Page 3 - Physical Look - Inside
After removing the four standard Phillips head screws, the innards of the SilverStone Strider Plus ST75F-P 750W are revealed. However, I must again warn users planning to crack open the power supply will inevitably void the warranty. There is a three year warranty on this power supply, and I suggest that if a user were to open it up, it would be at least after the warranty is expired.
As far as size is concerned, the external dimensions allow the inside to be quite spacious up top. Most of the space across the bottom is taken up by the PCB and its components, which we will take a more specific look in just a short moment. Normally, tightly spaced components will make it hard to dissipate heat effectively due to heat congestion, but with large heatsinks and the included 135mm fan, it should be more than enough to remove the heat generated by the components inside. Since this is an 80 Plus Silver certified unit, higher efficiency also translates to lower heat production. As mentioned on the previous page, while the size does seem a bit big for a 750W power supply, its 850W and 1000W variants all utilize the same housing. In essence, it is more cost effective to use the exact same housing for all three power supplies in the same line; the savings can then be passed to the consumer.
One things I would like to point out before moving further is the way the fan is connected to the mainboard -- it is actually similar to how the fan is powered in the Seasonic S12D 850W. The stock fan obtains power via a 2-pin non-soldered connector; if you ever feel the need to replace the stock fan, it should not be much of a challenge. Of course, replacing the fan means the warranty will be voided, and 135mm fans aren't exactly easy to find.
The AC transient filter stage, being the first input stage into any standard computer power supply unit, starts at the AC input. The AC input can be found where the honeycomb mesh is located, and moves through the X capacitors and Y capacitors. This specific model happens to have only two X capacitors and two Y capacitors for this whole phase from what I can see. A quick reference: The Seasonic S12D and M12D power supplies have four ferrite coils, two metalized polyester X-capacitors, and four ceramic Y-capacitors.
One of the prominent things that especially caught my eye are the giant heatsinks installed liberally inside the SilverStone Strider Plus ST75F-P 750W. Since they are long and are spread quite far apart, heat dissipation should be pretty good thanks to the amount of surface area given. As most of the power supply is actually blocked by the huge 'finger tip' heatsinks, it was quite a challenge for me to examine the model of each individual components for this report, haha. Also seen above is the thin, transparent plastic piece along the side to keep components from making erratic contact with the metal enclosure.
As previously mentioned, one thing that is noticeably missing from the back of the SilverStone Strider Plus ST75F-P 750W is the power switch. Nonetheless, the rest of the usual components are here, including the male power connector, as well as the automatic full range (100V-240V) AC line voltage selector. Also shown are the X capacitors and Y capacitors apparently located in the green plastic enclosures. All the points do appear to have been soldered on neatly, and look to be a decently clean job.
Included beneath the large heatsink arrays are various copper ferrite coils, bridge rectifiers, X and Y capacitors, miscellaneous capacitors, and fan control thermistor. Unlike some lower end Thermaltake designs I have seen in the past, there are no random globs of plastic over components, or at the very least, they have been hidden well by the overshadowing heatsinks.
Two filter capacitors are used on this design, but direct view is blocked by the heatsinks. The capacitors are located near the top left of the photo above. Both filter capacitors are rated at 85c, and made by Nippon Chemi-Con. As we have stated in report after report, these are known to be very good Japanese brand filter capacitors, and are very popular with many OEMs. While it is highly unlikely that the power supply will go above the 85c mark, some power supplies in a similar price range -- such as the Seasonic S12D and M12D -- use Nippon Chemi-Con capacitors that are rated at 105c for better durability and performance in the long run. The manufacturer defends that, although even SilverStone themselves offer units with more heat tolerant components, the ST75F-P actually provides better "overall electrical performance" compared to its predecessors. We'll take their word on that, because the Strider Plus ST75F-P 750W is an 80 Plus Silver certified PSU. The secondary capacitors appear to be made by Teapo, and are also well known for their decent quality work in this area.
I was unable to examine the entire PCB in detail to find specific information that may point to its original equipment manufacturer. From my observations and research, it is most likely an Enhance OEM power supply unit. The large heatsinks are said to be a staple of Enhance, and SilverStone has also had a long record of using Enhance as their OEM for some of their Zeus series PSUs.
Taking a look at the modular cable connector printed circuit board, we can see that all of the points seem to be soldered and finished cleanly. The wires connecting to them also seem to be in the proper place, and are not all over the power supply. Overall, cables and components are quite neatly organized in the SilverStone Strider Plus ST75F-P 750W. The Enhance design appears to be a good build overall, and it should be safe to assert that all power supplies in this series should be intrinsically similar, other than components that contribute to the other models' higher combined output, obviously. As aforementioned, I am almost entirely sure that this power supply is of Enhance origin, due to significant amounts of evidence pointing in this direction, such as the components used and overall design pattern.
Finally, the 135mm fan found on the SilverStone Strider Plus ST75F-P 750W is manufactured by Young Lin Tech Co., Ltd. Young Lin Tech is a cooling fan manufacturer based in Taiwan; their fans are used by many manufacturers, notably SilverStone for this power supply (Gee, who would have thought of that? Haha. - Editor). The model number for this is written 'DFB132512H', which is rated at a maximum RPM of 1700, and has a specified airflow of up to 91.16 CFM. The sound pressure rating is 36.28 dB according to the manufacturer. The fan with the highest maximum speed from Young Lin Tech's product line was chosen, since the power supply has a built in temperature sensor, which throttles the fan accordingly. Nonetheless, if you find the fan unsatisfactory, it can be easily replaced anyway -- at the expense of your warranty, of course.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
