SilverStone Strider Gold Evolution 850-watt (ST85F-G) PSU Review

We checked out SilverStone's 1200-watt model recently and now we check out the 850-watt model to see if the new Striver Gold Evolution is really that evolutionary again.

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5 minutes & 32 seconds read time

Introduction, Specifications, Availability and Pricing

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We recently took a look at the SilverStone Strider Gold Evolution 1200W power supply and were quite pleased with the results of the unit and found it to be quite a solid power supply.

We were given the chance to also take a look at the 850W model so we hopped right on the opportunity to see if it represented the same value and performance offered by its bigger brother.

The ST85F-G Evolution offers a few less connectors and two-thirds of the power, but at a much cheaper price.

Read on to see if 850W model represents "the perfect balance of performance, efficiency, and quality", just as SilverStone claims it to be.

Specifications, Availability and Pricing

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DC output is very similar to that of the 1200W model. The unit is capable of 70A on the single 12V rail. The 3.3V is rated for 22A, while the 5V rail is rated for 25A. These have a combined total wattage of 150W. The 850W model still has the very weak -12V rail, which is rated for only 3.6W. It also has the beefy 5Vsb rail that is rated for 3.5A.

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The ST85F-G Evolution shares the same feature summary as the rest of the Evolution series. It has full of protection features including over temperature protection, but the unit is not rated for 100% continuous output at 50C. It is instead rated for 100% continuous output at 40C. The power supply is fully modular and fully sleeved. The full modular design also allows for the use of SilverStone's PP05 short cable kit.

Antares Pro comes in with the cheapest price of $168.99. Alternatively you can find the unit for $169.99 at Directron. Hardcore Newegg fans will find the unit a tad more expensive, costing $195.82 after shipping. At about $170, the ST85F-G Evolution is one of the cheapest 80Plus Gold rated 850W models available. SilverStone backs the unit by a three year warranty.

The Packaging

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The same black and gold packaging is used for the SilverStone ST85F-G Evolution. There is a short list of features on the front.

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The back simply redirects you to their website in multiple languages for some more information.

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On the top we find a good list of specifications for the unit and it covers all four wattages of the unit.

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The bottom has some more information about the unit including compatibility with the PP05 short cable kit and the included fan filter. Also pictured is their Air Penetrator fan which results in quieter fan operation.

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One side has a good list of connector availability for the unit.

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The other side simply displays a picture of the power supply.

Inside the Box

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The unit is packed well inside the box with an inch of foam above and below the unit. Modular cables and accessories take up the rest of the space and make for a snug fit.

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SilverStone's Strider Gold Evolution comes in the rough textured black finish. On the top is the SilverStone logo stamped into the enclosure.

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One side of the power supply displays the I/O specification label and serial number.

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SilverStone chose to leave one side of the power supply blank.

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The modular connections on the front are labeled neatly. There is no need to list what rails are where as the unit only has a single 12V rail.

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The back houses the standard honeycomb mesh grill. There is no on/off rocker switch for the unit. If you want to kill the power to the PSU, you must unplug the power cable.

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The bottom houses the 139mm fluid dynamic bearing Air Penetrator fan.

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There aren't quite as many cables as we saw previously with the 1200W model, but there are still enough to make you pull your hair out if you need them all. The PCI-E cables have additional capacitors soldered inline to help reduce GPU whine.

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SilverStone gives you plenty to work with. Aside from the AC power cables are a handful of Velcro cable ties, four zip-ties, a set of thumbscrews for mounting the unit, a set of regular screws for mounting the unit and a magnetic fan filter.

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Also included with the unit are two user manuals. The one on the left is a generic manual in multiple languages while the manual on the right is contains specifications just for the Strider Gold Evolution series of power supplies.

Cabling Arrangement and A Look Inside

Cabling Arrangement

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The ST85F-G Evolution remains 100% modular. It has the standard 20+4 pin Main connector as well as dual ATX4+4 connectors. PCI-E connectors come in the form of two 6-pin cables and two 8-pin cables. Peripherals connections are handled by a total of 8 SATA, 6 Molex, and 2 FDD connectors over four cables. Those seeking shorter cables will be interested in the PP05 short cable kit.

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Rail distribution is as simple as it gets with a single 12V rail.

A Look Inside

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SilverStone uses the same heatsinks that are used on the 1200W model so it should help provide more than sufficient cooling for this unit.

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A pair of Panasonic caps covers the primary side of the SilverStone Strider Gold Evolution 850W.

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Nippon Chemi-Con capacitors can be found on the secondary side of the PSU.

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Cooling for the unit is provided by SilverStone's HA1425L12F-Z fan. SilverStone claims the grill increases airflow and reduces fan noise. We could not discern the power supply above the noise of our test equipment and never had any problems with temperatures during testing.

Test Results and Final Thoughts

Test Results

Our load tests utilize a couple of FAST ATE active load testers and a variety of other equipment such as an oscilloscope, power conditioner, temperature probe and a power consumption meter. You can read more about our standard testing approach here.

The tests performed are based around six conceivable setups that are out there and progressively load down the PSU up to the power supply's limits or 1000W, whichever comes first. Since our test equipment's limits are greater than that of the SilverStone Strider Gold 850W, we can test it to the maximum.

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Let's start by taking a look at the voltages to see how well this unit did during testing. Starting with the 12V rail, we see 2% regulation from start to finish. The 12V rail showed a total drop of .14V from start to finish. The 5V rail did just as well as it and managed to stay within 2% of specification with a total drop of .09V from start to finish. Moving towards the 3.3V rail, we see that regulation was still within 2% with a total voltage drop of .05V.

DC output quality was close to what we expected from the and better than what we saw with the 1200W model. We started off seeing 18mV of ripple on the 12V rail during Test 1. As we increased the loads, the ripple had increased to 30mV at a little over half load. By the time we had the maximum load of 850W we were seeing 45mV of noise.

The Strider Gold Evolution is rated for 80Plus Gold efficiency. This means that the power supply must perform at 87%/90%/87% efficiency at 20%/50%/100% loads respectively. As you can see, the Strider Gold Evolution passed on our bench and wasn't close to failing at any point.

Final Thoughts

The SilverStone Strider Gold Evolution is a very solid power supply all the way around.

The unit has a great list of features that would be almost perfect if the unit were rated for 100% continuous output at 50C. Build quality doesn't get much better either with 100% Japanese capacitor construction, the inclusion of additional capacitors on the PCI-E cables and the Air Penetrator fan. The ST85F-G Evolution even has great performance to back it up.

If SilverStone could knock the noise down a bit and improve the DC output quality a tad, they would have one of the best 850W power supplies on the market... and one of the cheapest to boot.

SilverStone has done a much better job this time around and really does come close to their claim of "the perfect balance of performance, efficiency, and quality."

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