Are OCZ reliable?

[SevenVirtues]

I've seen you guys recommend several PSU brands, but I haven't seen anyone mention anything about OCZ, good or bad.

I need a relatively cheap PSU as I'm on a budget, and I'm spending a sizeable chunk of my budget on my GPU.

Oh and I also need a quiet case, with good cooling and plenty of room (I'm open to full towers). If someone could recommend one of those while you're at it I'd appreciate it.

 

[jsc]

OCZ - good memory; so-so power supplies, depending on the model.

For cases, look at CoolerMaster.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

+1 what jsc said.

Technical reviews clearly indicate that the quality of OCZ power supplies vary. The quality of OCZ power supplies is inconsistant. Some are good. Some are adequate. Some are not so good.

Corsair and Seasonic are two brands that have a reputation for high quality power supplies that consistently earn high marks in technical reviews. They are reliable, stable, and come with a 5 year warranty. Some of the newer models come with a 7 year warranty. Lately we've been seeing a few other brands offering some high quality units. One example would be the Antec Earthwatts and Antec TruePower New models which are a major improvement over Antec’s older psu’s like the Basiq models.

Take a look and the Lian Li / Lancool Dragon Lord cases. They come in a variety of configurations and prices. Technical reviews are very favorable. Ventilation, airflow, and cooling are excellent.

http://www.lancoolpc.com/en/produc [...] s_index=62

mwave.com has the lowest prices in the USA:

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/deepsea [...] &ALL=y&TP=

 

[Henry Chinaski]

OCZ is not a PSU manufacturer. Therefore, the quality of each PSU depends on the model.

For example, the OCZ StealthXStream 500 W, and the 600W model, have been manufactured by FSP, and their quality is a worse than the OCZ StealthXStream 400 W, which has been made by CWT. This OCZ StealthXStream 400W is one of the best entry-level power supply in the market (high efficiency of up to 85%, voltages very close to their nominal values (below 3% margin, while ATX spec allows up to 5%) and amazingly low noise and ripple levels). However, I could not say the same for the other two models.

 

[SevenVirtues]

Thanks for the replies guys, I'll keep looking and post again if I need advice.

 

[rwayne]

I have had an OCZ 700 Watt Power supply since March of 2006 and it has held up fine over these past 4 years. Still running good. Zero problems. It looks nice and all of the cables are sleeved.

When I built my PC in 2006 I had 4 rebates coming back to me on the components I purchased. I mailed all 4 out on the same day.

OCZ was the first one to send me a rebate check. (Thank you OCZ)
MSI was 2nd a few days later (Their customer service is excellent BTW)
And dreadfully last was Sapphire which was PATHETIC!. They said they would deliver my check in 12-14 weeks and I had to contact them back after week 15. They claimed it got lost in the mail which is a bunch of BULL. Back in the 70s and 80s that may had been a half way legitimate excuse when everything was done manually but now with all of the high tech scanners and tracking that the US Postal Service uses I don't see how anything could get lost. I eventually got my money from Sapphire but I had to keep on them and set reminders up in my calendar.

 

[Starges]

What about Cooler Master psus, i've also heard some mixed reviews about them. I think some of their serieses like GX and Silent Pro are actually very good. You agree??

 

[jsc]

CM has produced so much junk over the years that I'm not going to trust them. I have three Corsairs and three Antecs. My 400 watt Antec is 7 years old.

One of my discriminators is the specification "Full rated power at 50 C." Not many brands do that.