Silverstone SST-SX600-G 600w Gold SFX

[AFD]

Did I miss something, or did the reviewer not make any mention of the semi-fanless feature of this PSU?


Slightly concerned about the "fan rubbing on a piece of plastic" sound that made it louder than the ST45SF-G.

 

[backfeed]

Mostly the review is postive. Testing shows better performance, higher efficiency than the ST45SF-G. Only the transient test is worrying - OverRated's surge protection will certainly be triggered. And of course the comments in the review about the noise of the fan when powered from 100V AC source. This noise is contrary to the experiences of JamboAU and CallumBolch, but then I guess it's because they have 230V mains in Australia.

I'm not an electronics engineer, but how exactly is the transient test worrying? A 400mV drop on the 12V rail seems like a non-issue to me? The power supply circuits on graphics cards surely have capacitors to protect against this kind of problem? I'm not being passive-aggressive, I'm genuinely curious.

Seeing as Overrated has more or less the same setup as I have, should I be worried as well?

What really bothers me is this: "Overall, the noise performance of this unit seems like it might not be quiet as the previous ST45SF-G". Sure, their noise test is 100% subjective, with no measurements, but I really hope they're only talking about the problem at 100V AC? If so, this will be a non-issue for me, having 230V mains here in Sweden.

 

[Rorschach]

Interesting.
Same in UK 230v.

 

[backfeed]

Did I miss something, or did the reviewer not make any mention of the semi-fanless feature of this PSU?

I don't think they did. It makes me wonder if their noise test is anything to go by at all.

 

[WiSK]

I'm not an electronics engineer, but how exactly is the transient test worrying? A 400mV drop on the 12V rail seems like a non-issue to me? The power supply circuits on graphics cards surely have capacitors to protect against this kind of problem? I'm not being passive-aggressive, I'm genuinely curious.

Seeing as Overrated has more or less the same setup as I have, should I be worried as well?

Probably you are right, it's nothing to worry about.

What I have noticed on my ST45SF-Gs when running folding@home, is that I have to dial down my overclock on the CPU because otherwise it fails whenever a GPU finishes a work unit checkpoint (ie load goes from 100% to 0% suddenly).

 

[ellroy80]

I have this PSU on order (should be here tomorrow), but don't have all my parts here yet for my build. I live in the US, and bought this because it is meant to be quiet, at least at idle. I'll test is ASAP and provide some feedback. Anyone know what sort of load is put on a PSU when it's connected to a PSU tester? I have one of those, I can test it with that as soon as it arrives.

 

[Aibohphobia]

Can't believe I didn't notice before but the 500W SFX-L is on the 80 Plus database under High Power HPN-500GD-F12S: http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/psu_reports/HIGH%20POWER%20ELECTRONIC%20CO.,%20LTD._HPN-500GD-F12S%20(C)_500W_ECOS%204002_Report.pdf

It was certified June 26, 2014 while the SX600-G was certified May 6 so maybe it'll show up soon?

There's also a product page for it on the High Power Chinese site: http://www.highpower-tech.com.cn/gb/product_page.php?class=20140526143552&id=20140707150713

 

[WiSK]

Can't believe I didn't notice before but the 500W SFX-L is on the 80 Plus database under High Power HPN-500GD-F12S: http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/psu_reports/HIGH%20POWER%20ELECTRONIC%20CO.,%20LTD._HPN-500GD-F12S%20(C)_500W_ECOS%204002_Report.pdf

It was certified June 26, 2014 while the SX600-G was certified May 6 so maybe it'll show up soon?

There's also a product page for it on the High Power Chinese site: http://www.highpower-tech.com.cn/gb/product_page.php?class=20140526143552&id=20140707150713

Good catch! I stopped checking

 

[Synomenon]

So the North American / 120v version of the SX600G is no good?

 

[WiSK]

So the North American / 120v version of the SX600G is no good?

There's not a separate North American version. It's a switching power supply which means it works at any voltage between 100V and 250V. The thing they said in HardOCP review was that at 100V the fan made a funny noise at load, that's all. (Where is the mains 100V anyway? Japan? USA is 120V right?)

And as Phuncz said, it's just one sample. It could be one of the early ones that they recalled.

And they still gave it a silver award, so let's not jump to conclusions.

