SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W Power Supply Review

[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

SilverStone released a series of power supplies with the 80 Plus Gold certification and a fully modular cabling system, with 550 W, 650 W, and 1,000 W versions, dubbed the Strider Gold. Let’s see if the 650 W model, also known as SST-ST65F-G, deserves our recommendation.

This power supply is manufactured by Enhance.

Figure 1: SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W power supply

Figure 2: SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W power supply

The SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W is only 5.5” (140 mm) deep. It uses a 120 mm sleeve-bearing fan on its bottom (ADDA AD1212MS-A71GL).

Figure 3: Fan

The modular cabling system from this power supply has eight connectors: one for the main motherboard power connector, one for ATX12V/EPS12V connectors, two for video card connectors, and four for peripheral and SATA connectors. This power supply comes with the following cables:

• Main motherboard cable with a 20/24-pin connector, 21.6” (55 cm) long
• One cable with two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector, 21.6” (55 cm) long
• Two cables, each with two six/eight-pin connectors for video cards, 22” (56 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors
• Two cables, each with four SATA power connectors, 19.7” (50 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors
• Two cables, each with three peripheral power connectors and one floppy disk drive power connector, 19.7” (50 cm) to the first connector, 5.9” (15 cm) between connectors

The main motherboard cable, the ATX12V/EPS12V cable, and the video card cables use thicker, 16 AWG wires, which is excellent. The SATA and peripheral cables use 18 AWG wires, which is the minimum recommended gauge.

The number of connectors is excellent for a 650 W power supply, allowing you to install up to two high-end video cards that require two auxiliary power connectors each.

Figure 4: Cables

Let’s now take an in-depth look inside this power supply.

[nextpage title=”A Look Inside the SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W”]

We decided to disassemble this power supply to see what it looks like inside, how it is designed, and what components are used. Please read our “Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies” tutorial to understand how a power supply works and to compare this power supply to others.

On this page we will have an overall look, and then in the following pages we will discuss in detail the quality and ratings of the components used.

 

Figure 5: Top view

Figure 6: Front quarter view

Figure 7: Rear quarter view

Figure 8: The printed circuit board

[nextpage title=”Transient Filtering Stage”]

As we have mentioned in other articles and reviews, the first place we look when opening a power supply for a hint about its quality, is its filtering stage. The recommended components for this stage are two ferrite coils, two ceramic capacitors (Y capacitors, usually blue), one metalized polyester capacitor (X capacitor), and one MOV (Metal-Oxide Varistor). Very low-end power supplies use fewer components, usually removing the MOV and the first coil.

In the transient filtering stage, this power supply is flawless.

Figure 9: Transient filtering stage (part 1)

Figure 10: Transient filtering stage (part 2)

On the next page, we will have a more detailed discussion about the components used in the SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W.

[nextpage title=”Primary Analysis”]

On this page, we will take an in-depth look at the primary stage of the SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W. For a better understanding, please read our “Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies” tutorial.

This power supply uses one GBU15L06 rectifying bridge, which is attached to the same heatsink as the active PFC and switching transistors. This bridge supports up to 15 A at 115° C. In theory, you would be able to pull up to 1,725 W from a 115 V power grid. Assuming 80% efficiency, the bridge would allow this unit to deliver up to 1,380 W without burning itself out (or 1,553 W at 90% efficiency). Of course, we are only talking about this particular component. The real limit will depend on all the components combined in this power supply.

Figure 11: Rectifying bridge

The active PFC circuit uses two IPP50R140CP MOSFETs, each one supporting up to 23 A at 25° C or 15 A at 100° C in continuous mode (note the difference temperature makes), or 56 A at 25° C in pulse mode. These transistors present a 140 mΩ maximum resistance when turned on, a characteristic called RDS(on). The lower the number the better, meaning that the transistor will waste less power, and the power supply will have a higher efficiency.

The active PFC circuit is controlled by a CM6502 integrated circuit.

Figure 12: Active PFC controller

The output of the active PFC circuit is filtered by a 470 μF x 420 V Japanese electrolytic capacitor, from Matsushita (Panasonic), labeled at 105° C.

