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Silverstone_80Plus_PSU_intro2.jpgImageSilverstone has presented the market with the Strider Plus series. Compared to the previous series, without the “Plus” in the name, the differences are numerous, the biggest one being that the Strider Plus only has one +12V rail, whereas the predecessor had multiple. Important differences don’t end there, because the new series PSUs also sport a 13.5 cm fan, which should, owing to its larger diameter, keep the PSU cool and stable at a lower RPM rate, thus reducing the overall noise emission. The new series also has improved power efficiency, all of them proudly wearing the 80 Plus Silver certificate. We received all three representatives of the new product family, declared at 750, 850 and 1000 W.
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At first glance, all PSUs look the same from the outside, the only difference being the sticker each one is bearing, except for the obvious difference in weight, since more power means more components tucked into the interior. The boxes that house the PSUs are identical as well, and the bundle inside, other than the obligatory manual and the PSU itself, contains two sets of installation screws, two “sticky” Velcro tapes, two tapes for easier cabling and a power cable. All PSUs are fully modular, including even the 24-pin cable, which may come in handy during the installation in a modestly sized casing.  GPU connectors are blue-coloured, whereas all others are black, which eases the installation of a new cable when needed. All models contain a variety of cables (check the specification charts), which are of comfortable length - certainly an advantage. Even as much as two 4/8-pin cables are included, in order to provide additional power for the CPU if needed, which is quite a rare feat. All PSUs also pack four PCI-Express connectors for graphics cards, except for the strongest models, which has an entire six. During work, even at full load, the PSU fan kept a constant low RPM rate, enough to keep the PSU cool without making too much noise. The only small remark can be directed at the plastic used for the connectors on the PSUs themselves - it could have been of better quality. Still, the cables and the connectors on them are satisfactory in terms of quality, having in mind the price range of these PSUs.

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In order to efficiently test these PSUs and show the difference between the models, we had to create a multi-GPU configuration with a heavily overclocked quad-core CPU. For testing purposes, we used an AMD Phenom II 965 processor overclocked to 4020 MHz, two ASUS Matrix 4870 GPUs and a plethora of fans to keep all of that cool. Full load regime was achieved by running Linux and Crysis at maximum detail level at the same time. We measured the voltage levels at several hot spots using a voltmeter and noting the average value the voltage was revolving around. The interesting thing about the results is that, even though the PSUs only have one +12V rail, the voltages in approximately the same situations weren’t equal, which could either indicate an academic error margin or the possibility of cable length affecting the achieved voltage values. The tests showed unambiguously that the voltage drop on the 750 W model’s +5V rail was drastic, but still within ATX specifications.

  SST-ST75F-P (750W) SST-ST85F-P (850W) SST-ST1000-P (1000W)
  Idle Full Load Idle Full Load Idle Full Load
Molex +12 V 12.06 V 12.05 V 12.01 V 12.02 V 12.03 V 12.02 V
Molex +5 V 5.05 V 5.05 V 5.05 V 5.04 V 5.04 V 5.03 V
PCI-e +12 V 12.05 V 12.01 V 12.01 V 11.99 V 12.02 V 12.02 V
ATX +12 V 11.99 V 11.96 V 11.96 V 12.02 V 12.01 V 11.99 V
ATX +5 V 4.99 V 4.88 V 5 V 4.97 V 5.02 V 5 V
ATX +3.3 V 3.31 V 3.32 V 3.3 V 3.27 V 3.35 V 3.35 V


The other measurements were quite satisfactory with academic-level differences and we can say that the PSUs passed the tests with an excellent grade. We’ve also noticed that we’ve had the biggest power consumption on the 750 W model, since efficiency degrades as the limit of the PSU is approached. All in all, the Striders proved to be a very good choice, and having in mind the respective prices, the 850 W model seems a best-buy to us, mostly because the price is insignificantly higher than the 750 W model. Therefore, if you own a multi-GPU system or belong to the enthusiast group, the Silverstone Strider Plus PSUs go with our commendations.

  SST-ST75-P SST-ST85-P SST-ST1000-P
Declared power 750 W 850 W 1000 W
Peak power 800 W 950 W 1100 W
Current on +12/+5/+3.3 V 60 / 25 / 20 A 67 / 25 / 20 A 80 / 30 / 30 A
24-pin cable length & qty. 1 x 55 cm
4/8-pin cable length & qty. 1 x 55 cm, 1 x 75 cm
PCIe 6-pin length & qty. 2 x 55 cm 2 x 70 cm
PCIe 6/8-pin length & qty. 2 x 55 cm 4 x 55 cm
SATA cables length & qty. 2 x 50 cm, 2 x 75 cm, 2 x 100 cm
ATA cables length & qty. 2 x 50 cm, 2 x 75 cm, 2 x 100 cm
Floppy cables length & qty. 2 x 115 cm
Weight 2.8 kg 2.9 kg 3 kg
Dimensions 150 x 86 x 160 mm
Price about 124 EUR about 140 EUR about 192 EUR
Contact www.silverstonetek.com