900W to 1100W PSU Group Test

OCZ 1000W ProXStream

Manufacturer: OCZ
Price as reviewed (UK): £161.77 (inc. VAT)
Price as reviewed (US): $267.95 (ex. Tax)

OCZ recently acquired PC Power and Cooling, a company often regarded as one of, if not the leading PSU manufacturer which has been in business since 1986. It was one of the first to release the kilowatt PSU and have consistently made expensive but reliable and solid power supplies.

Unfortunately, the design of this OCZ 1kW PSU pre-dates the acquisition as this one is made by FSP, and is tailored to an opposite end market in that it's aimed at being on the cheaper side of the competition. But is it worth buying this model or waiting until PC P&C oversees future designs of OCZ PSUs?

The box is the usual standard cardboard with flip lid and while there's no carry handle the whole package isn't that heavy or large. The information on the box is somewhat limited, repeating itself on most of the sides instead of listing everything possible about the PSU like the Enermax for example: you've no idea of the length and quantity of cables you get inside, nor even whether it's specifically modular or not. Not everyone is clued in on the difference between ModXStream and ProXStream.

Inside the box there are two layers of thin foam padding on the top and bottom to keep the contents from damage, but there's no bubble wrap or extra protection for the actual PSU.

Accessories

• Power cord with gunmetal braiding and clear plastic covering, including a ferrite cored EMI shield;
  
• Manual;
  
• Case screws;

Not really very much is there? The power cable looks great and feels really high quality, and for a change we actually received a unit with a UK plug. There's no cable tidying accessories included, but then again, some people really don't care for anything but a PSU. After all, you can buy whatever else you need separately and get exactly what you need, and it also means OCZ can keep the price of the unit as low as possible.

The manual could do with a little work, perhaps including details of what each of the cables does and what they plug into. However, it is to the point containing all the necessary technical information and if you feel the need for a kilowatt of power it's likely that you have a heavy duty PC setup and so know what you're doing anyway.