1. Features, specifications
Earlier this year OCZ Technology introduced the Fatal1ty 1000 Watt power supply, a high-performance PSU targeted at gamers and enthusiasts seeking for maximum wattage, and a modular cabling configuration. As it names suggests, the PSU was co-developed with world champion Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel to meet the needs of fellow gamers in performance.
The PSU is featuring individually-sleeved modular cables to eliminate unnecessary wire clutter for a cleaner overall presentation and better airflow in high end systems that are packed with components.
It is combining a single +12V rail and high-quality components and promises to offer a continuous output at a 50°C ambient temperature, as it uses Japanese 105°C capacitors along with protection circuitries for reliability and stability. Key features include a temperature and load controlled 140mm double ball-bearing fan with red LEDs, well-regulated electrical noise and ripple, and 80 Plus Gold certification with up to 90% efficiency at typical loads.
The Fatal1ty Series offers a complete array of connectors including detachable CPU, and multiple PCIe, SATA, and peripheral cables. It also provides universal input and active PFC (Power Factor Correction) to regulate input voltage and maintain a stable supply of power in an ATX form factor to accommodate virtually all computer towers.
Newegg had the best price for the specific PSU at the time of writing this article, as the unit is listed for $230.
- Features
- Continuous 1000W output at 50°C
- Built with 100% Japanese low ESR 105°C capacitors
- Single +12V rail
- Temperature and load controlled 140mm double ball-bearing fan with Red LED
- 80-Plus Gold certified for up to 90% efficiency (typical load)
- Individually sleeved modular cables
- Active Power Factor Correction (PFC)
- ErP compliant for low power usage in standby
- Heavy-duty protection circuitry
- Dimensions: 150mm(W) x 86mm(H) x 180mm(L)
- MTBF: 100,000 Hours
- 5-Year Warranty
Connectors
- 1 x 20+4-pin ATX
- 2 x 4+4-pin ESP/12V CPU
- 6 x 6+2-pin PCIe
- 8 x 4-pin Peripheral
- 12 x 5-pin SATA
- 2 x Floppy
Part Numbers
- USA: OCZ-FTY1000W
- Europe: OCZ-FTY1000W-EU
- United Kingdom: OCZ-FTY1000W-UK
- China: OCZ-FTY1000W-CN
- Australia: OCZ-FTY1000W-AU
- No Power Cord: OCZ-FTY1000W-NP
2. Package, device details
In keeping with OCZ's Fatal1ty packaging theme, the PSU's big box is colored in black and red, with Wendel's visage on the front. The 80PLUS Gold certification is also prominently displayed.
One side of the box also gives the cable and connector availability list:
The back of the box lists the basic features of the PSU, some technical specs and the I/O specs for the unit.
Inside the box is a generous accessory package, with the modular cables stored in a black separate bag, along with an Instruction manual, AC power cord, black mounting screws, and some black plastic zip ties. Everything is well packaged and secured in dense foam.
The Fatal1ty 1000W is coated in a dark lightly textured finish, making it resistant to fingerprints and scratches. There's plenty of stickers along the sides of the unit as well. OCZ has also rounded the edges of the device for convenient handling while installing it.
As we previously mentioned the PSU is not entirely modular, and some essential are already plugged into the the PSU. The cables are individually-sleeved, in an innovative approach for OCZ. The sleeving on the individual cables looks solid and prove the high-quality standards of this PSU.
The PSU offers a total of 10 modular connections, which should be enough to make full use of the available wattage:
The back has a standard honeycomb mesh vent with AC input and on/off switch:
The bottom side includes a standard 140mm LED fan that provides the airflow to keep the power supply cool. The light emitted from the fan casts a red glow in your PC case and your room, especially when lights are off..
