Value and Conclusion
- The Silverstone ST65F-G retails for $134.99
- Delivered full power at 45°C
- Fairly good efficiency
- Small footprint
- Fully modular
- Compatible with optional PP06 cables
- High price
- Average ripple suppression
- Less than 16 ms hold-up time
- Fan profile at over 40°C ambient
The Silverstone ST65F-G's performance surely doesn't make it a record-breaking product, but it still manages fairly good overall performance, which will help it confront some of the competition. Its main advantages are its compact dimensions, which make it suitable for very small cases that accommodate strong systems, a fully modular cabling design, which makes cable management and the PSU installation process very easy, and, finally, the good efficiency and fairly good fan featuring a quiet operation at normal ambient/load.
Of all the negative points, its high price is the most important of all, since the competition offers many alternatives with better performance for a similar price. Ripple suppression on the ST65F-G also needs to be improved for the unit to catch up with other similarly priced high-end PSUs, and its fan profile should be more relaxed, at least at higher than 40°C ambient. Silverstone does, however, state that the maximum operating temperature of this unit is 40°C, which means that they tuned the fan profile accordingly, so I can't really blame them for such high fan speeds at temperatures above 40°C. But they should, on the other hand, increase the maximum operating temperature of this unit—modifying the fan speed profile accordingly in the process—since this PSU can be installed into a very small chassis with minimal airflow and high internal temperatures.
To sum up, the Silverstone ST65F-F is still a good PSU despite the problems I spotted, but it needs an urgent price revision in order to effectively meet the competition. A price tag close to $110 would dramatically improve its price/performance ratio, making it a good deal for someone looking to acquire a strong PSU with such a small footprint.