I've always been a sucker for a nicely presented product and from the outset the OCZ didn't disappoint. A thick, glossy, cardboard box hosts the PSU with a clear, yet concise feature list, advertising the PSU's capabilities and benefits. I should, however, point out that the same packaging is also used with the much cheaper StealthXstream range of PSU's from the same company so while the packaging is good, for the price I would have liked something a little more 'special'.  

 

 

 

Opening the box I was alarmed to find that the packaging is sparse to say the least. With little more than a layer of cheap bubble wrap protecting the PSU from damage (as well as the box itself), I would not be surprised to find that some PSU's might be damaged in transit. Styrofoam is pretty much standard packaging now among high-end PSU's and is a much more suitable method of protecting heavy items such as a PSU which also works to prevent the PSU from sliding around in the box. I was also mildly disappointed that there was no method of protecting the plastic Molex/SATA/PCIe connectors. Again, for the price of this PSU, I would have liked to have seen some form of pouch used, especially as this PSU is of modualr design. 

 

 

 

Taking the PSU out of its box I would say that the PSU felt quite light in comparison to other power supplies in the same power range. 'Weight is a sign of reliability' so they say, so while I wouldn't exactly say the PSU is a lightweight, you certainly won't need your spinach to lift it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rear of the PSU is a black mesh affair allowing hot air to escape with the usual on/off power switch situated directly above the kettle lead. There are no diagnostic LED's on the PSU which would have been a nice addition but as the fan lights up it's not so much a problem.  

 

The sample we had did not have any labels identifying which cable went where and apart from the obvious, there was a little head scratching going on as to where the PCIe cable went being that there was 2 x 8 pin cables (PCIe + CPU) and only one 8 pin port. The instruction manual was of no help whatsoever with regards to connecting the PSU up so it was a case of praying I had them in the right slot (ahem!). This is not exactly what I would have expected on a £100 PSU from OCZ!

 

 

 

The PSU itself is not 100% modular, with the 20/24pin ATX, 6 pin PCIe and 4+4 CPU cable permanently attached - meaning that if you don't have any use for molex connections this will add to case clutter. However, most gamers/case modders will have some form of cold cathode, LED strip, extra fans that require powering so it is not so much a problem.

All the cables are professionally sleeved and securely heat-shrinked in black, making for a very good looking cable setup.

 

 

 

The 20+4 ATX connector is of a very basic design and doesn't really work as it should. Rather than the 4 pins 'snapping' onto the 20pin connector you have to squeeze both sections together to fit them into the motherboard. I would like to see a simple little sliding mechanism by now as surely it cannot be too difficult to achieve. I cannot really mark the OCZ PSU down for this though as they are only following suit with other manufacturers but it is a missed opportunity nonetheless. The CPU connectors suffer the same fate as well. Along with the above a 6-pin PCIe and a molex cable complete the cabling that is permanently attached to the PSU.

 

 

The modular cables come neatly bundled with a piece of Velco preventing them from getting tangled during transit. The cable ends have solid black connectors with the usual snap/lock latches that should last the test of time and are also clearly labelled. The latching mechanism that, while simple, does the job perfectly, preventing any accidental removal of a cable from the PSU. Here is a list of the cables included :

 

 

 

 

 

That pretty much covers the external aspects of the case and cabling so let's whip out the trusty screwdriver and take a peek at the ModXstream's guts....