In this exhaustive review, the StealthXStream is taken apart and examined minutely by what I can only describe as zealous enthusiasts in the hardware field. Normally I just read the comments at Newegg to see whether a PSU lives up to its power promises, but these reviewers break it to pieces and track the manufacturers. It’s an interesting read if you’ve never contemplated the bits and pieces before. I learned a lot.
As it turns out, the thing shares almost all its components with more expensive models, resulting in it outperforming its specs by a fair margin. It maintains 80% efficiency at 100 watts over its rated 600 and uses good wiring, while at the same time costing less than many other 600W PSUs — at $70 it’s a steal. The downside is it only has three SATA power connectors, so you’ll have to use adapters if, like me, you have a lot of drives. Still, it’s basically a great value and they report it even stays pretty quiet most of the time. If you’re building a new system and aren’t planning on using dual 9900GTXes, I’d say this is a great buy.