Exterior Impressions

The exterior of the EliteXStream 800W is somewhat drab and plain looking but that is exactly the way we like our power supplies. There is no need for fancy LED fans, see-through acrylic windows or multicolored cables; if a power supply performs well, it shouldn’t need to be dolled up in order to sell. That being said, the unit is finished in a stunning gunmetal grey with hint of metal flake and a high gloss finish. While this finish is an absolute magnet for scratches, fingerprints don’t show up all that well.

Lately, it seems like a vast percentage of the high-end power supply market is moving towards 135mm and even gargantuan 140mm fans but OCZ seems content with staying on the 120mm course. This choice of a 120mm fan also brings the actual size of the power supply into stark contrast since as you can see the EliteXStream is a good inch longer than a standard ATX unit. However, since this is a quite minimal deviation form the ATX design criteria there should be no problem fitting this power supply into any case on the market.


The 120mm fan has a black(ish) painted grille which partially hides the OCZ logo sticker that is placed atop the fan’s massive center hub. As we can see, OCZ decided against using an LED fan.

Unfortunately, not only is the cable opening extremely tight but it is also devoid of any kind of protection for the cables. In this area we like to see at least a small plastic grommet which protects the sleeving and the wires from a usually very sharp metal edge. However, for whatever reason OCZ has decided against this tiny expense so we will see in a later section if this has a negative impact on the cables themselves.


One side of the EliteXStream 800W has the OCZ and EliteXStream logos punched into it which give it a great little touch. However, given the way this unit is mounted, you will never see this since it will be pointed towards the motherboard tray. For shame!!

We have now (finally) come to the back of the power supply which holds the usual AC input plug, on / off switch and also a small light. This light turns itself on when the power supply is on or on standby and turns itself off when the unit is completely powered down. There is also the prerequisite perforated metal grille which provides an outlet for all the hot blown around by the intake fan.