INTRODUCTION

   The power supply unit is without doubt one of the most important hardware components for gamers, enthusiasts and professionals so it doesn’t' come as a surprise that in the market currently one can even find ATX form factor models with outputs of up to 2000W and a plethora of power connectors. Not everyone however is building a gaming or a high/ultra-high end rig, some people are actually into small desktop systems housed inside HTPC cases and to them size comes well before output and available connectors. For such use almost two decades ago the industry (more specifically Intel) released the SFX form factor (followed by several revisions) and the rest as they say is history. SilverStone just recently updated their growing SFX line of power supply units with the SST-ST45SF V3.0 model and as usual we decided to take a closer look.

   Founded in 2003, SilverStone is an established leader in its field, with an elite team of engineers; we started our quest of providing products that create inspirations. We have since expanded the lines of products as well as types of products we produce, giving our customers a wide selection of choices. With distribution centers in different areas of the globe, SilverStone products can be seen all over the world, not just for computer users but also for home entertainment use. Providing leisure with integration of advanced technologies that is functional and making them enjoyable to use. Here at SilverStone Technology, we continue to pride ourselves in providing the highest level of standards in designing and manufacturing computer enclosures, power supplies, and accessories. Our pursuit for the first class aesthetic appeal is relentless; our teams of devoted engineers are constantly searching for the best technologies that suit end-users with different needs and will make our products as technologically sound as they are beautiful.

   The SST-ST45SF v3.0 is a SFX form factor 80 plus bronze certified (82%+ electrical efficiency) power supply unit that features a single +12V rail (37.5A), 92mm "silent" intake fan and a total output of 450W (578.6W peak). Of course as expected really because of its rather low output unlike its larger cousin the SST-SX600-G (600W max/690W peak) the SST-ST45SF is not modular so all of its available power connectors are hardwired into the main unit. Along with the main 20/24 pin power connector the SST-ST45SF also features an 8/4 pin EPS connector, 8/6 pin PCIe connector, three SATA connectors, two 4 pin Molex connectors and a 4 pin Floppy connector. The SST-ST45SF v3.0 has a reported MTBF of 100.000 hours and also features several electrical protections including OCP (over-current protection), OVP (over-voltage protection), SCP (short-circuit protection), OPP (over-power protection) and UVP (under-voltage protection).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The main product features are listed at the front of the box right in front of a partial picture of the product.

You can check the available power connectors and the electrical specifications of the ST-ST45SF from the base of the box.

The product specifications are printed at the rear of the box in 10 languages right next to two graphs showcasing the 80 Plus Bronze efficiency and its noise/RPM levels.

Packing is not perfect but the unit is not heavy so that wasn't a problem.

Along with the SST-ST45SF and its power cord you will also get an SFX too ATX mounting bracket, 8 screws, user manual and warranty information paper.

THE SST-ST45SF EXTERIOR

Measuring just 120mm in width, 100mm in length and 63.5mm in height the SST-ST45SF is one of the smallest SFX form factor power supply units in the market.

To showcase its size we placed the SST-ST45SF right next to a smaller ATX sized PSU (FSP Aurum 92+ 650W) and a standard ATX sized PSU (Thermaltake Grand Platinum 850W).

The 92mm intake fan used in the v3.0 model (the v2.0 features a 80mm one) should combine good cooling efficiency with relatively low noise levels (compared to the 80mm one).

A large sticker placed on the right side of the chassis has the electrical specifications table printed on it.

The product serial number, version and several certification stickers are all placed on the left side.

Once again we see the SilverStone logo engraved at the base of the unit.

Moving at the rear we find the usual honeycomb area along with an on/off switch and the power port.

Here we see all of the available power connectors.

THE SST-ST45SF INTERIOR

Globe Fan is the manufacturer of the 92mm intake fan which can reach speeds up to 2000RPM to produce up to 20.2CFM of airflow with just 19dBA of noise.

Three heatsinks divide the interior of the PSU into 4 areas (High Power Technology is the OEM manufacturer).

Nippon Chemi-Con is the supplier of the primary capacitor which is rated for 105°C.

Our sample came with secondary capacitors manufactured by both Nippon Chemi-Con and Rubycon again rated for use up to 105°C.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

     Using a dedicated measurement instrument such as a Chroma or a SunMoon to test power supply units is without doubt the most ideal and accurate way (not to mention the fastest) to do that currently. However it's certainly not the only way there is and so pretty much anyone can test a power supply unit just by using a computer. Certainly limitations do apply and so you can't really test a 1000W power supply if your system only uses 500W at peak loads and that's why during the past 5 years i have saved certain hardware components for the purpose of building a dedicated PSU test rig. True it may not be as accurate as the above mentioned solutions but it comes really close and is in fact closer to real world usage. So as always we ran several games with maximum graphic options enabled at a resolution of 2560x1600 in order to stress every hardware component and increase the overall power demands of the system. The Passmark BurnIn Test was also used to overstress the components in an effort to provide the most accurate results possible. As a final test we also used the latest OCCT 4.4 software and its dedicated PSU testing suite since it can really bring a power supply to its knees after inside a few minutes.

       Rail stability was checked/measured with the CPUID Hardware monitor and a Metex multimeter which also recorded the system load in idle and in load. As always try to remember that the power consumption numbers listed in the graph are the highest (Peak) ones recorded during the entire duration of the tests and not the average ones. Noise levels coming from the fan were recorded using the high precision HD600 ExTech Sound dBA Meter from the rear of the unit and at a range of no more than 5-10cm. Readings under load are recorded the exact moment we manually switch the fans of all graphics cards from full speed to almost zero, that way the fan of the power supply does not have enough time to slow its RPM and so by doing this we get very accurate noise level readings. Needless to say in order to get 100% accurate readings you need to have a noise isolated room for that exact purpose, something which is quite impossible unless you are working inside a real lab (some people use very small noise insulated boxes but due to their size both heat and noise exceed normal levels and so the results can't really be considered to be 100% accurate). Also do take into account that since all noise measurements take place from just 5-10cm away the final noise levels to reach your ears will be considerably less.

TEST RESULTS

RAILS

Rails are quite tight if you take into account that this is an SFX form factor PSU plugged onto a gaming rig (lucky for us Molex power connectors can be used with 6/8 pin PCIe adapters).

CONSUMPTION

Instant power consumption climbed up to 552W without any issues.

NOISE LEVELS

The 92mm fan is quite inaudible even at full load.

CONCLUSION

   The SST-ST45SF may not impress with its large power output, modular design or its plethora of available power connectors since it features none of that but it’s still a very compact unit with surprisingly good rail stability and noise levels. For good or bad the 92mm intake fan spins the moment you press the power button but since it’s almost inaudible up to 50-60% of load I wouldn’t call that a bad thing. Finally I would like to see a 2^nd PCIe connector since one might just be not enough for some people (for a 450W PSU however it should do fine) but don’t forget that this PSU also has Molex power connectors so you can always use a PCIe adapter (although these are obviously not the best solution).

   So how much does it cost? Well the good news is that currently you can find the SST-ST45SF 450W v3.0 SFX power supply unit by SilverStone for just USD59.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 62Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). This price tag puts the SST-ST45SF in the lower end of similar SFX form factor PSUs and since we all feel it delivers on everything one would expect from such a model it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Tiny SFX Form Factor Model
- Solid Rail Stability
- 80 Plus Bronze Certified
- Noise Levels
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Only One PCIe Connector