Introduction

We would like to thank OCZ for supplying the review sample.

OCZ had quite some time to introduce new PSU offerings, and they decided to do so with two Fatal1ty products. According to OCZ these were co-developed with twelve-time world champion Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel to ensure specific needs of fellow gamers were met, but we are pretty sure that Johnathan only offered his nickname to these units and didn't involve himself in their development.

According to their maker, the two new Fatal1ty units with capacities of 550 W and 750 W are built for gamers, so not only do these feature nice looks, but also an LED fan, a fully modular cabling design, a single +12V rail, and the ability to deliver their full power continuously at up to 45°C ambient temperature. OCZ also speaks of an extremely cool and quiet operation, but that claim is one we will either confirm or debunk soon enough. Both units are certified for 80 Plus Bronze efficiency, which puts them into the mainstream and mid-level categories.

We will take a detailed look at the smaller Fatal1ty PSU with a capacity of 550 W in this review. OCZ even claims it to support Intel’s 4th generation CPUs (Haswell), and it has two PCIe connectors for a single high-end VGA or two mainstream ones. The same unit is supported by a three year warranty, and its dimensions are pretty large for a 550 W PSU with 18 cm length because it uses the same casing as its 750 W sibling, . Probably the most interesting aspect of the Fatal1ty 550 W is its nice price tag: It is even more appealing if you take into account that you get a fully modular unit with a fancy LED fan for 70 bucks. But better read this review first before you decide whether to buy it or not, and avoid cheating by skipping directly to the last page for the conclusion.