OCZ ProXStream 1000W Power Supply

Design and Features

The OCZ ProXStream 1000W unit has a flashy retail box, which includes the power supply itself, a US power cable, a small manual, and mounting screws. Here's the unit itself, in the flesh. 

The unit is amazingly small for a 1000W power supply, as similar units form other companies typically require extended depth designs, which can require larger cases in order to be mounted properly. The OCZ unit, on the other hand, has the depth of a standard ATX power supply, meaning it can be mounted in nearly every standard ATX chassis on the market today. The entire design is fairly standard - no bottom mounted cooling fan, no honeycomb exhaust airflow access, we only see a few airflow slits on the sides of the unit. 

Surprisingly short depth for a 1000W PSU

While our images make the unit look silver, or perhaps a gunmetal grey of some sort, in reality the unit has a highly reflective finish. While the unit is amazingly lacking in the "bling" department compared to other OCZ power supplies, the reflectivity does provide a nice visual flare. So, just how reflective is the finish? 

Looking at the unit front to back, we can see the single 80mm fan exhaust output. If you look closely, right beneath the OCZ logo, there is a small PCB which is likely responsible for thermal monitoring. During our testing, we noticed that the power supply fan did not spin up or spin down based on thermal or power load, the fan spun at the same speeds at any given time. While OCZ claims the fan is low-noise, using "PowerWhisper" technology, our tests found that the OCZ cooling fan was noticeably louder than competing 1000W solutions. The fan was not loud enough to be a nuisance, but it does have to move a lot of air, and does produces an above average "wooshing" sound. Similarly rated units which use 120mm fans had lower noise levels, however, these units do require larger cases in order to handle their extended depth. Thus, if you want a 1000W power supply in a small depth form factor, be prepared for slightly louder noise levels. For such high wattage, the noise level is quite tolerable, but whisper silent this unit is not. 

80mm Exhaust Fan

Cable Bunch

The rear of the PSU is somewhat busy. This 1000W unit comes with a heap of power connectors (which we'll detail on the following page), which are bundled in a rubber band by default. Looking at the rear of the PSU, we can see a fairly open design, which allows us to look at the PCB inside. Not only is there one PCB holding power components, but there are actually two individual PCB's in this power supply. This "double-decker" PCB design is likely how OCZ is able to get away with such a small form factor and cooling via a single 80mm fan.

Also worth noting, the OCZ unit does not have a hard power on/off switch, like most modern power supplies have. It's nice to have this extra level of control when setting up a system, allowing you to flip a switch instead of pulling the cord when you want to cut power.