SilverStone Strider Gold Evolution 750 W Power Supply Review
Load Tests
Contents
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 differe
nt 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.
| Input | Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Test 4 | Test 5 |
| +12VA | 5 A (60 W) | 11 A (132 W) | 16 A (192 W) | 22 A (264 W) | 27 A (324 W) |
| +12VB | 5 A (60 W) | 10 A (120 W) | 16 A (192 W) | 21 A (252 W) | 27 A (324 W) |
| +5 V | 2 A (10 W) | 4 A (20 W) | 6 A (30 W) | 8 A (40 W) | 11 A (55 W) |
| +3.3 V | 2 A (6.6 W) | 4 A (13.2 W) | 6 A (19.8 W) | 8 A (26.4 W) | 11 A (36.3 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 | 147.1 W | 296.6 W | 444.9 W | 591.9 W | 748.4 W |
| % Max Load | 19.6% | 39.5% | 59.3% | 78.9% | 99.8% |
| Room Temp. | 45.2° C | 45.0° C | 46.9° C | 47.2° C | 46.8° C |
| PSU Temp. | 45.9° C | 46.2° C | 46.8° C | 48.0° C | 48.9° C |
| Voltage Regulation | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Ripple and Noise | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| AC Power | 168.5 W | 332.2 W | 499.2 W | 674.0 W | 869.0 W |
| Efficiency | 87.3% | 89.3% | 89.1% | 87.8% | 86.1% |
| AC Voltage | 116.1 V | 114.4 V | 112.8 V | 110.4 V | 108.8 V |
| Power Factor | 0.944 | 0.965 | 0.975 | 0.977 | 0.983 |
| Final Result | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
The SilverStone Strider Gold Evolution 750 W can really deliver its labeled wattage at high temperatures.
Efficiency was between 86.1% and 89.3% during our tests. At our full load test, efficiency was a bit below the 87% minimum promised by the 80 Plus Gold certification. If you follow our reviews, you know that temperature plays a major role in efficiency. The higher the temperature, the lower the efficiency. During this test, the AC voltage dropped below 115 V, which also affects efficiency.
Voltage regulation was very good, with all voltages closer to their nominal values than required (three percent regulation), except the -12 V output during all tests, the +3.3 V output during test five (at +3.20 V), and the +5VSB output during tests four and five (at +4.84 V and +4.79 V, respectively). These outputs were still inside the allowed range. 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.
Let’s discuss the ripple and noise levels on the next page.
