Corsair vs Silverstone

[Potatocodone]

CORSAIR 520HX

SILVERSTONE ST60F 600W

Well guys I need some help deciding a PSU for my up coming SFF build.

The way I see it...

Corsair:
-80 PLUS Certified
-5 year warranty
-(3)12V rail totaling 54amps

Silverstone:
-80 PLUS BRONZE Certified
-3 year warranty
-(2)12V rail totaling 64amps (I wonder why in the features it says "Quad +12V rail for superior performance"? Did newegg make a mistake listing it as (2)12V rail?)

They both pretty much cost the same in the long run since Corsair has free shipping and the silverstone has a bigger MIR.

Which to pick...

----------------------------------------------
Prediction of my SFF:
AMD route:
-780G mATX or 780GX mATX
-AM3 X3 720 BE
-500GB Seagate ES.2
-2x 1TB Western Digital
-2x2GB DDR2-800 or 4x2GB DDR2-800
-ATI card 4870 1GB or maybe the new ATI 4890.

Intel route: Haven't decided
----------------------------------------------

 

[davidhammock200]

Corsair HX520W, like the HX620 & HX1000 is a "quiet server grade" PSU rated at 50C.

More than enough for any single GPU PC.

Always Build with the Best,
Dave

 

[[Spectre]]

I keep seeing you say "server grade" and I have to wonder what you mean by "server grade". The S12/S12-II platforms were good when they came out a while ago but there isn't anything to them that sets them apart from any number of other consumer units.

 

[Dangman]

Corsair:
..
-(3)12V rail totaling 54amps

Silverstone:
....
-(2)12V rail totaling 64amps (I wonder why in the features it says "Quad +12V rail for superior performance"? Did newegg make a mistake listing it as (2)12V rail?)

You don't add up the rails like that. You determine the amperage on the +12V rails by first finding out what's the total combined, max load, combined or max wattage aside for the +12V rails/section alone. Then divide that total by 12 and you get how much amps the PSU has on the +12V rail.

That's the correct way to find out how much amps a power supply has. Don't add up the amps on the +12V rail to figure out the amperage. Doesn't work that way.

The Corsair 520HX has 40A on the +12V rail and it is a single rail design if you check any half decent review of it. The Silverstone ST60F has 48A on the +12V rail.

As for which PSUs to buy, I say just flip a coin.

 

[Zero82z]

I recommend that you go with the ST600F since it's cheaper. Either one will do the job fine since your PC won't use anywhere near the capacity of either, but there's no need to spend more on the Corsair when the Silverstone will be perfectly adequate and actually has more power to offer.

 

[tonyluu]

+1 Danny never knew the HX 520 was single rail...

 

[Zero82z]

+1 Danny never knew the HX 520 was single rail...

Been that way since the day it was introduced. Although it was initially marketed as a triple-rail design (due to the ATX spec limiting max current per rail), it was always a single-rail unit underneath (they never even placed artificial OCP limits to make it seem like a triple-rail).

 

[tonyluu]

Just read the JG review, says it's 12v1 and 12v2? but no OCP so does this make it single?

 

[Zero82z]

Just read the JG review, says it's 12v1 and 12v2? but no OCP so does this make it single?

The lack of OCP doesn't make it single, but some PSUs will implement OCP on several fake rails to make a single-rail PSU appear to be multi-rail. The HX520 is just a single-rail unit by design. There are no multiple +12V rails, fake or otherwise.

 

[davidhammock200]

I keep seeing you say "server grade" and I have to wonder what you mean by "server grade". The S12/S12-II platforms were good when they came out a while ago but there isn't anything to them that sets them apart from any number of other consumer units.

Paul, I use the term "quiet server grade" to denote a consumer targeted PSU that is extremely well designed & built using the same parts we would expect to find in a server PSU, also I require that it be both reasonably quiet & that it be rated at the same 50C as most entry to mid-level server PSU's.

The lack of OCP doesn't make it single, but some PSUs will implement OCP on several fake rails to make a single-rail PSU appear to be multi-rail. The HX520 is just a single-rail unit by design. There are no multiple +12V rails, fake or otherwise.

Correct the other rails are "virtual rails". Any multi-rail PSU without "per rail" OCP, effectively operates as a single rail for all intents & purposes. There are alot more of these mulit-rail, non per rail OCP, effectively single-rail than is usually known, this is for marketing purposes.

Always Build with the Best,
Dave

 

[[Spectre]]

Paul, I use the term "quiet server grade" to denote a consumer targeted PSU that is extremely well designed & built using the same parts we would expect to find in a server PSU, also I require that it be both reasonably quiet & that it be rated at the same 50C as most entry to mid-level server PSU's.

If that is the case, this isn't it.

 

[lollerskater69]

can't go wrong with eather.

 

[Zero82z]

Any multi-rail PSU without "per rail" OCP, effectively operates as a single rail for all intents & purposes.

That is not true. A multi-rail PSU without OCP doesn't make it a physical single-rail PSU. For example, if Corsair removed the OCP on the HX1000 (actually, I'm not even sure if it has OCP), it would still be a dual +12V rail unit.

 

[kow_ciller]

I would personally go with the Silverstone if it costs less. I have the 700w model and it performs great. No problems at all (dead silent also)

 

[Zero82z]

The HX1000 is 2 PSU's in one box & is of necessity a dual rail PSU.

Which was exactly my point. It is physically a dual-rail PSU, and OCP or not, that cannot change. Same thing goes for every single true multi-rail PSU.

The HX620W is the perfect example, so is the last unit OKWolf reviewed.

The HX620 is a single-rail PSU, not a multi-rail unit without OCP.

 

[davidhammock200]

Which was exactly my point. It is physically a dual-rail PSU, and OCP or not, that cannot change. Same thing goes for every single true multi-rail PSU.

The HX620 is a single-rail PSU, not a multi-rail unit without OCP.

Given that Corsair sent me both the HX520W & the HX620W when they first came out & I called Paul on them being just single rails PSU's & he agreed, I don't know what else to say.

If you set your DMM to ohms on the lowest scale you will find that all "three rails" have "0" resistance between them & if you follow the wires they all go back to a common point, this makes it a single rail PSU by every definition I know of!!!

Best Wishes,
Dave

 

[Zero82z]

Given that Corsair sent me both the HX520W & the HX620W when they first came out & I called Paul on them being just single rails PSU's & he agreed, I don't know what else to say.

If you set your DMM to ohms on the lowest scale you will find that all "three rails" have "0" resistance between them & if you follow the wires they all go back to a common point, this makes it a single rail PSU by every definition I know of!!!

That's the bloody point. You said this:

Any multi-rail PSU without "per rail" OCP, effectively operates as a single rail for all intents & purposes.

However, the HX520 and HX620 are not multi-rail PSUs, they are physically single-rail. So they aren't multi-rail PSUs without OCP. However, the HX1000 is a multi-rail PSU, and OCP or not, it cannot possibly be single-rail due to its physical design. So your statement was incorrect, and I was just pointing it out. Feel free to ask Paul, and he'll say the same thing.

 

[[Spectre]]

1) Zero is correct.
2) Dave you never called me on anything.

This thread is done due to the baiting going on.

OP if you still have questions please open a new thread.