![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Monday , April 07, 2008
- Author:
- Paul Johnson
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
OCZ EliteXStream 1000w
OCZ pulls its namesake into the spotlight again by today launching a newly branded "EliteXStream" power supply. It claims the full 1000 watts of power is available to the enthusiast up to 40 degrees c, so let's push it the limits and beyond and see if it proves to be worthy of the most demanding enthusiast conditions.
Build Quality
As we already know the OCZ EliteXStream 1000w features a single 120mm fan design that has come to be the preferred standard for quiet cooling environments due to the ability to move a larger volume of air at slower speeds than a smaller diameter fan, such as a high speed 80mm fan favored by some brands. While great for quiet computing environments the key criteria in our evaluation is whether or not the cooling solution is sufficient, not necessary its sound level or form factor.
External Build Quality
The OCZ EliteXStream 1000w comes trimmed out in a very slimming black finish that is not quite as resilient as the slightly textured black finishes found on the Corsair power supplies but is certainly resistant to scratching while maintaining a nice sheen. The top of the unit features a slightly off center 120mm fan that cools the unit while the rear features a bare honeycomb that has just the on/off switch and an indicator LED.
The EliteXStream 1000w comes in at a length of ~6 1/4 inches while the cables stretch out to a respectable ~23 inches to the first or only connector. The cables are all sleeved almost to the first connector. I say almost because on the Molex and SATA connectors the sleeving ends a good 2 inches before the first connector with the remaining cables also being short of fully sleeved.
Internal Build Quality
Once we open the Impervio designed EliteXStream we are left looking at a slightly unusual power supply. The IPS-P1000TNM based EliteXStream 1000w features not only a dual transformer design like we have previously seen but it also utilizes 3 primary capacitors like we saw in the Andyson built Ultra X3 1600w. The heatsinks in this unit are of a style very reminiscent of ones we have seen in a number of other single overhead fan design power supplies with their flat ridged nature that places a large surface area in the air stream created by the fan. The fan charged with cooling the EliteXStream is a 120mm Preotechnic Magic rated at 0.45A at 12v. Lastly before moving on, it appears from the PCB that we may be seeing more units in the EliteXStream line from OCZ in the future as this PCB is silk screened for 800w and 900w models in addition to this 1000w model.
Moving over to the primary side we see those three primary capacitors we saw in the overhead view are provided by Hitachi and are rated at 330uF 420v. While on the primary side we also see an add-in PCB that houses the APFC circuit, a large toroid coil, and the bridge rectifier attached to the large primary side heatsink all neatly assembled on the clean PCB.
As we swing over to the secondary side we see a number of items. The first being the input filtering (which is actually part of the primary side) that is housed by the AC receptacle and on the PCB to the left of frame. Moving over to the right of frame we see an add-in PCB that houses all the OCP/OVP/OPP and fan controllers along with potentiometers. Unlike the recent PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 860 this unit does not advertise user adjustable potentiometers and indeed there is no way for users to access these potentiometers without voiding their warranty. Furthermore, since these are apparently not supposed to be accessed by the user we did not test their affect on the unit’s performance. It is also worth noting that rather than using standard capacitors on the add-in PCB, like a number of add in PCB’s we have seen now, Impervio uses solid capacitors in these auxiliary roles. Next to the add-in PCB we see the wiring all bundled using zip ties and run out of the housing without a wire guard, although the sleeving (which doesn’t go all the way to the connector) does extend into the housing. Finally, when we look inside the wiring we find that the secondary is filled out with Teapo capacitors.
Build Quality Summary
The external build quality of the EliteXStream 1000w is very good but not perfect. While the unit features a very well done flat black finish that is resistant to scratching the sleeving on the cables only comes down to ~2 inches above the first or only connector on each cable leaving the wiring looking a bit sloppy. Once we move to the interior of the unit we immediately notice that the unit features immaculate soldering and construction throughout due to Impervio/OCZ’s Taiwan (not China) based manufacturing partner’s use of robotics. There are no sloppy bits of soldering or leaning components to be found anywhere on this units super clean PCB. The capacitor selection for the unit is great on the primary side with Hitachi capacitors filling it out while the secondary is rounded out with lower quality Teapo capacitors. Overall though the unit’s build quality is excellent and the component selection should prove to be sufficient, though the secondary capacitors could use an upgrade for such an otherwise high-powered unit.