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OCZ Adds to Its Fatal1ty-Branded Lineup with Three New Power Supplies

Paul Lilly — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:15:47 -0600

It's only a matter of time before someone comes up with a Fatal1ty brand energy drink (if it hasn't been done already), but in the meantime, Jonathan Wendel continues to have his gaming moniker marketed on more PC components, the latest being a line of power supplies by OCZ.

"These high-performance power supplies were co-developed with the expertise of Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel, 12-time World champion, to meet the specific needs of fellow gamers," OCZ wrote in a press release. "OCZ Fatal1ty Professional Series PSUs feature incredible performance to power the latest graphics cards and hard drives."

The new 'co-developed' Fatal1ty power supplies will come in three configurations to start with, including a non-modular 400W, modular 550W, and non-modular 700W unit with a single +12V rail. All three power supplies are 80-plus certified and sport a red-LED 120mm fan. The 550W and 700W units also boast SLI-certification.

The PSUs are backed by 5-year (700W) and 3-year warranties (400W and 550W). No word yet on pricing or availability.

Image Credit: OCZ Technology

OCZ Unveils First Fatal1ty Brand DDR2 and DDR3 Memory After Partnership Announcement

Paul Lilly — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:42:31 -0500

Love him or hate him, Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel has managed to get his branding slapped onto nearly every PC component it takes to build a computer, leaving only hard drives and processors left to conquer. Don't believe it? Have a look for yourself. Motherboard? Check. Videocard? Check. Case, soundcard, mouse, keyboard, and headset? Check, check, and check ad nauseum. And thanks to a recent partnership with OCZ now coming to fruition, Fatal1ty can notch both DDR2 and DDR3 memory into his belt too.

"OCZ worked closely with Fatal1ty and his team to design new memory kits that pair perfectly with the top selling motherboards for a superior gaming experience," commented Alex Mei, cheif marketing officer of OCZ.

The press release works hard to tie Fatal1ty to its new line of memory, claiming the branded kits "were co-developed with the expertise of Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, 12-time World champion, to meet the specific needs of fellow gamers." Is anyone else having trouble picturing Wendel developing memory kits somewhere in his free time between gaming tournaments and honing his skills on company sponsored hardware? Maybe Wendel really is a master of module design, but marketing mojo aside, here's what the collaboration has come up with:

OCZ claims each Fatal1ty Edition kit is "designed to help deliver exceptional gaming visuals and overclocking potential," and it's the latter claim that will ulitimately decide where these kits belong in the marketplace. Tighter timed modules already exist at each speed grade, some of which OCZ sells, so the Fatal1ty nomenclature will have to bring more to the table than a spiffy heatspreader to win the hearts of enthusiasts. Then again, hardcore enthusiasts have never been quick to jump on the Fatal1ty bandwagon in the first place, so maybe a flashy package will be all that's needed to attract whoever's buying these products.

Image Credit: OCZ

OCZ Goes For a Fatal1ty

Chris Moody — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:16:51 -0500

OCZ has partnered with Fatal1ty (or more aptly, the corporate entity known as Fatal1ty), “to deliver a range of exciting new memory and power supply products that are engineered specifically to meet the unique needs of gamers worldwide”. In non-sales speak that means they are going to stick the “Fatal1ty” name on some RAM to sell to the masses. It’s a Jedi Salesman mind trick. Think you are going to play like Fatal1ty if you buy his RAM, Video Card, Motherboard, or whatever? Hardly.

Real PC gamers and enthusiasts know the products, and often do some deep research on specs and reviews before buying equipment for their machines. I am not interested in product endorsements from a former pro-gamer that has managed to turn his success as a gamer into a marketing tool. I want performance, not a higher price to pay to cover some guy’s endorsement.

Now, when the Jedi Salesman slaps the Fatal1ty label on some hardware, all I'm seeing is Obi Wan wave his hand at me and say, “This isn’t the hardware you are looking for.”

Creative Labs X-Fi Xtremegamer Fatal1ty Pro

Gordon Mah Ung — Wed, 09 May 2007 19:20:35 -0500

If you read our original review of the X-Fi way back in November 2005, you already know about this card. Back then, Creative packaged this exact same card with a drive bay and remote and charged an impossible to justify $280 for the X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS soundcard.

We ended up recommending its cheaper sibling, the X-Fi XtremeMusic instead.

Fast-forward a year and a half, ditch the remote and drive bay, and you’ve got the XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional Series priced at $130 less than the original. But does the X-Fi age like a fine wine or a punch-drunk palooka? For Creative, it’s pure vino!

Unlike the other two boards we tested here, the X-Fi continues to use a true DSP with “10,000 MIPS of power.” We don’t know how true that 10K figure is, but in our tests, the X-Fi remains the boss, especially when compared to the CMI8788, which is nothing more than a glorified I/O chip. In FEAR with graphics options cranked down and audio options cranked up to emphasize soundcard performance, the X-Fi led by 10 percent across the board. However, if C-Media ever releases multithreaded audio drivers, the day of the DSP will likely fade.

Of course, a good soundcard isn’t just about frame rates. In close listening using reference-quality earphones, two Maximum PC editors favored the X-Fi’s bottom-end push while listening to a variety of 24-bit audio.

We also give the edge in gaming fidelity to the X-Fi, as the subtle audio cues in games (in particular, Battlefield 2) stood out with this card. This may be due in part to the developer-relations money Creative spends to help developers utilize its technology. Most top games today support Creative’s OpenAL initiative, which is the only way to get hardware-accelerated positional audio in Microsoft Vista.

Although we think the X-Fi is the best of the cards tested here for general PC use, the real-time Dolby Digital encoding of the two other cards and optical SPDIF make them far better suited for home theater use. We must also note that the now-defunct XtremeMusic version of this card can still be found and is a better value. But for gamers, the X-Fi is the best choice.

Zalman Fatal1ty FC-ZE1

David Murphy — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 13:38:44 -0600

The Fatal1ty-branded FC-ZE1 case is one heckuva sturdy container for your electronic essentials, but it’ll take a railgun to your bank account. We’re just a little hesitant to recommend the FC-ZE1 to everyone: The case is covered with logos and labels, and accessing the internals is somewhat awkward. But if you’re shopping for a new case, Fatal1ty’s design comes pretty close to flawless.

Getting your gear into the FC-ZE1 couldn’t be easier—sort of. While the left side of the case features an easy-access tool-less door, in order to access the right side you must bust out the included Allen wrench.
It’s a hassle when you want to access the 5.25-inch bays.

Irritating as that is, we pepped up after seeing that our hard drives would rest in the case’s snug, noise-reducing chassis. Three aesthetically pleasing red fans round out the deal, sucking air in and out of the case while giving the insides a smooth, ambient light.

Month Reviewed: February 2007
+ OWNING: Looks sharp and spacious for a midtower; pretty durable
- PWND: Mounting components in the 5.25-inch bays is a pain in the ass. You’ll love or hate the logoed exterior.
Verdict: 9
URL: www.zalmanusa.com