Once US orders start being delivered, perhaps someone can post a video with the ST45SF-G and SX600-G fan noise to compare.

 

[backfeed]

I have this PSU on order (should be here tomorrow), but don't have all my parts here yet for my build. I live in the US, and bought this because it is meant to be quiet, at least at idle. I'll test is ASAP and provide some feedback. Anyone know what sort of load is put on a PSU when it's connected to a PSU tester? I have one of those, I can test it with that as soon as it arrives.

A psu tester usually only checks that the psu can start and provide sufficient 3.3V, 5V and 12V (and that the cables/connectors aren't broken). The load should be very low, only what the psu tester needs for its measurements (and to drive the display, if it has one).

 

[backfeed]

Probably you are right, it's nothing to worry about.

I certainly hope so.

What I have noticed on my ST45SF-Gs when running folding@home, is that I have to dial down my overclock on the CPU because otherwise it fails whenever a GPU finishes a work unit checkpoint (ie load goes from 100% to 0% suddenly).

I guess it could have something to do with the power supply circuits on the motherboard as well?

 

[AFD]

Back in-stock at Newegg again!

 

[Skott]

Johnny Guru needs to do a review on this unit pronto. I trust his testing.

 

[backfeed]

The Adda fan, as seen in the HardOCP review photos, has the model number AD0812UB-D91. Can anybody find any solid information on it? I can't find it in Adda's online product catalog, and on other sites I can only find the AD0812UB-D91GP, which is not the same fan.

 

[AFD]

The Adda fan, as seen in the HardOCP review photos, has the model number AD0812UB-D91. Can anybody find any solid information on it? I can't find it in Adda's online product catalog, and on other sites I can only find the AD0812UB-D91GP, which is not the same fan.

I've only found passing mention of it online under this search term..

Model AD0812UB-D9(X) series, where (X) may be 1, 2 or 3

But, no information of much use. At least we know it's a different model than the ADDA fan used in the ST45SF-G (which should be AD0812HB-D70).

For the $40 extra this PSU cost, I really hope they're not using another shit fan from this company.

 

[[Spectre]]

Is that the right comparison to make?

Yes it is. Sus'con, Teapo, and Taicon are not the same quality as Hitachi, Rubycon, Nichicon, Suncon, Chemi-con, etc. If they were they would be called Hitachi, Rubycon, Nichicon, Suncon, Chemi-con, etc.

Some of the capacitors are not favoured brands of the reviewer, does it really say something about warranty period when Silverstone has 3 years as standard? Maybe the caps selected by Silverstone/Enhance were due to design requirements, or after testing components from multiple suppliers, or maybe price would have been prohibitive, or other unknown reasons. The days of the capacitor plague are long over. I am inclined to take these judgements with a pinch of salt.

While you may think bad capacitors are thing of the past, Sus'con, Teapo, Taicon etc. don't sell cheaper capacitors because they like you. They do so because they make a cheaper product by using different raw materials (the aluminum used is VERY important and so is the electrolytic formula even if the old improperly stolen P50 that involved LTEC is no longer likely marketed), lower skilled labor, less QC, etc.

Mostly the review is postive. Testing shows better performance, higher efficiency than the ST45SF-G. Only the transient test is worrying - OverRated's surge protection will certainly be triggered. And of course the comments in the review about the noise of the fan when powered from 100V AC source. This noise is contrary to the experiences of JamboAU and CallumBolch, but then I guess it's because they have 230V mains in Australia.

Noise even at the same intensity and pitch is entirely subjective as everyone's senses are different and hearing is a sense.

Did I miss something, or did the reviewer not make any mention of the semi-fanless feature of this PSU?

The first load test in our testing is at 25% load and 45C both of which are values that put this outside of the fanless mode as indicated when the unit says

The fanless mode operation deactivates when the PSU's internal tempreature reaches 45C.

I'm not an electronics engineer, but how exactly is the transient test worrying? A 400mV drop on the 12V rail seems like a non-issue to me? The power supply circuits on graphics cards surely have capacitors to protect against this kind of problem? I'm not being passive-aggressive, I'm genuinely curious.

The allowable range of 12v output on an ATX12v/EPS power supply is 11.4v to 12.6v. Therefore, depending on what the voltage is when the load is applied a drop of 0.4v could push it out of the ATX12v specification limits.

