SilverStone Strider Titanium ST80F-TI Power Supply Review

SilverStone Technology Strider Titanium Series proclaims the worlds smallest 80 PLUS Titanium certified, full-modular, ATX power supplies.

These enthusiasts grade power supply units (PSUs) can accommodate virtually any PC build with an assortment of wattages ranging through 600W, 700W, 800W, 1100W, 1300W and 1500W.

In this review article we're going to cover the SilverStone Strider Titanium ST80F-TI which is the 800W model, retailing online for $145.

Features

Highlight summary:

• High efficiency with 80 PLUS Titanium certification
• Compact design with a depth of 150mm
• All Japanese capacitors
• 100% modular cables
• Single +12V rail design
• 24/7 continuous power output with 40C operating temperature
• ±3% regulation and low ripple & noise performance
• Silent running 120mm fan with 18dBA minimum
• 5 year warranty

Specifications

• Max. DC Output: 800W (Peak 850W)
• Power density: 413W per liter
• Dimension: 150 mm (W) × 86 mm (H) × 150mm (D)
• Form factor: ATX
• MTBF: 100,000 hours
• Certification: 80 PLUS Titanium

Hardware

Contents of the retail box includes a power supply unit, product documentation, velcro strapping, tie wraps, mounting screws, power cord, magnetic dust cover and several modular flat flex connector cables as outlined below.

• 1 x 24 / 20-Pin motherboard connector (550mm)
• 1 x 8 / 4-Pin EPS / ATX 12V connector (750mm)
• 1 x 8 / 4-Pin EPS / ATX 12V connector (550mm)
• 4 x 8 / 6-Pin PCIE connector ("550mm" x 4)
• 12 x SATA connector ("600mm / 150mm / 150mm / 150mm" x 3)
• 3 x 4-Pin Peripheral connector (600mm / 150mm / 150mm)
• 1 x 4-Pin Floppy adapter connector (100mm)

Measurement of the cables are all within acceptable lengths. The sleeving is flexible, allowing for moderate bending up to 90 degree angles without damage.

Being a fully modular power supply means that the cables are not affixed to the unit. This feature allows for optimal cable management, by selectively attaching only what is required for your configuration.

Furthermore, it reduces issues with cable routing, along with significantly decreasing air-flow issues typically related to excess cable clutter. Each mating connector is protected with a removable hard plastic cap which is also a nice little touch.

A compact design makes this the world's smallest fully modular ATX power supply with an 80 PLUS Titanium efficiency rating. I'm not about to search the globe to quantify this claim, so let's just roll with SilverStone marketing on this one.

Measuring in at only 150 mm (W) x 86 mm (H) x 150 mm (D) the SilverStone ST80F-TI is considerably smaller when compared to the foot-print of a standard power supply. As you can see, the profile is square vs. a conventional PSU rectangular shape.

The housing has a black stippled finish on a physically solid construction weighing in at 2.7 kg.

For cooling a single 120mm silent fan with magnetic dust cover is present. Noise level rating on the fan is 18 dBA minimum and nearly indiscernible under a variety of loads I've tested.

Branding is also kept to a minimum with the only unique identifiers being a SilverStone logo on the fan grill and embossed text stamped into one of the sides.

The ST80F-TI meets 80 PLUS Titanium certification for energy efficiency with a maximum DC output of 800W (peak 850W).

Those of you interested in a technical overview of 80 PLUS there is a wealth of information online that can better explain. However, for sake of this article I will provide a brief summarization based on my understanding. 80 PLUS is a well recognized, voluntary certification program which started back in 2004 with the intended purpose of promoting efficient energy use in computer power supplies. It certifies products that have more than 80% energy efficiency at 20%, 50% and 100% of rated load, and a power factor of 0.9 or greater at 100% load.

Over the years efficiency level certifications have evolved from being just one rating of 80 PLUS, into 80 PLUS Bronze, 80 PLUS Silver, 80 PLUS Gold, 80 PLUS Platinum and 80 PLUS Titanium.

Currently in 2018 there are a total of six certification levels, 80 PLUS Titanium being the most significant as it has elevated efficiency requirements for 20%, 50%, and 100% loads along with introduction of a new 10% condition. A Titanium rating is best it gets and ensures a power supply will operate with at least 90% efficiency over the full range of rated loads and delivers up to 94% efficiency at a 50% load.

Internally are Japanese capacitors (considered to be of high quality) along with features such as ±3% voltage regulation providing consistency over a wide range of load conditions, a powerful single +12V rail design to accommodate power hungry components, in addition to Active Power Factor Correction (APFC) used to reduce harmonic wave and efficiently distributing power.

Greater the efficiency of a power supply, lesser the energy consumption and heat it produces. Both of these factors affect performance and lifetime of internal components. The ST80F-TI has an operating temperature rating of 40 Celsius, a Mean time between failures (MTBF) of 100,000 hours and backed by a 5 year warranty. These numbers are marginally lower than the 50 Celsius ratings, 140,000+ hour MTBF and 10+ year warranty we identify with similar high quality power supplies. But regardless, the price point is economically prudent on this power supply.