SilverStone unveiled its Essential Series ET700 (model: SST-ET700MG), a 700-Watt power supply that offers a high cost/performance ratio, competing with the likes of the Antec HCG Gold, Cooler Master MWE Gold, etc. The PSU offers 80 Plus Gold efficiency, fully modular cabling, with flat ribbon cables. You get some HEDT-friendly features such as two 8-pin EPS connectors (one of which splits to 4+4 pin), besides staples such as four 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors, eight SATA power, three Molex, a Berg, and of course the 24-pin ATX.

Under the hood, the ET700 features a single +12V rail design, and most common electrical protections, such as over/under-voltage, overload, overheat, and short-circuit protection. A 135 mm fan is used to keep the unit cool, which whispers at 18 dBA (minimum) up to 60% load, and only ramps up beyond that. Designed by SilverStone with complete control over components selection, the ET700 is fabricated by CWT. US availability of the ET700 is slated for late-January or early-February, 2020. When released, it will cost USD $130, and 100€ across the pond.

SilverStone today introduced its Essential series 450W power-supply (model: SST-ET450-B), which covers all the basics for first-time builders. The Essential series made its debut earlier this year, with larger 550W and 650W models. The standard-ATX PSU is 14 cm long, and features fixed cabling. It has enough juice and straws for a premium mainstream-desktop build with one high-end graphics card. The PSU offers 80 Plus Bronze switching efficiency. Under the hood, it features a single +12V rail design, with a single 34A rail.

Other under-the-hood features include active-PFC, and protections against over/under-voltage, overload, and short-circuit. A low-noise optimized 120 mm fan keeps the unit cool, with noise output as low as 18 dBA. Connectors include a 24-pin ATX, one 4+4-pin EPS, two 6+2-pin PCIe power, four SATA power, three 4-pin Molex, and one 4-pin Berg. Backed by a 3-year warranty, it is priced at USD $59.99.

SilverStone has announced new models for its Essential series of PSUs, which aim to bring quality to a lower pricing level than the more premium offerings, and allow SilverStone to cater to the high-volume market at the same time. These PSUs are Sirtec-made, and do cut some corners in order to address some aggressive pricing targets. Case in point: SilverStone rates these PSUs for 40ºC operation, a full 10ºC lower than the ATX specification defines, and includes only a few protections, namely Over Power, Over Voltage, and Short Circuit. The lacking OTP (Over Temperature Protection) would seem to be the best feature for such a model with a lower-rated operating temperature, but alas, this is what SilverStone offers.

The ET-550B, ET-650B are 80 Plus Bronze certified, and their +12V rails can deliver 504 and 600 W respectively. Their combined +3.3, +5V rating stands at 110 W for the 550B, and 120 W for the 650B. The cabling is fixed on both options, black-braided, and cooling is taken care of by tour average 120 mm Sleeve Bearing Fan. The PCIe connectors stand at 2x PCIe (1x 6+2 pin, 1x 6 pin) for the ET-550B, while the ET-650B doubles that amount to two of each. The dimensions stand at 150 mm (W) x 86 mm (H) x 140 mm (D). European pricing seems to be the sweet spot for these PSUs, with the 550B coming in at around 53,50€ and the 650B upping the ante to 60,60€ (prices excluding VAT, however.) In the US, I don't expect these to sell well if they keep their pricing, where the 650B currently retails for $90.