What really bothers me is this: "Overall, the noise performance of this unit seems like it might not be quiet as the previous ST45SF-G". Sure, their noise test is 100% subjective, with no measurements, but I really hope they're only talking about the problem at 100V AC? If so, this will be a non-issue for me, having 230V mains here in Sweden.

Noise even at the same intensity and pitch is entirely subjective as everyone's senses are different and hearing is a sense.

So the North American / 120v version of the SX600G is no good?

I don't believe that the review said that at any point

There's not a separate North American version. It's a switching power supply which means it works at any voltage between 100V and 250V.

That isn't exactly what a switched-mode power supply means. A switched-mode power supply provides power to a load while changing the voltage and/or current. The fact that some units can operate on an input range of ~90-260v is due to their design and results in them colloquially being called "full-range".

The thing they said in HardOCP review was that at 100V the fan made a funny noise at load, that's all. (Where is the mains 100V anyway? Japan? USA is 120V right?)

"Mains" does not have to be 100v (which it is in Japan). During brownouts and heavy draws on a residential circuit you will notice input voltages drop, that is why I have a voltage regulator with line noise filter on the front side of the variac when testing. In addition, the unit is rated to run at 100v AC input so, like many other aspects, it is tested to see if that is indeed true.

And as Phuncz said, it's just one sample. It could be one of the early ones that they recalled.

I was told this was new stock.

A psu tester usually only checks that the psu can start and provide sufficient 3.3V, 5V and 12V (and that the cables/connectors aren't broken). The load should be very low, only what the psu tester needs for its measurements (and to drive the display, if it has one).

Correct, the $25 kind you find at Newegg and Amazon are useless for any kind of load.

The Adda fan, as seen in the HardOCP review photos, has the model number AD0812UB-D91. Can anybody find any solid information on it? I can't find it in Adda's online product catalog, and on other sites I can only find the AD0812UB-D91GP, which is not the same fan.

I could not find it either, though I did not have unlimited time to track down the part.

 

[ellroy80]

A psu tester usually only checks that the psu can start and provide sufficient 3.3V, 5V and 12V (and that the cables/connectors aren't broken). The load should be very low, only what the psu tester needs for its measurements (and to drive the display, if it has one).

Thought that might be the case. I won't be any help then - I'm waiting for nVidia to announce their next gen before buying a video card, so I won't be able to load my PSU for a while.

 

[D4rkn3ss]

yahnnn.. just waiting for the usual paid marketing goon do his usual shill marketing damage control disguised as a friend when shit like this happens..

 

[AFD]

"Mains" does not have to be 100v (which it is in Japan). During brownouts and heavy draws on a residential circuit you will notice input voltages drop, that is why I have a voltage regulator with line noise filter on the front side of the variac when testing. In addition, the unit is rated to run at 100v AC input so, like many other aspects, it is tested to see if that is indeed true.

So unless this particular anomaly is only with your unit, then we really shouldn't expect to hear the strange "fan rubbing on a piece of plastic" noise at all while running on 120v (unless during a brown out)?

So I'm thinking the pure sine-wave UPS w/AVR I've been looking at, I should probably get sooner rather than later (still running a cheap-o stand-by UPS). Hey WiSK, do you know if the pure sine-wave UPS are actually necessary with the active PFC on these power supplies? I've heard the stepped approximation units don't work properly with active PFC, causing the PSU to shut down when it switches (really don't see why this would matter if it has AVR).

 

[Synomenon]

Would this UPS be enough? I think these Cyber Power UPSs have built in AVR.

http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups-systems/intelligent-lcd-ups/CP850AVRLCD.html

 

[AFD]

Would this UPS be enough? I think these Cyber Power UPSs have built in AVR.

http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups-systems/intelligent-lcd-ups/CP850AVRLCD.html

Not sure, but I would think so. I've been considering the PFC Sinewave version (if truly needed for PFC power supplies)..

http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups-systems/pfc-sinewave-series/CP1000PFCLCD.html

Or the APC model with stepped approximation to a sine-wave (if that will actually work with a PFC power supply)..

http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BR1000G

Both are 1000VA/600W line-interactive with AVR, and $120 to $130 at Amazon.

