Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
If you have seen a SilverStone power supply before, the Strider Gold S ST85F-GS 850W's appearance should be very familiar to you. However, unlike the Strider Essential Gold ST70F-ESG 700W I have covered in detail back in May, you can easily find the company's branding all over the power supply. From our view above, SilverStone's logo is located dead center on the five-ring fan grille, while the full branding is embossed onto the metal casing at forty five degree angle on the other side. Its classical SECC construction comes finished off with the customary black matte paint. Adjacent to the fan grille is a series of stickers that contains the unit's serial number, internal quality test certifications, warranty label, plus one that says "V1.0"'. Residing behind the five-ring fan grille -- where quite a bit of its center opening is lost to the company's logo -- is the primary and only cooling fan installed. The 120mm fan generates airflow by drawing air from the bottom of the power supply over its internal components to keep the temperatures in check. Exhaust heat is allowed to leave at the back of the power supply through the large secondary honeycomb mesh opening.
Measuring in at 15.0cm in length, the SilverStone Strider Gold S ST85F-GS 850W is one of the shortest power supplies we have reviewed here in APH Networks. It is one centimeter longer than the non-S Strider Gold series, but SilverStone claims the Strider Gold S ST85F-GS is still the smallest fully modular 850W power supply on the market today (The one I have linked to above is only 650W). Most modular power supplies are longer than non-modular units by a centimeter or two, as the extra length is needed to accommodate its connector board at the back. We will take a look inside the PSU on the next page. For most ATX or eATX chassis, length should not be much of a problem, if at all. However, if you have a mATX or mITX case that takes standard power supplies, the shorter length will definitely serve as an advantage, especially considering the fact the ST85F-GS is fully modular. Meanwhile, four screws secure the power supply case together; where one screw has a warranty seal over it, so you cannot open the power supply without voiding the three year warranty.
Starting from the back part of the power supply, we have the same familiar honeycomb mesh design like most PSUs with bottom mounted fans; and the standard on/off switch located on top of the male connector for power input on the western edge. The low resistance honeycomb mesh design is implemented to maximize airflow and minimize air resistance. This is done as heat needs to leave the power supply as easily and efficiently as possible, because the SilverStone Strider Gold S ST85F-GS 850W incorporates only one 120mm fan at the bottom, with no auxiliary fans. It is also implemented in an efficient manner, as these components take up minimal amounts of room at the back. As with most new power supplies, the SilverStone Strider Gold S has an automatic full range (100V-240V) AC line voltage selection, so the user does not have to worry about manually selecting input voltage.
Like the SilverStone Strider Gold Evolution ST75F-G 750W, SilverStone Strider Gold ST75F-G 750W, SilverStone Strider Gold ST65F-G 650W, and SilverStone Strider Plus ST75F-P 750W, none of which were reviewed by me, the SilverStone Strider Gold S ST85F-GS 850W is a fully modular power supply. This means all cables are completely detachable from the main unit. While it is somewhat questionable with regards to why this is necessary for other manufacturers, since cables such as the ATX 24-pin and ATX 4-pin/EPS 8-pin have practically an 100% chance of being connected at all times, SilverStone actually has a case to argue for this design choice. If you have a tight fitting case, you can opt for the optional PP05-E short cable kit for better airflow and better cabling jobs. Additionally, with fully detachable cables, it may prove to be beneficial to an extent when building your computer initially.
The rear cable connection panel is done nicely. Similar connectors are grouped together; and are laid out in a very logical manner. To ensure you know what is going on, a diagram is situated on top for minimal ambiguity. From the top to bottom and left to right, we have one ATX 24-pin connector block, four peripheral outputs for eight SATA/six Molex/two floppy, two ATX/EPS 4+4 pin outputs, as well as four PCI Express outputs for eight 6+2 pin connectors. Incompatible outputs will not physically fit into each other, so I think SilverStone has done a great job in this regard. This generous array of available connectors should be more than sufficient for casual users and power enthusiasts alike.
The external build quality of SilverStone's Strider Gold S power supply is excellent as always -- a good indication the company is serious about the product they are selling. We will take it apart in just a moment. Fit is done well with minimal panel gaps, and all edges are nicely finished off. The level of refinement with regards to the external build quality is comparable with all the other high quality PSUs I have used in the past -- the difference is its physical design is not special at all. As aforementioned, we will crack open the power supply to see what components are inside in the following section.
The voltage specification label on the right panel of the SilverStone Strider Gold S ST85F-GS 850W. There are two main virtual rails. Up to 22A can be delivered via the +3.3V rail for a total of 72.6W; while the 25A on the +5V rail brings the output to 125W in this area. The total combined output for the +3.3V and +5V rail is 150W. In other words, your power allocation combination must fall within the limits of the listed specifications. Meanwhile, a single powerful +12V rail delivers up to 70A (840W) to reduce operating overhead compared to multiple +12V rails. Overall, the combined power output for the whole ST85F-GS is... well, 850W haha. Again, your power distribution in your system must fall within the limits provided -- it must not exceed 72.6W on the +3.3V rail, 125W on the +5V rail and 150W combined for both, 840W on the +12V rail, and 850W combined between the +12V and +3.3/+5V rails. It does sound a bit confusing to understand how this works at first, but generally speaking, this configuration allows fairly flexible power demands and should be sufficient to accommodate most users. The overall distribution is quite reasonable for an 850W power supply.
The SilverStone Strider Gold S ST85F-GS 850W is 80 Plus Gold certified, which means that it is certified to be at least 87%, 90%, 87% efficient at 20%, 50%, and 100% load, respectively. Higher certifications available for power supplies of this type include 80 Plus Platinum and 80 Plus Titanium at press time.
A total of eleven modular cables are included out of the box. All modular cables are flat and easy to bend, making them extremely easy to work with. Surprisingly, all wires are 18 AWG, including high current PCI Express and ATX/EPS connectors. Usually, manufacturers will fatten them up to 16 AWG, but SilverStone opted out on that.
The following modular cables are included out of the box:
- 1x ATX 20+4 pin, 55.0cm
- 1x ATX/EPS 4+4 pin, 75.0cm
- 1x ATX/EPS 4+4 pin, 55.0cm
- 4x PCIe 6+2 pin, 55.0cm
- 2x SATA, 4 connectors each, 60.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 2x Molex and Floppy, 4 connectors each, 60.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter, 1 Floppy at the end of dongle
These are just specified measurements from the manufacturer. Most users should have no problems with SilverStone's Strider Gold S ST85F-GS 850W, even if your case has a bottom power supply mount. 50cm is the general standard, and this power supply met or exceeded this recommendation in all counts.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
