The PowerStream is OCZ's first foray into the power supply business, and the company isn't being shy about offering a high-end unit right off the bat. Everything about the PowerStream screams enthusiast, which is exactly what I like to see.

For better or worse, the PowerStream has the distinction of being the largest power supply in this comparison. It's about half an inch longer than the Enermax unit and a major pain to squeeze into smaller mid-tower cases. Some of the pain comes from trying to squeeze the PSU into the case, but even more comes from the fact that it's impossible not to scratch the PSU's gorgeous mirror finish in the process.

The PowerStream's mirrored pewter finish manages to be sexy without being gaudy. There's some green internal lighting that comes on when the PSU is powered up and even a little bling with polished gold fan grills, but nothing too garish.

The gold fan grills cover a couple of 80mm fans that channel air across the top of the case. Neither fan faces the system's processor, which could result in higher CPU temperatures. We'll test that in a moment.

Voltage control: even sexier than the mirror finish

Borrowing an idea from Antec's TrueControl power supply, the OCZ PowerStream lets users adjust the voltage of each of the rails. Voltages options range from 2.8 to 3.8V, 4.5 to 5.5V, and 10.8 to 13.2V for the +3.3V, +5V, and +12V rails, respectively. When you're within 5% of a rail's intended voltage, an indicator light will change from orange to green. If 5% isn't close enough for you, it's easy to drop into the system's BIOS or use Motherboard Monitor to fine-tune voltage further. A word of caution, though: Motherboard Monitor and motherboard BIOSes don't always display voltages correctly.

The PowerStream is loaded with cables, each of which is either neatly sheathed or twisted to avoid tangles and clutter. Notice that two of the PSU's four-pin Molex connectors are sheathed in a special casing. According to OCZ, this is to provide cleaner power to sensitive hard drives and graphics cards.

A 24-to-20-pin power adapter and bundle of zip ties round out the PowerStream package. The zip ties are a particularly nice touch, since I've never set up a system without using at least a couple to tidy up power supply cables.

Before I wrap things up on the OCZ PSU, it's worth reiterating the fact that the PowerStream carries a five-year warranty—two years more than any other PSU in this comparison. When you're dropping $130 on a power supply, extra coverage makes it much easier to justify the expense as an investment.