The Tests

Testing the power leads was a different matter. Not being an electrical engineer and not having access to a good multimeter testing the actual voltage and current differences was out of the question. However power stability is a big asset to overclocking so pushing the limits of the older generation nVidia GeForce FX 5600 Ultra care of ChainTech should be a good qualitative test. After enabling the cool bits flag in the drivers, we pushed the limits of the nVidia card.

The Test Rig

  • Athlon XP 2800+
  • Leadtek WinFast K7nCR18D PROII
  • Antec Smart Power SL350
  • 1 GB Dual Channel PC3200 Cas2.5
  • ChainTech A-FX71 (GeForce FX 5600 Ultra)

Configuration

Core

Memory

Standard

400

800

Overclocked (without OCZ PowerLead)

420

840

Overclocked (with OCZ PowerLead)

430

860

Although not a huge gain, the stability does allow for a higher overclock showing that the power leads do their job.

Conclusions

While most people never see the snowing or the waterwave effects, the other benefits of the product help it out immensely. Although the higher overclock only translates into a couple extra fps in Doom3, the peace of mind gained that your hardware is somewhat protected from the fluctuations prone in the current coming into your system. For the price you pay (currently around 10$ for the pair) you can’t really say no to this product. If you’re looking for a little added stability this is definitely a good item to pick up.

Pros

  • Professional look and feel
  • Provides more stable current
  • Increases overclockability

    Cons

  • Stiffer cabling doesn't fit in tight spaces
  • Labelling is cheap

    Score: 92