The PowerStream 420 arrived in a clandestine plain white box as retail packaging most likely isn't finished. The PSU, however; is about as ready for the market as anyone could wish. The build quality on the unit is absolutely top-notch, and component placement was very well thought out, taking advantage of the unit's twin fans.

Perhaps most interesting, and beneficial to the forward-looking Enthusiast, PowerStream series are not only BTX ready, but in fact designed for those power specifications. This requires the End-user to attach a 24-pin to 20-pin adapter in order to accommodate current ATX boards. So this is not a PSU built for ATX board, adaptable to BTX, but in fact the opposite is true. This makes OCZ's PowerStream series an excellent choice, for current ATX owners (everyone) waiting to make the leap to PCI Express (just about everyone). Astute thinking on OCZ's behalf;







As I stated above, the PowerStream 420 is wrapped in one of the most attractive finishes I've seen since reviewing the TTGI 14-cm 14CM-450TS PSU. The Power Stream 420 (OCZ-420ADJ) offers features found on the very best power supplies, including easily accessible rear voltage adjustment pots. However, unlike pots offered on other PSU's, which require the End-user to have a voltage meter for a truly accurate adjustment, or rely on often inaccurate BIOS readings. OCZ's Power Stream utilizes three LED's each corresponding to 3.3V, 5V, and 12V rail. If the current on a given rail drops below spec, the LED glows Yellow, if the rails is hot or over-volting, the LED glows Red, and Green indicates the rail to be in spec, as seen below where the 3.3V is running slightly hot;





After adjusting the pot just a 1/4 turn the LED's are uniform Green, indicating all rails are within specification. The green LED illuminated exhaust fan is a nice touch as well;





Instructions for the voltage-monitoring LED’s are clearly printed in the manual, and on the PSU;