One thing to note here. This power supply (much like the Strider I reviewed last year) is a bit longer than any others I have dealt with in the past.
This may or may not present a problem in your case. I would suggest double-checking this beforehand.
I had actually expected much more wire clutter due to the non-modular design, but was pleasantly surprised.
I will be using a digital multimeter to obtain my readings. This is a much more accurate method as opposed to using software readouts.
My test system specs consist of the following:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ @ 2.6 GHz
2GB OCZ PC-4000 EB Dual Channel DDR
DFI nf4 Lanparty SLI-D
Two XFX 7800GTX Extreme Edition (490/1300) Cards in SLI
Thermalright XP90 HSF with 80mm Fan
Hauppauge PVR-150 TV Tuner
74GB Western Digital Raptor 10,000 RPM HDD
120GB Western Digital 8MB Cache 7,200 RPM HDD
DVD Drive
SuperFlower FanMaster Fan Controller
2x 120mm Cooling Fans
To record idle voltages, I simply let the system sit idle in Windows. For load voltages, I ran two instances of Prime95 (one per core), Winamp, AIM, multiple FireFox windows, all while playing UT2004 @ max settings. The two 120mm fans were run at full speed via the fan controller. This combination of programs should fully stress the system components.
I recorded the average voltage which I observed at each setting. Below are the results.
All of the 12v rails were a tad bit on the low side, but still well within an acceptable range. The SLI power connectors showed hardly any fluctuation, as did the 5v and 3.3v (which stayed rock steady throughout testing). Before you ask, yes I realize there are more than just these two 12v molex rails, but I found that the others were virtually identical in results to that of the second one in the chart above, so I just combined them in the results chart.
It comes without saying that this is a very power and stable unit. It had no problem at all coping with my overclocked SLI-configured system. With 750watts on tap and support for quad-SLI (four PCI-E connectors coming in the new revision), I realize that this power supply may be a bit overkill for most of you guys. But, think of it in terms longevity; such a powerful unit should last you for a good 2-3 years, if not more. Asides from sheer power, SilverStone has done a great job aesthetically as well. The flat black paint should fit nicely into most any case theme. No flashy/tacky LED lights here, just a single, quiet 80mm fan is all that is required to cool the internals. The black sleeving on the main power cables compliments the paint job very nicely, but I must question SilverStone's reasoning in not sleeving all of the cables used. And while we are on the subject of cables, I would like to have seen a modular design. This would have certainly helped to cut down on wire clutter. Regardless, I was able to pull off a nice look even with a few extra cables that I did not use. As mentioned earlier, I would double check before purchasing this unit to be sure it will fit in your case properly, since it is a bit longer than most other units I have seen.
As of writing, the ST75ZF is going for $209.99 at a popular online retailer. Expensive for a power supply? Yes, but worth it considering the power, looks and future-proofing? I'd say yes...
OCIA.net awards the SilverStone ST75ZF our seal of approval.
Thanks to SilverStone for supplying us with this review unit.
