Internal Examination:
Opening the unit reveals the internal components of the power supply, and voids the manufacturer's warranty. Nothing here really surprises me; it is a familiar layout of components. The transformers are located between two black heatsinks which are slightly different than those seen on other Ultra Products power supplies reviewed previously.
On one side of the power supply the cables that connect from the modular connection PCB attach to the main PCB. One tiny feature here which I like is that the fan uses a standard two-pin mini fan connector. On the other side of the power supply are two large capacitors, which are the same height as the heatsinks. There are no adjustable potentiometers installed on this unit (that I was able to locate). While not a requirement, they are a helpful feature in order to adjust the voltage on the rails, should they begin to drop.
The PCB which the modular connectors are attached to is located in the back of the power supply. Each of the cables coming off the main PCB attaches to several locations on this PCB, which then distributes the power to the appropriate pin for each of the connectors.
As mentioned previously, the fan is a standard 11-bladed 135mm case fan providing all the airflow to cool the internal components.
Installation:
If you have ever installed a power supply, than you should not have any issues installing the Ultra Products X3 1000 Watt modular unit. The modular cables are easily routed so you can have the cleanest installation possible. While some prefer their cables to be hard wired for various good reasons, you do run into the issue of having unused cables and connections cluttering the inside of the case, which a modular design eliminates.
As you can see in the above right image, the top exhaust fan of the
NZXT Lexa Blackline case used in this review had to be removed in order for the PSU to fit. The X3 1000W unit is deeper than a typical ATX power supply, so those with top mounted fans or I/O panels may run into interference during installation.
