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TheMainMan
02-24-2010, 04:56 AM
Introduction
So I was recently reviewing my system and looking for somewhere to direct my urge to upgrade something (a feeling I'm sure many of you have experienced at one point or another). I decided that my graphics is lagging behind the rest of my system but before I could do anything about it I needed more power. Cue the folks at Xoxide.com (http://www.xoxide.com/index.html?location=topnav) to help take care of that problem. My plan for graphics includes a pair of monster SLI cards in the fall so I wanted to go big with a new PSU and after looking through Xoxide's large range of 1000W+ PSU (http://www.xoxide.com/sli.html)s the OCZ 1000W ProXStream (http://www.xoxide.com/ocz-proxstream-1000w-psu.html) fit the bill. There were a number of great features that this PSU offers but 3 things sold me on it: the 4 PCI-Express 6-pin connectors, the standard ATX form factor, and the price. But enough rambling let's get to the details.
http://www.ocztechnology.com/images/products/auto_images/PXS_1000W.jpgPhoto from here (http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/ocz_proxstream_power_supply-eol).

Ordering and Shipping
I wasn't home when this packaged arrived but as soon as I got home I couldn't wait to open it up and take some shots. Unfortunately it looks like my D70 is acting up as they turned out grainy when I went to look at them for this review. As usual, Xoxide was very quick in getting this order out (two days) but this time I had decide to try the 3-day select option as it was cheapest. Last time I ordered from Xoxide, UPS had my order to me in 2 days. While this would have been more expensive, FedEx held up their end by getting this from Florida to Toronto, Ontario on time. So less than a week after being ordered I had a non-descript brown box on my hands. Inside the shipping box was the PSU box, and the boxes were tight enough to prevent shipping damage.
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/OCZ%20ProXStream%201000W%20PSU%20review/DSC_0144.jpg
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/OCZ%20ProXStream%201000W%20PSU%20review/DSC_0145.jpg

Contents
The box that the PSU was packed in was an old PC Power and Cooling box turned inside out.
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/OCZ%20ProXStream%201000W%20PSU%20review/DSC_0146.jpg
All that was on the outside was a barcode and the reconditioned label. Inside, the PSU was wrapped in a plastic bag to protect the titanium-mirror finish.
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/OCZ%20ProXStream%201000W%20PSU%20review/DSC_0150.jpg
Also included was the thickest power cord I have ever seen for a PSU and mounting screws.
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/OCZ%20ProXStream%201000W%20PSU%20review/DSC_0147.jpgThe user manual was not included likely due to this being a refurbished item but was easy to find here (http://www.ocztechnology.com/resources/drivers/OCZ1000PXS.pdf).

The biggest thing that struck me about this PSU was the weight for the size. To get 1000W of power into an ATX form factor required a lot of tight packing and a single 80mm fan. This was a concern for me however my case setup means that the PSU gets its own supply of air and has not become warm to the touch even under load. It does however, become noisy when the fan spins faster but at idle is virtually silent. I have a Vantec Stealth lying around that I may try in it once the one-year OCZ warranty ends.
The features that OCZ has packed into this PSU include two independent +12V rails each with 2 PCI-E 6-pin connectors and support for both 4-pin and 8-pin motherboard CPU connectors. The connectors are as follows:

• 1 x 20+4-pin ATX
• 1 x 4-pin CPU
• 1 x 8-pin CPU(accords with the requirements of CPU in ATX or EPS12Vsystems)
• 4 x 6-pin PCI-E
• 6 x SATA
• 6 x Peripheral
• 2 x Floppy

http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/OCZ%20ProXStream%201000W%20PSU%20review/DSC_0148.jpg

Installation
Now that the preliminaries are taken care of let's see what this baby can do! Installation was tricky on my system as the 8-pin CPU connector is tucked away behind my CPU cooler and I didn't want to take the motherboard out. Instead I removed a case fan from the top of my case and was able to plug the 8-pin cable in. It was the perfect length and is the one cable that I won't have to manage when the time comes. A drawback to the flexibility this PSU offers is that it results in 11 separate cables coming out of the PSU. This is a nightmare for cable management as this PSU is not modular. I haven't begun the daunting task of cable management in my case as I have a few steps left to go and so the extra cables are taking up a space almost equivalent to the PSU itself.

Out with the old...
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/OCZ%20ProXStream%201000W%20PSU%20review/DSC_0174.jpg
...In with the new!:D
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/OCZ%20ProXStream%201000W%20PSU%20review/DSC_0177.jpg
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/OCZ%20ProXStream%201000W%20PSU%20review/DSC_0178.jpg
All of the cables do come pre-sleeved in black sleeving with the exception of the PCI-E 6-pin cables which are sleeved in red. Mounting the PSU and the rest of the installation was as simple as any other ATX PSU I've ever installed.

Performance
Before I took the old PSU out I used HWMonitor to log the voltages of my old Thermaltake Purepower 500W at idle and under load. Once I installed the OCZ ProXStream 1000W I repeated the same process to determine if there was any kind of change. To test the system under load I used Prime95 v25.9 64-bit edition and selected "In-place large FFTs (maximum heat, power consumption, some RAM tested)" with 4 threads as I have a quad-core. I took my readings at the end of the 4th test at which point the system had been running maxed out for 15 minutes or so. The voltages pre- and post-swap were very close and the only other noticeable change was the disappearance of one of the fans as the old PSU had a fan monitoring connection.

http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/OCZ%20ProXStream%201000W%20PSU%20review/VoltagesComparo.png
http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/OCZ%20ProXStream%201000W%20PSU%20review/DSC_0176.jpg

Conclusion
I would give Xoxide 5/5 on ordering and shipping as it was quick and easy which is a blessing when dealing with heavier components such as this. Shipping fees were reasonable for a PSU at around $20.

On the contents I would rate OCZ a 4.5/5 as it was sent in an old, beat up box from a different PSU. Granted it is a refurbished item but a little bit of TLC could have helped here.

My installation difficulties were of my own doing (read laziness) so the OCZ gets full marks here. 5/5

I'm forced to dock the OCZ a bit in performance due to the fan noise at full speed but as it's only an issue at max it will get a 4.75/5 from me here.

This has been another great purchase with Xoxide (http://www.xoxide.com/index.html?location=topnav) and I'm looking forward being able to upgrade the rest of my system. The only major gripe I have with this PSU is that it isn't modular but at Xoxide's list price of $99 it's hard to argue. Besides, isn't that what modding is for?

Shipping - 5/5
Contents - 4.5/5
Installation - 5/5
Performance 4.75/5
Overall 19.25/20

More pictures can be found here (http://s365.photobucket.com/albums/oo92/TheMainMan79/OCZ%20ProXStream%201000W%20PSU%20review/).

billygoat333
02-25-2010, 02:37 AM
wow, thats pretty cheap for a 1000w supply. hope it holds up for you. :)

Mushroom720
02-28-2010, 11:31 PM
oooo i might have to get one if there sill in stock