Figure 13: Capacitor

In the switching section, two STP20NM50FD MOSFETs are employed using a resonant configuration. Each transistor supports up to 20 A at 25° C or 14 A at 100° C in continuous mode or up to 80 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of 250 mΩ.

Figure 14: The switching transistors, the active PFC diode, and the active PFC transistors

The switching transistors are controlled by a CM6901 resonant controller, which is located on the solder side of the printed circuit board.

Figure 15: Resonant controller

Let’s now take a look at the secondary of this power supply.

[nextpage title=”Secondary Analysis”]

As one would expect in a high-efficiency power supply, the SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W uses a synchronous design, where the Schottky rectifiers are replaced with MOSFETs. Also, the reviewed product uses a DC-DC design in its secondary. This means that the power supply is basically a +12 V unit, with the +5 V and +3.3 V outputs produced by two smaller power supplies connected to the main +12 V rail. Both designs are used to increase efficiency.

The +12 V output uses four IPP041N04N MOSFETs, each one supporting up to 80 A at 100° C in continuous mode, or up to 400 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of 4.1 mΩ.

Figure 16: The +12 V transistors

As explained, the +5 V and +3.3 V outputs are produced by two DC-DC converters, each one located on an individual daughterboard soldered to the main printed circuit board. Each converter uses an APW7073 integrated circuit, which drives one CSD86350Q5D integrated circuit, which has two MOSFETS inside, each one supporting up to 40 A at 25° C in continuous mode and up to 120 A at 25° C in pulse mode, with a maximum RDS(on) of 5 mΩ.

Figure 17: One of the DC-DC converters

Figure 18: One of the DC-DC converters

The outputs of the power supply are monitored by a PS223 integrated circuit, which supports over voltage (OVP), under voltage (UVP), and over current (OCP) protections. There are four OCP channels, one for +3.3 V, one for +5 V, and two for +12 V. The manufacturer, however, decided to use only one of the +12 V channels available, resulting in this unit having a single +12 V rail.

Figure 19: Monitoring circuit

This power supply uses a mix of solid and electrolytic capacitors in its secondary. The electrolytic capacitors are also Japanese, from Chemi-Con and Rubycon, and labeled at 105° C, as usual.

Figure 20: Capacitors

[nextpage title=”The +5VSB Power Supply”]

The +5VSB (a.k.a. standby) power supply is independent of the main power supply, since it is on continuously.

The +5VSB power supply uses an STR-A6062H6 integrated circuit, which incorporates the PWM controller and the switching transistor into a single chip.

Figure 21: The +5VSB integrated circuit with an integrated switching transistor

The rectification of the +5VSB output is performed by an SBL10SL60FCTH Schottky rectifier, which supports up to 10 A (5 A per internal diode at 90° C, 0.52 V maximum voltage drop).

Figure 22: The +5VSB rectifier

[nextpage title=”Power Distribution”]

In Figure 23, you can see the power supply label containing all the power specs.

Figure 23: Power supply label

As you can see, this unit has a single +12 V rail configuration.

Let’s find out how much power this unit can deliver.[nextpage title=”Load Tests”]

We conducted several tests with this power supply, as described in the article, “Hardware Secrets Power Supply Test Methodology.”

First, we tested this power supply with five different load patterns, trying to pull around 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of its labeled maximum capacity (actual percentage used listed under “% Max Load”), watching the behavior of the reviewed unit under each load. In the table below, we list the load patterns we used and the results for each load.

If you add all the powers listed for each test, you may find a different value than what is posted under “Total” below. Since each output can have a slight variation (e.g., the +5 V output working at 5.10 V), the actual total amount of power being delivered is slightly different than the calculated value. In the “Total” row, we are using the real amount of power being delivered, as measured by our load tester.

The +12VA and +12VB inputs listed below are the two +12 V independent inputs from our load tester. During this test, the +12VA and +12VB inputs were connected to the power supply’s single +12 V rail. (The +12VB input was connected to the power supply EPS12V connector.)

