Tearing through the shrink wrap shows us what you would expect to find inside, namely the power supply, a power cord, a small manual, and a set of mounting screws. Nothing out of the ordinary so far, but that is getting ready to change.
A quick look at the unit shows two things; a very clean and shiny exterior and an extremely small footprint. While the chrome-like coating isn't something new, it certainly makes the PSU look nice when installed in an enclosure with a side window.
The biggest surprise, however, was the size. It has become a common practice nowadays for power supplies to grow in length. While this doesn't always cause problems, I have seen many with top mounted fans or smaller cases run into problems getting these longer models to fit properly. The small size of this model allows anyone to use it regardless of system configuration. As long as you need ATX or EPS specifications, you're set.
As far as power specifications are concerned, you should have no issues at all with what you will get here. As is becoming common, the ProXStream has four 12v power rails, each of which is capable of handling a power draw of 20A. Even better is that the 12v rail as a whole can handle a draw of a whopping 70A! This is a huge improvement over most other models currently on the street. The 20A per rail isn't unusual, but anything over 50A total draw is very good. The 70A limit of this model bodes extremely well for the enthusiasts and power users out there.
The other rails are set to handle power draws of 28A for the 3.3v rail and 30A for the 5v rail. The high 5v rail is good news for those looking for a high-end power supply for upgrading but are still using an older AthlonXP system. These older machines are noted for their need for a good 5v rail and this power supply provides it for you.
Moving to the exterior face of the PSU shows a single 80mm fan, a power port, and a lot of stickers that show off some of its features. With regards to the fan, be aware that this model is not created for those looking for a totally silent system. The fan is not silent at all, but it is not to a level where it is too loud either. It is what you would expect for a high-performance power supply.
Some may ask why they didn't use a larger fan to lower the noise levels, but a quick look at the small size shows that in order to maintain a maximum level of compatibility, the smaller fan was going to be necessary to keep that footprint at a level where it wouldn't cause problems for system builders.
Moving to the interior face shows a minimalist approach to the design of this power supply. The grating material allows for air to be sucked through the casing and exhausted through the fan on the opposite end. You can also see from this angle why the ProXStream was able to maintain a small size; there are two levels of capacitors and PCB inside. It is beginning to make sense now why a fan on the bottom wasn’t used in this unit.
You can also see that OCZ has reverted to an older design that is not modular. While this may be a turn-off to some, experience has shown me how to take a little time and handle the cable management aspects of building a new system. It may not be as convenient, but the lack of a modular plate on this panel allows for more airflow to keep this beast cool while operating.
As far as cabling is concerned, you will get a total of 1 20+4-pin main power coupling, both a 4-pin and 8-pin supplemental power couplers, 4 PCI-E connectors, 6 SATA connectors, 6 Molex connectors and 2 FDD connectors. Simply put, this PSU is ready to handle the needs of the enthusiast who wants quad-graphics and a huge amount of storage, plus anything in between.
For those who have noted my previous concerns regarding FDD connectors and the ever-popular DFI series of motherboards, rest assured that you will not have any problems since the FDD connectors are on different cable strands. Hooking one to the floppy drive and the other to the mainboard will be a simple task.
Above is a feature that isn't unheard of, but is not nearly common enough for my liking. All of the Molex connections on the ProXStream 1000 are of the type shown above. They include two plastic guards that allow you to squeeze the Molex out of a powered device. This makes it very easy to remove the juice to a device that you are either removing or replacing. Simple in design and a huge benefit when you are changing out components on a regular basis.
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