, let's take a look at the specifications for the 700w model I've been sent over to put through hell on our load testing equipment:

Pros don't just play games...Pros win games!™
The OCZ Fatal1ty Champion series offers gamers stable and efficient power for their mainstream or high-end rigs. OCZ is dedicated to delivering premium power solutions, and the Fatal1ty series options are the first step to creating an exceptional system for the unique power and cabling requirements of today’s gamer.

SLI and 80-plus certified to provide rock solid power and efficiency for your high end gaming system, the 700W Fatal1ty PSU features a single +12V rail. These high-performance power supplies were co-developed by Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel, 12-time World champion, to meet the specific needs of fellow gamers. OCZ Fatal1ty Champion Series PSUs feature incredible performance to power the latest graphics and hard drives, and contribute to the success of professionals and everyday gamers.

Backed by an industry-leading 5-year warranty, OCZ strives to continue offering the best product support in the industry.

Specifications
- NVIDIA® SLI™-Ready Certified
- 700W Configurations
- OCZ PowerWhisper Technology
- 80+ Certified
- Internal 120mm fan w/ red LEDs
- 5 year warranty backed by OCZ's exclusive PowerSwap Warranty replacement program. No more endless return-for-repair loops!

Technical specifications
- 5.9in x 3.4in x 6.3in (W x H x D)
- ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V
- Overvoltage/Overcurrent/Short-Circuit protection
- Active PFC
- MTBF:100,000 hours

700W Connectors
- 1 X 20/24-pin ATX
- 1 X 8-pin (4+4-pin) CPU
- 2 X 6+2-pin (8-pin) PCI-E
- 8 X Peripheral
- 1 X Floppy

Sifting our way through the marketing spiel and having a little chuckle at how OCZ believe a PSU can "contribute to the success of professionals and everyday gamers" the Fatal1ty 700w at first glance appears to be a fairly standard unit. Cooling is provided in the form of a 120mm fan, efficiency is listed rather vaguely as "80+" and the only thing that really stands out is OCZ's "PowerSwap" 5yr warranty.

That is, until we come to the rail layout chart. As we can see from above, OCZ have seen fit to furnish the Fatal1ty with a single +12v rail rated at 56A. However, while I'd normally be telling you how good a single rail is for powering a high-end SLI/Crossfire graphics card configurations at this point, the Fatal1ty is equipped with only two PCI-E connectors, thus restricting its use to only one high-end graphics card! Hardly what I'd expected from a PSU marketed at gamers.

Most Recent Comments

25-02-2009, 15:17:15

Jim

Fantastic review.

I don't think this psu is the only one that skimps on connector types. It's obvious to see that the makers are believing u need 1jiggaW of a psu to attempt any dual card setup.

Or perhaps trying to convince the public.

I see a good selection of psus with similar specs and prices with silly shortfalls.

Yeah totally agreed. To an extent I can accept it on a ~600w PSU that might have 2-3 +12v rails, messing up any chance of SLI/Crossfire...but for a 700w unit with a single +12v rail, two PCi-E connectors is just taking the p155 a bit.

25-02-2009, 15:40:00

lasher

Nice review Jim.. good to see the new kit at work.

Some of the images of the internals i noticed they have been a bit haphazard with the glue gun. seems like its plastered all over the place.

Also the link to the forums at the end of the article seems to be broken??

Kind regards

Lasher

25-02-2009, 16:26:43

Jim

Also the link to the forums at the end of the article seems to be broken??

Cheers - fixed. For some reason it unlinked itself (maybe my old mental age)

25-02-2009, 16:37:56

Luigi

Sexy time? I've no idea what that is after almost 8 years in a relationship.

*wonders where the kids came from*..

Nice review matey, I really don't like the way companies use the fatality branding on stuff to make it appeal, but the PSU seems pretty good so I can forgive.

25-02-2009, 16:47:37

DavidT

Awesome review :) Seems that SunMoon was well worth it.

I can't help but feel that this Fatal1ty stuff is being strung out way too long now though. The red LED's are sexy and all, but what could he honestly have helped with during the development of this PSU, besides pointing out where his logo should go? It's all marketing fluff tbh. It is decently priced though.

Another small typo btw:

Obviously there's a certain irony here in that the only part of a PC system with the potentially cause serious injury or death

Should be either "with the potential to" or "which can potentially".

25-02-2009, 19:18:27

HypoglossalXII

Why does it carry the SLI-Certified tag when it doesn't have sufficient cables?

-HypoG

25-02-2009, 19:27:27

nepas

It has 2 X 6+2-pin (8-pin) PCI-E cables so it is SLI capable,but not with high end cards

25-02-2009, 23:20:49

Bungral

You mean like you Jimbo?? Blowing yourself up the other night :D:p

Do my eyes deceive me...Is that three adjustable pots sitting around looking sexy on that daughterboard there? Yes, yes it is. I'm not 100% sure if these are for fine tuning rail voltages, or just for making adjustment to the fan speed - as the board does actually double-up as the fan controller, but if you're into poking around inside PSU's with a screwdriver only milimetres away from the mains EMI filter, why not let me know!

26-02-2009, 10:16:49

Jim

You mean like you Jimbo?? Blowing yourself up the other night :D:p

*AHEM* Shhhhhhh....

Being a PSU reviewer I always take the necessary precautions to ensure my safety :p

26-02-2009, 19:35:24

Bungral

Oh yeah of course!

I'm just waiting for the review that says "I don't know what happened.. I was testing away and suddenly it just blew up for no apparent reason, must be a manufacturing problem" with a picture of you with a full sooty face and charred clothes poking a fork in the plug socket to try and lever the plug out.