I think you've already found the answer to your question, but just to weigh in - I used the old formula several years back in college and that stuff had a kick, but was one of the worst-tasting supplements I've ever had (tastes almost as bad as bulk cissus powder straight in the mouth). It had my heart racing, but didn't have the stim feeling that anything else gave me. I didn't work out fasted, but I worked out in the mornings and I had to fight the urge to puke often times.
Needless to say, I didn't purchase it again lol.
I personally like pre-workouts. If I cycle off stims I just go with AAKG powder, but I'm in the market to find a good stim-free solution at some point. I always rock my BCAAs intra-workout and usually take a couple scoops of BC+EAA along w/ my pre-workout before I hit the gym.