Interior Impressions

Once the warranty is voided and the top of the case is removed we can see the innards of the EliteXStream 800W which are a virtual mirror image of those of one other power supply we have reviewed: the Silverstone DA850. This resemblance is not too surprising since both this OCZ unit and Silverstone’s modular 850W power supply are made by Impervio Electronics and look to be loosely based on the same platform. However, there are a few differences we can see right off the bat. First of all (other than the fact there is no modular interface on this OCZ) we can see that a pair of large, ribbed, Topower-esque heatsinks are used in the place of the DA850’s hunks of aluminum. These black heatsinks allow more airflow to circulate down onto the components instead of them being blocked by solid heatsinks. The other things we see that is different are the fact OCZ has specified a blue PCB be used and there also seems to be larger transformers on this unit as well.


The primary filtering side is extremely well appointed with a trio of Hitachi 150°C capacitors which is a bit of a departure from the 85°C Toshin Kogyos we saw on the DA850. There is also a massive choke along with a vertical PCB. Meanwhile, the caps on the secondary side are completely made up of Teapos which is another good choice that we have seen on many high-end power supplies.


The input filtering seems to have been revised from what we saw on the Silverstone unit all those months back and made a bit more substantial. Right next to the AC input, there is yet another vertical PCB which holds three potentiometers which seem to control +12V, +3.3V and +5V voltages as well as a single fan header. The two additional connectors you see on the right of the PCB are attached to a pair of thermistors which are in turn installed on two of the heatsinks. Basically, these thermistors pick up the interior temperatures of the EliteXStream which will then control the fan speed based temperature instead of load.


It seems like the OCZ uses and will be using the PCB of this power supply for their 1000W EliteXStream as well and even though it is silk-screened onto the PCB, we have not heard of any plans to release a 900W unit. We are guessing that OCZ has left open the possibility of manufacturing a 900W version in case sales of the 800W and 100W do well.

As we had mentioned earlier, the lack of a plastic grommet around the cable opening on the exterior housing of the EliteXStream 800W was concerning and it seems like this concern was warranted. Even though the ATX cable sleeving seems perfectly intact, the finer weave of the other cables seems to be unraveling due to the sharp edge of the housing. Since the weave is very well done, we can’t see this causing any long-term problems and if there are problems in the future we have no doubt that OCZ’s well-oiled RMA machine will spring into quick action.


The fan used on the OCZ EltieXstream 800W is a Protechnic MGA12012HF-025 120mm rifle bearing fan which is rated at a maximum speed of 1600RPM while producing approximately 38dBA of noise. Overall these are respectable numbers and should make this fan quiet enough for computing needs while producing good airflow throughout the interior of the power supply.