Input	Test 1	Test 2	Test 3	Test 4	Test 5
+12VA	5 A (60 W)	10 A (120 W)	14.5 A (174 W)	19 A (228 W)	23.5 A (282 W)
+12VB	5 A (60 W)	10 A (120 W)	14 A (168 W)	19 A (228 W)	23.5 A (282 W)
+5 V	1 A (5 W)	2 A (10 W)	4 A (20 W)	6 A (30 W)	8 A (40 W)
+3.3 V	1 A (3.3 W)	2 A (6.6 W)	4 A (13.2 W)	6 A (19.8 W)	8 A (26.4 W)
+5VSB	1 A (5 W)	1.5 A (7.5 W)	2 A (10 W)	2.5 A (12.5 W)	3 A (15 W)
-12 V	0.5 A (6 W)	0.5 A (6 W)	0.5 A (6 W)	0.5 A (6 W)	0.5 A (6 W)
Total	139.5 W	270.3 W	390.4 W	521.4 W	648.8 W
% Max Load	21.5%	41.6%	60.1%	80.2%	99.8%
Room Temp.	45.3° C	44.3° C	44.8° C	46.4° C	46.5° C
PSU Temp.	47.1° C	46.0° C	46.5° C	47.6° C	47.3° C
Voltage Regulation	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
Ripple and Noise	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
AC Power	156.1 W	299.1 W	436.3 W	598.2 W	759.0 W
Efficiency	89.4%	90.4%	89.5%	87.2%	85.5%
AC Voltage	117.4 V	115.8 V	114.6 V	113.0 V	111.4 V
Power Factor	0.957	0.961	0.973	0.981	0.985
Final Result	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass

The 80 Plus Gold certification promises efficiency of at least 87% under light (i.e., 20%) load, 90% under typical (i.e., 50%) load, and 87% under full (i.e., 100%) load. While the SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W was able to match these numbers at light and typical loads (with very high efficiency at light load, by the way), at full load efficiency was of 85.5 percent. As we always explain, the tests for the 80 Plus certification are conducted at 23° C, we test power supplies between 45° C and 50° C, and efficiency drops as temperature increases. Also, during our full-load tests, the AC voltage was at 111 V, which also explains the lower efficiency.

Let’s discuss voltage regulation on the next page.[nextpage title=”Voltage Regulation Tests”]

The ATX12V specification states that positive voltages must be within 5% of their nominal values, and negative voltages must be within 10% of their nominal values. We consider a power supply as “flawless” if it shows voltages within 3% of its nominal values. In the table below, you can see the power supply voltages during our tests and, in the following table, the deviation, in percentage, of their nominal values.

The SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W presented outstanding voltage regulation, as you can see below, except for the -12 V output during tests one and two (this output was still inside the allowed range, though).

Input	Test 1	Test 2	Test 3	Test 4	Test 5
+12VA	+12.08 V	+12.04 V	+12.00 V	+11.96 V	+11.92 V
+12VB	+12.08 V	+12.02 V	+11.99 V	+11.95 V	+11.90 V
+5 V	+4.97 V	+4.95 V	+4.93 V	+4.91 V	+4.88 V
+3.3 V	+3.35 V	+3.34 V	+3.31 V	+3.28 V	+3.26 V
+5VSB	+5.03 V	+5.00 V	+4.94 V	+4.93 V	+4.89 V
-12 V	-10.95 V	-11.14 V	-11.38 V	-11.76 V	-12.05 V

Input	Test 1	Test 2	Test 3	Test 4	Test 5
+12VA	0.67%	0.33%	0.00%	-0.33%	-0.67%
+12VB	0.67%	0.17%	-0.08%	-0.42%	-0.83%
+5 V	-0.60%	-1.00%	-1.40%	-1.80%	-2.40%
+3.3 V	1.52%	1.21%	0.30%	-0.61%	-1.21%
+5VSB	0.60%	0.00%	-1.20%	-1.40%	-2.20%
-12 V	9.59%	7.72%	5.45%	2.04%	-0.41%

Let’s discuss the ripple and noise levels on the next page.

[nextpage title=”Ripple and Noise Tests”]

Voltages at the power supply outputs must be as “clean” as possible, with no noise or oscillation (also known as “ripple”). The maximum ripple and noise levels allowed are 120 mV for +12 V and -12 V outputs, and 50 mV for +5 V, +3.3 V and +5VSB outputs. All values are peak-to-peak figures. We consider a power supply as being top-notch if it can produce half or less of the maximum allowed ripple and noise levels.

The SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W provided ripple and noise levels within the allowed range, however, noise levels at the +3.3 V output we
re almost touching the maximum allowed during tests four and five.

Input	Test 1	Test 2	Test 3	Test 4	Test 5
+12VA	37.4 mV	30.0 mV	30.2 mV	28.4 mV	30.4 mV
+12VB	35.2 mV	30.4 mV	29.2 mV	29.2 mV	29.4 mV
+5 V	18.8 mV	23.0 mV	26.4 mV	32.8 mV	38.4 mV
+3.3 V	17.4 mV	23.2 mV	28.2 mV	48.8 mV	46.4 mV
+5VSB	8.6 mV	13.4 mV	17.4 mV	22.4 mV	29.4 mV
-12 V	64.4 mV	53.4 mV	58.6 mV	76.2 mV	92.4 mV

Below you can see the waveforms of the outputs during test five.

Figure 24: +12VA input from load tester during test five at 648.8 W (30.4 mV)

Figure 25: +12VB input from load tester during test five at 648.8 W (29.4 mV)

Figure 26: +5V rail during test five at 648.8 W (38.4 mV)

Figure 27: +3.3 V rail during test five at 648.8 W (46.4 mV)

Let’s see if we can pull more than 650 W from this unit. [nextpage title=”Overload Tests”]

Below you can see the maximum we could pull from this power supply. The objective of this test is to see if the power supply has its protection circuits working properly. This unit passed this test, since it shut down when we tried to pull more than what is listed below. During this test, noise and ripple levels were above the maximum allowed at the +3.3 V output, at 59.8 mV, and touching the limit at the +5 V output, at +47.8 mV. On the other hand, levels at the +12 V output were still very low at 33 mV. Voltages were still within 3% of their nominal values.

Input	Overload Test
+12VA	29 A (348 W)
+12VB	29 A (348 W)
+5 V	10 A (50 W)
+3.3 V	10 A (33 W)
+5VSB	3 A (15 W)
-12 V	0.5 A (6 W)
Total	789.3 W
% Max Load	121.4%
Room Temp.	43.6° C
PSU Temp.	45.9° C
AC Power	958 W
Efficiency	82.4%
AC Voltage	108.9 V
Power Factor	0.988

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

The main specifications for the SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W power supply include:

• Standards: NA
• Nominal labeled power: 650 W at 40° C, 700 W peak
• Measured maximum power: 789.3 W at 43.6° C
• Labeled efficiency: Between 87% and 89%, 80 Plus Gold certification (87% at light/20% load, 90% at typical/50% load, and 87% at full/100% load)
• Measured efficiency: Between 85.5% and 90.4% at 115 V (nominal, see complete results for actual voltage)
• Active PFC: Yes
• Modular Cabling System: Yes, full
• Motherboard Power Connectors: One 20/24-pin connector and two ATX12V connectors that together form an EPS12V connector
• Video Card Power Connectors: Four six/eight-pin connectors on two cables
• SATA Power Connectors: Eight on two cables
• Peripheral Power Connectors: Six on two cables
• Floppy Disk Drive Power Connectors: Two on two cables
• Protections (as listed by the manufacturer): Over voltage (OVP), over current (OCP), over power (OPP), over temperature (OTP), short-circuit (SCP), and no-load operation (NLO) protections
• Are the above protections really available? Yes.
• Warranty: NA
• Real Manufacturer: Enhance
• More Information: https://www.silverstonetek.com.tw
• MSRP in the U.S.: USD 140.00

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

The SilverStone Strider Gold 650 W is not a bad power supply, with great voltage regulation and very good efficiency if you pull up to 80% of its labeled wattage. The fully modular cabling system is also a plus.

On the negative side, we saw 85.5% efficiency when pulling 650 W from this unit at real-world temperatures and noise and ripple levels that were too high at the +3.3 V output, although still below the maximum allowed.

These little issues result in this unit being a step below its main competitors, in particular the Seasonic X-Series KM3 650 W, which is a flawless unit that provides better performance, also has a fully modular cabling system, and is USD 10 cheaper, making it a far better option.