The units came pre-tested, both arrived intact and no damage.
The shipping carton is styrofoam panels and the base has holes for the feet of the cooler to prevent shifting in the carton.
The cardboard top is an upside down box that drops over the unit and straps are needed to secure the whole thing together.
The straps double as handles, it is natural to grab the straps and lift the unit, they can support the weight easily. This also keep the units upright for delivery.
The neck has a channel that it sits in during transport and the head has its owns foam socket.
The evaporator and mounting is chilly1 based, a retention clip holds the head assembly on.
The compressor is made by Zel and has a few minute timer to prevent quick restarts, so far it has not been a problem, defeating the timer might reduce the life span of the compressor.
They are charged with R507 and set for -50c idle
The case looks good but on very close examination you see gap flaws and other minor blemishes, function over looks is to be expected. OCZ kept the costs down, this was an area they were able to deliver a good looking unit and retain quality. The outside shell is bolted in the back and slides off similar to a PC case. Inside is a square frame with solid steel top. The controls are mounted on the underside of that steel plate. Screws are used, no rivets.
The routing of the Z logo and vent holes are clean and finished, no burrs or blemishes in the routing on both units. There is black screen mesh behind the logo and vents for a more stylish appearance.
The display is simple with scrolling OCZ, evap suction temp and ambient temp.
The harder I run the CPU the colder the suction temp reads.
No white packing foam was present inside units.
The finish on the blocks is acceptable, both are correctly finished, brazing is clean.
The lineset is a little longer than those found on competing units.
The controller is setup to start the compressor and drop to -30 before the PC starts, the unit will shut down at 70c if the cooling fails.
A molex for power and rewire the power button (unplug from mobo and connect the wire from the cooler) and that is it for wiring. No external controller.
My first setup is a 790i with E8400, breaking 5Ghz is no problem at all and benching at 5.2Ghz now.
Firing up the cooler with a motherboard and power is the best route, hot wiring the unit is not advised.
I believe 5Ghz 24/7 is definitely possible with an E8400 or E8500, the quad I am yet to run.
I expect these to sell out the first day, they are equal to a chilly1 single stage charged with R507. It would be advisable to watch the forums for the minute when they do go on sale if you are planning to buy one.
The BE did not arrive today.