The power supply utilizes a single 12V rail design to deliver most of the power for the unit - 83A/996W. The 3.3V and 5V rails are capable of 25A each with a combined maximum output of 150W. The 5VSB is also rated high at 4A/20W. The maximum combined output of the OCZ 1000W Fatal1ty Series is 1000 watts:
The unit comes with the 20+4 pin Main, one ATX 4+4 and two 8-pin PCI-E connectors wired to the unit (not modular). Ten modular cables offer the other 4x PCI-E connectors, 12x SATA connectors and 8x 4-pin peripheral (Molex) connectors. Two Molex to FDD adapters are also included:
| Connectors |
Length |
# |
| ATX 20+4-pin |
58.5cm |
x1 |
| 4+4-pin ESP/12V CPU |
64cm |
x2 |
| 6+2-pin PCIe |
61cm |
x4 |
| 5-pin SATA |
41/56/71/86cm |
x12 |
| 4-pin Peripheral |
41/56/71/86cm |
x8 |
| Floppy |
12.7cm |
x2 |
Below you see a picture of the internal of the PSU. OCZ has used some passive coolers (black) to keep temperatures in check. A pair of Japanese made Nippon Chemi-con capacitors are identified on the right bottom side of the picture, while some smaller capacitors are also found on the left side. The two primary electrolytic capacitors are rated for 105°C / 400v / 390µF and not for 85°C, as we typically see in other PSUs.
Also notice the the wired cables are sleeved all the way back to the PCB and don't just stop as soon as they enter the power supply.
Generally, as you can see there is nothing messy here and the overall build quality is high, as we expected from a 1000W PSU of this price range.
OCZ is using a Ong Hua HA1425H12B-Z 140mm fan to provide the active cooling for the power supply.
The fan runs up to 2800 RPM (12V, 0.5A):
3. Tests
For this test we monitored each of the rails of the PSU under various loads, which represent different power-hungry PC configurations. We took voltage measurements for 200W, 500W 800 W and finally 1000W loads, which are close to the power requirements of a typical gaming system equipped with a single graphics card, an SLI/Xfire configuration, a high-end system with triple or quad SLI/Xfire configuration, and finally overclocked high-end system.
The current ATX specifications allow for the following fluctuations in voltage outputs:
- 3.3V Rail: 3.135V - 3.465V
- 5V Rail: 4.75V – 5.25V
- 12V Rail: 11.4V – 12.6V
An oscilloscope was also used to examining the voltage ripple on the all important 12V rail using the proper capacitors in place to filter noise. This measures how clean the power delivery really is for the tested power supply. The ATX specifications' requirement for ripple is 120 mV for 12V.
The results is illustrated below:
| Voltage regulation |
LOAD |
3.3V |
5.5V |
12V |
12V Ripple |
200W |
3.32 |
5.04 |
12.09 |
6mV |
500W |
3.29 |
5.03 |
12.05 |
12mV |
800W |
3.28 |
4.99 |
11.99 |
19mV |
1000W |
3.27 |
4.98 |
11.97 |
22mV |
As you can see from the results above, the Fatal1ty PSU performs very well across the testing spectrum.
Starting with the 12V rail, we see a a deviation of under 1%, the result of a total drop of 0.15V from start to finish.
The 5V rail stayed within 2% voltage regulation. Finally for the 3.3V rail, regulation was again within 2%.
Ripple results were also great, with the +12V signal to be almost noise-less. DC output quality was generally high, with any noise at the signal to gradually increase as the loads also increased. Under the demanding 1000W load, the noise on the 12V rail was just 22mV.
4. Final thoughts
From a performance standpoint, the 1000-watt Fatal1ty Series power supply by OCZ is an great unit, boasting excellent voltage regulation and very low noise even under full load. The device carries the 80PLUS Gold efficiency and support serious SLI/CrossFire setups.
OCZ has designed the PSU with attention to detail, as it comes with a great assortment of sleeved cables, it uses Japanese capacitors for 105°C and its modular setup will help keep the cables to a minimum inside your PC case.
The Fatal1ty 1000W comes with a price tag of about $230, meaning that this premium product would cost you more than other 1KW PSUs. But if the Fatal1ty brand matches your gamer-oriented style, the OCZ Fatal1ty 1000W is a great option.