The CyberPower is a little smaller, but the APC kinda matches my M1 and says "pro"

 

[Phuncz]

Thanks for chiming in Paul_Johnson, greatly appreciated !

Would it be possible to test on 230V input voltage in future reviews ? I believe Australia and most of Europe, which is quite substantial, use this voltage and some PSU's run better, some worse. So it might be worth doing the comparison, if possible.

 

[WiSK]

Thanks for your insight Paul!

While you may think bad capacitors are thing of the past, Sus'con, Teapo, Taicon etc. don't sell cheaper capacitors because they like you. They do so because they make a cheaper product by using different raw materials (the aluminum used is VERY important and so is the electrolytic formula even if the old improperly stolen P50 that involved LTEC is no longer likely marketed), lower skilled labor, less QC, etc.

Fair enough, the caps are cheaper variations, not just your brand preference. That was unfair of me.

But what does it mean in real terms? Is the 100,000 hours MTBF exaggerated? Can there be noticeable issues with the power delivery within the 3 year guarantee period? I mean, you mention it in your article, and so people become concerned about it, but it's hard to draw conclusions about what effects there will be that the end-user will notice.

Hey WiSK, do you know if the pure sine-wave UPS are actually necessary with the active PFC on these power supplies?

Sorry I know nothing about UPS for home use, since we have a very high reliability and quality of mains power in the Netherlands, so I've only seen UPS at work where we have an external company to select and install them for our servers.

 

[Rorschach]

Amazon.com updated my status it says shipping now. They're coming.

 

[AFD]

Sorry I know nothing about UPS for home use, since we have a very high reliability and quality of mains power in the Netherlands..

No prob, just thought you might know something about the PFC issue.

I was only getting about 2 years worth of life out my PSUs at home and work, until I switched to the $50 stand-by UPS units. It's not ideal, but seems to be working fine with my ST45SF-G so far.

 

[Phuncz]

But what does it mean in real terms?

Yeah I think many people will associate it with less reliability of the device and quality of power delivery because it isn't really explained. But does it indeed affect the measurements so much that it matters and have you found some readings in reviewing indicating this ?

 

[backfeed]

Noise even at the same intensity and pitch is entirely subjective as everyone's senses are different and hearing is a sense.

Yes, that's why I prefer reliable noise measurements (with a quality microphone in a controlled silent environment, using the exact same method every time to ensure comparability between reviews) + subjective comments on noise "quality" (always from the same reviewer).

Fan noise is the main reason I'm replacing my ST45SF-G with an SX600-G; that's why I have a particularly high interest in that part of the review.

The first load test in our testing is at 25% load and 45C both of which are values that put this outside of the fanless mode

Ah, I see. It would be nice if you could mention that in the review (in the noise section).

The allowable range of 12v output on an ATX12v/EPS power supply is 11.4v to 12.6v. Therefore, depending on what the voltage is when the load is applied a drop of 0.4v could push it out of the ATX12v specification limits.

Ok, thanks for the clarification! This is of course not good. I hope quality components (top notch motherboard and graphics card) can tolerate temporary slight out-of-spec voltages, otherwise this may be a disaster (if the 12V rail ever goes down to 11.7V, after which a transient hits).

 

[alabrand1]

Reading the last couple of pages makes me wanna push for an ATX PSU and a mITX GPU instead of what I had originally planned. Will wait and see how the 500W SFX-L version performs though.

 

[EdZ]

A 400W variant of the SFX-L has cropped up on the High Power website alongside the 500W version: the SFX-L400GD / HPN-400GD-F12C.

 

[nerdyjem]

Reading the last couple of pages makes me wanna push for an ATX PSU and a mITX GPU instead of what I had originally planned. Will wait and see how the 500W SFX-L version performs though.

Yeah... I just got my SX600-G monday, but between the power-on coil whine (seems to go away in just a few seconds) on my unit, the [H] review, and the past few pages of this thread, I'm really tempted to return it and wait a few months to see if Silverstone releases a revision 1.1 or 2.0 variant like they eventually did with the 450w.

 

[ekuest]

yahnnn.. just waiting for the usual paid marketing goon do his usual shill marketing damage control disguised as a friend when shit like this happens..

wtf are you on about?

