SilverStone SFX SX650-G 650W Power Supply Review @ [H]

[FrgMstr]

SilverStone SFX SX650-G 650W Power Supply Review

SilverStone is back with us today with its new small form factor SX650-G. This one has a bigger fan and a few more connectors than the previous models, so we are expecting great results from this SFX PSU. This one clocks in at 819 watts per liter and does carry a gold efficiency rating. Flat shorty cables are stock with tiny builds in mind.

 

[Neapolitan6th]

Man I love these SFX reviews. Can't wait until ya'll are able to get your hands on their upcoming 700 watt SFX unit. I really do wonder what the practical limitations are for increasing PSU power density further.

 

[maxz01]

The thing I'm wondering about is, why do you need so much power in a SFX power supply? Surely you are using it in a small build, which means you have a limited amount of space for cooling thus you can't run very hot and power hungry hardware in there anyway.

 

[Neapolitan6th]

The thing I'm wondering about is, why do you need so much power in a SFX power supply? Surely you are using it in a small build, which means you have a limited amount of space for cooling thus you can't run very hot and power hungry hardware in there anyway.

There have been a number of SFF cases recently under say 12 liters in volume that have had increased water cooling options.

Some Examples: (sorry no image credits! Downloaded these awhile ago off the forum)

NCASE M1 (2x240mm rads)

Dancase: (2xfury nanos bifurcated)

Loque Ghost: (240mm rad)

Dan C4-SFX (240mm rad)

Mach One: (mATX 240mm rad)

There are other more practical examples too.

Lianli PC010 ATX: (creative use of SFX PSU sideways behind the main case chamber. Making for a more clean frontal tempered glass aesthetic without need for a PSU shroud)

The more mainstream SFX becomes, the more compact case designers will be able to go. Not just for ITX systems, but even mATX and perhaps ATX as well. (Granted cable extensions would probably be needed for larger systems)

If you wanted, you could throw a 28 core Skylake X system, and 2 1080ti GPUs in some of these systems people are designing. As a stopgap measure, SFX-L was created which allows for up to 800 watts for PSUs.

So I would say there certainly are use cases, both normal and extreme. In addition, it is always hard to say what the power demands of future systems will be. Despite power savings at stock, Skylake X and Vega are powerhogs when pushed to the limit. Having a larger capacity PSU will always ensure you can survive those power spikes and more ideally run in that 50% load efficiency range.

 

[Doward]

The thing I'm wondering about is, why do you need so much power in a SFX power supply? Surely you are using it in a small build, which means you have a limited amount of space for cooling thus you can't run very hot and power hungry hardware in there anyway.

Raven RVZ01, 1TB SSD, 512GB NVMe, R7-1700x, 1080Ti, BluRay Burner, 3 fans.

Under gaming load, hard cut with 450w SFX. Upgraded to the SX650-G, no more power cut!

A serious 4K gaming machine that doubles as a workstation, inside a case that doesn't look out of place in my living room, needs a beefy power supply.

SilverStone delivers

 

[Tony Ou]

Just to add, the CS381 Micro-ATX case we've been developing was build around the concept of high capacity SFX / SFX-L PSUs.