Inside the GameXstream and Silentstorm

As we would like to back up our hunch with some facts, we will have to take a look at the inside of the OCZ and Sharkoon. Do not attempt to do this yourself, not only will it void any warranty, but it could very well destroy your PSU and give you a nasty sting on the way. Let's open them up then :



Now, for a more detailed look (click the thumbs to have a look) :


Left to right : OCZ top view, Sharkoon top view, OCZ close-up view, Sharkoon close-up view


I think we can now safely say the two psu's are almost exact copies, their only difference lies in the package around the same inside mechanism. Of course, other things like quality control could very well be different too, but that is impossible to verify. One thing that is different between the two is the warranty: OCZ warrants its PSU with the exclusive three year power swap warranty, which is unique in the business.

On the inside of the PSU we can find the original source: Fortron., the green PCB mentions the following type FSP700-80GLC. This type is a workstation or server type PSU, and does not meet the ATX requirements. However, on the Fortron website we find another very resembling PSU, the Fortron FX700-GLN . The aforementioned "GLC" power supply probably served as a base for this and our psu's. Anyway, here we find some more detailed specs to add to our table :

Max. DC Output (Fortron)	700W continuous
Load Range
+3.3V +5V +12V1 +12V2 +12V3 +12V4 +5VSB -12V -5V Max.(Amps) 36A 30A 18A 18A 18A 18A 3.0A 0.8A / Min.(Amps) 0,8A 0,5A 0A 0A 0,9A 0,1A 0A 0A / Range(%) +/-5% +/-5% +/-5% +/-5% +/-5% +/-5% +/-5% +/-10% / Ripple (mVp-p) 50mV 50mV 120mV 120mV 120mV 120mV 50mV 120mV /
combined +3.3 , +5V	155W
combined +3.3 , +5V, +12V	680W

As you can see, the base specifications (max. amps) exactly match the specifications of the Sharkoon PSU, and with the exception of one (the -12V line) also those of the OCZ GameXstream. Some more specifications from Fortron themselves:

Input Voltage	99V ~ 264V (Auto Range)
Input Frequency Range	50Hz ~ 60Hz
PFC	Active PFC (0.99)
Efficiency	>83% (230V) ; >80% (110V)
MTBF	100,000 hours @ 25?C
Operating temperature	0?C - 50?C ; 5-95% RH non condensing
Protection	Over Current Protection, Over Voltage Protection, Short Circuit Protection