Published: January 27, 2009 | Source: OCZ | Author: Tom Koflach

OCZ ModXstream Pro 500w

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As with a lot of things, it’s what’s inside that counts. This is where the PSU performs its magic, transforming the unfriendly AC into computer friendly DC current: breaking down the 240VAC into the various low voltage rails. After removing four screws from the top of our unit, we were in…

The fan is manufactured by Globe Fan, and is rated at 0.33A @ 12v. Unfortunately we couldn’t find any specs for the fan on Globe Fans website at the time of writing.Â Interestingly, OCZ have covered off part of the fan with a bit of perspex. This may have been done so that air can escape at the back of the unit, rather than constantly being pushed down.

The internals of the ModXstream Pro are split into three sections, with MOSFET heatsinks dividing each section up. In the top section, we have a single large capacitor. It is preferred to have multiple smaller capacitors as this reduces power ripple, but it shouldn’t be too big a problem. The capacitor appears to be made by EPCOS, a German manufacturer and features the following markings: 330uF / 400v / 85c. In the middle section we have two transformers, one for the 12v and the other most likely for 3.3v/5v.

Cabling

Being a modular cables not all the cables are attached to the PSU. Instead only a few of them are left attached to the PSUÂ and the rest are detachable. This way only the cables you need are attached, minimising excess cable mess within your case.

The cables already attached to the PSU are as follows: 4-Pin P4 Connector, 8-Pin EPS connector, 20+4-Pin ATX power cable. These are pretty much the bare minimum for any PC. It would have been nice to have the 4-Pin and 8-Pin connectors being modular, as one of these is guaranteed not to be in use.
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There is a nice selection of cables included in the box. In the top left we have the PCI-e 6-pin and 8-pin leads. In the middle we have the UK mains power lead. Then, around the edges we have the molex and SATA power leads. In total you can connect 6 SATA devices, 4 Molex devices and 2 Floppy devices. The SATA’s come in a group of three, which is handy as most case caddies take 3 drives – Well thought out OCZ.
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Here we have the dual PCI-e Connectors and molex leads. The 8-pin PCI-e can be converted to a 6-pin lead by removing the two extra pins.Â The Molex connectors have two standard molex connectors, then a floppy connector on the end.Â It would have been far more useful to have three molex connectors, with a floppy adaptor in the box for those that still need them.