OCZ StealthXstream 2 600W PSU review - Specs and features

Power Efficiency

A rather big deal about the StealthXStream 2 power supplies is that they carry a 80+ certification, which relates to the currently achievable power efficiency.

High efficiency is good -- low efficiency is bad -- as simple as that. When power is drawn from your wall socket and travels into your power supply, not all of it is transformed into electricity that your computer consumes. A rather large part of that current will get lost as heat that is dissipating in the capacitors, or as leakage in circuits and other insufficiencies.

That inefficiency drives up power consumption. Say; if your computer (inner parts) typically requires 350 Watts of power, a power supply will draw more than 350W from your wall socket. Here's an example:

We can make a formula here. If you have a very half assed generic power supply with an average 70% efficiency, a 350W power draw inside the PC (350/70x100) load would mean it is drawing 500 Watts (!) of power from your wall socket. Interesting eh?

Let's do that math again with the PSU , yet this time with a 85% power efficiency (80+ certification) in mind: 350/85x100= 412 Watts. So we just saved 88 Watts over a 70% efficient product. If you have your PC powered on a lot, think about this theory and what it can save you in the long term. The higher the efficiency of your power supply, the less power leaks, the less money you have to pay. And it's good for mother nature as well.

So the StealthXStream 2 series power supply has the best rated '80 Plus' certification and that means roughly an efficiency of 85% minimum at typical load (350W in the case of the reviewed 600W model).

This PSU therefore comes with an efficiency in-between 83%~85% it could have been better though, with a GOLD classified product :)

Warranty
You'll notice it straight from looking at the box if you purchase it, the PSU has a 3 year warranty, which is really good.