SilverStone Strider Gold Evolution 750 W Power Supply Review

Primary Analysis

On this page we will take an in-depth look at the primary stage of the SilverStone Strider Gold Evolution 750 W. For a better understanding, please read our “Anatomy of Switchi
ng Power Supplies” tutorial.

This power supply uses one GBU1006 rectifying bridge, which is attached to an individual heatsink. This bridge supports up to 10 A at 100° C, so in theory, you would be able to pull up to 1,150 W from a 115 V power grid. Assuming 80% efficiency, the bridge would allow this unit to deliver up to 920 W without burning itself out. 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 STW20NM50FD MOSFETs, each one capable of delivering up to 20 A at 25° C or 14 A at 100° C in continuous mode (note the difference temperature makes), or up to 80 A in pulse mode at 25° C, each. These transistors present a 220 mΩ resistance when turned on, a characteristic called RDS(on). The lower this number the better, meaning that the transistors will waste less power, and the power supply will achieve a higher efficiency.

The output of the active PFC circuit is filtered by two 270 µF x 420 V electrolytic capacitors connected in parallel. This is the equivalent of one 540 µF x 420 V. Both capacitors are Japanese, from Matsushita (Panasonic), and labeled at 105° C.

In the switching section, the SilverStone Strider Gold Evolution 750 W uses another two STW20NM50FD MOSFETs in the traditional two-transistor forward configuration. The specifications for these transistors were previously discussed above.

Figure 12: Switching transistors, active PFC diode, and active PFC transistors

The primary is managed by a CM6802 PWM controller.

Figure 13: PWM controller

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