OCZ 780W ModXstream PSU

Introduction
 
The humble power supply unit (PSU) is an item of hardware that is often overlooked when specifying a new PC. Generic PSU’s are often shipped in ‘pre-built’ PC’s that while fine for the average user (if you consider low efficiency and poor reliability fine) but these PSU’s just won’t cut it at the high-end of the market. With motherboards and graphics cards demanding more and more power and at the same time increasing in value it becomes imperative that anyone building a gaming PC buys a quality powerplant to feed the power hungry components enough juice.
 
So today we are going to take a look at the latest release from OCZ’s ModXStream series of power supplies, in this case, the 780w version. Available in two flavours, 780w & 900w, the ModXStream is clearly targeted at the gamer/case modder. With its sleek black casing, modular design and 120mm ‘whisper’ quiet blue LED fan it is sure to appeal to the masses.
 
Here’s a brief run down of the specification:
 
Specification
 
Feature list
– OCZ PowerWhisper technology – low noise, load controlled 120mm fan
– Equipped to fuel the demands of Multi GPU gaming systems
– Active PFC & Universal input provides more efficient power/regulates universal input voltages worldwide
– Over Voltage Protection, Short Circuit Protection, Over Current Protection
– Features OCZ ConnectAll universal connectors including ATX12v 2.2, dual PCI Express and S-ATA cables
– Cables contained in flexible trim mesh to promote a tidy environment
– MTBF: 100,000 hours at 25c
– Four +12v outputs for stability and uniform distribution
– Efficiency 80% @ 115v(typical load) 80% @ 230v (Typical load) 
 Rails
The current on the rails certainly look very capable but these are peak outputs and should not be viewed as 24/7 outputs. Also, the 12v lines appear to give 80A combined but in actual fact, when all the rails are loaded, this figure is reduced to 60A. Still, this is more than enough to power anything but the highest spec PC and 60A on a 780w PSU is certainly impressive. The decision to use a quad rail setup instead of one large rail is and interesting one but for users with SLI/Crossfire setups this setup ensures that the power delivery is being divided equally among the innards of any gaming rig. Heavy overclockers however, may prefer a single large rail ensuring that there is as much juice as possible to power any given overclock. Â