 

[hshot_rooke]

Reading the last couple of pages makes me wanna push for an ATX PSU and a mITX GPU instead of what I had originally planned. Will wait and see how the 500W SFX-L version performs though.

I've been waiting to pick up this SX600 too, but my NCase v2 is going to be my secondary HTPC/Steam Big Picture box.

With the price of the SX600 being so high, would you guys think that putting in a quiet ATX power supply and a mid range min-itx GPU would be better for this purpose?

 

[vipz]

I've been waiting to pick up this SX600 too, but my NCase v2 is going to be my secondary HTPC/Steam Big Picture box.

With the price of the SX600 being so high, would you guys think that putting in a quiet ATX power supply and a mid range min-itx GPU would be better for this purpose?

You may also consider a short non-modular ATX PSU and manually shortening the cables.

 

[alabrand1]

You may also consider a short non-modular ATX PSU and manually shortening the cables.

Ah, yeah. That's an option. What's the best non-modular 500-700W PSU you can get (more or less no budget but say 200$ maximum)?

 

[invidious94]

Just got my SX600-G today. I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, shipped from NewEgg via express/air shipping from their California depot, took about four business days.

Packaging by NewEgg wasn't great this time around. PSU was sliding around in the box. The air packet wrap was only on the top of the PSU box, not the sides, so the PSU would slide back and forth when you tilted the NewEgg shipping box.

As for the actual power supply... Nice packaging, the box's fit and finish is pretty comparable to other Corsair and Seasonic PSUs I've bought (in other words, quite nice). Opening the box, things aren't quite as nice though. PSU is wrapped in a thin sheet of bubble wrap, and isn't held in place by anything apart from the detachable wires and power cord on either side of it. You can feel the PSU slide around if you tilt the box. This is not a big issue of course, but considering this is supposed to be SilverStone's flagship SFX PSU, was kinda hoping there'd be some cardboard inserts and foam to hold secure everything and keep it nice looking inside. I can't imagine some foam and/or cardboard adding anything significant to the BOM of the product, so a bit disappointed this way.

The actual power supply feels nice and sturdy, happy with that. Haven't looked inside (I'd like to keep my warranty ), but the sub-standard caps that were used are a little concerning.

First SilverStone purchase, hopefully all goes well. Haven't powered the unit up yet, but will likely try it later tonight with my existing build. I'll attach a few pictures so you can take a quick peak. Let me know if there's anything you'd like me to try out!

http://i57.tinypic.com/71p8p4.jpg
http://i62.tinypic.com/33ytjis.jpg
http://i62.tinypic.com/33mbuo8.jpg
http://i62.tinypic.com/2qjkrhh.jpg

(Can't get the forum to resize so links will have to do )

 

[Rorschach]

Ah, yeah. That's an option. What's the best non-modular 500-700W PSU you can get (more or less no budget but say 200$ maximum)?

I personally found the Seasonic S12G 750W.
Fits the bill perfectly - ATX 140 mm long, non modular with even flexible cables (minus the 24 pin one)
~ 125 $ via amazon.
If the SX600G is bad (hopefully not, mine will be here in a week) this is what i'm gonna get, modify the cable and be set for years to come.

Let me know if there's anything you'd like me to try out!

How loud quiet is it and any coil noise in idle /load, please.

 

[vipz]

Ah, yeah. That's an option. What's the best non-modular 500-700W PSU you can get (more or less no budget but say 200$ maximum)?

I haven't done the actual research myself but you should be able to start with this thread: http://www.overclock.net/t/1256282/...that-are-160mm-or-shorter-small-case-friendly

 

[blood]

Not sure, but I would think so. I've been considering the PFC Sinewave version (if truly needed for PFC power supplies)..

http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups-systems/pfc-sinewave-series/CP1000PFCLCD.html

Can't comment on the APC, the Cyberpower actually uses stepped approximation to Sine Wave as well. I have it with the highest capacity, with 900W+ of load at times (3 monitors connected, etc.). My apartment frequently gets 1-2sec of power outage / spikes /dips, and the Cyberpower has been doing its job just fine.

 

[alabrand1]

So, the length can be 140mm max if I want to use a full-size GPU. And so far I haven't found any to my liking. Unless the SFX-L 500W version is absolute beast I'll either sell the Ncase or go with a mITX GPU and an ATX PSU.