CONCLUSION

   Since I’ve been using full towers with all my systems for the past 16 years or so I’ve never cared about the size of a PSU but most people i know do so it was a nice surprise to see that SilverStone released a high quality and performance model aimed towards all of them. Unfortunately using a smaller enclosure means higher temperatures (in general anyways) and I think it’s largely because of that SilverStone rates the Strider Titanium at an ambient of 40° and not 50°C as most other full sized models. Also using a smaller sized fan (120mm vs 130/135mm used in most full sized models) means higher RPM and ontop of that the SST-ST80F-TI doesn’t have a semi-passive feature. Of course I don’t consider that to be a bad thing since whether a PSU fan sits still or spins at 650-700RPM chances are something inside your system will be louder (CPU cooler, GPU cooler or system fan, take your pick). Overall I can’t think of a single bad thing about the Strider Titanium Series so all that’s left is just how much it costs.

   Well it seems that SilverStone has placed a somewhat high price tag on the Strider Titanium Series 800W SST-ST80F-TI since it currently retails for USAD169.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 182Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Of course we do understand that these price tags are attached on the smallest 80 Plus Titanium certified PSU on the planet which is also modular but when consumers can currently find quite a few 80 Plus Gold power supply units in the market at around the same power output (750-850W) but at half the cost it’s hard to see them going for the Strider Titanium Series. On the other hand the Strider Titanium Series is indeed aimed towards more demanding users who in all likelihood will have zero problems with cost and since overall this is one of the best PSUs to ever reach our test bench it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Size (150mm Long)
- Excellent Rail Stability
- Fully Modular
- Flat Modular Cables
- 80 Plus Titanium Certified
- Electrical Protections
- Peak Output (850W)
- FF141 Fan Filter
 

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Noise Levels (Compared To The Competition)