Silverstone Tek SST-ST46F 460 Watt PSU Review

The Silverstone Tek did two things very right with the SST-46F; the leads and the cooling. The leads are utterly convenient keeping both SATA and EIDE RAID users in mind with well spaced connectors and two SATA connectors each on separate lines. Silverstone also did not forget about those ATI video card owners who may require additional 3-pin power. Silverstone also wins the cooling race. The SST-ST46F recorded the lowest exhaust temperature and the difference from ambient was nearly one third the competition. The SST-ST46F is a cool customer without the expected noise. How "silent" is the SST-ST46F? 22-26 BA. is subjective but chances are the CPU fan may be louder.

The Silverstone Tek SST-ST46F configuration convenience does not come without a price. It is the second most expensive power supply in the test group. This, combined with a 12 volt rail that isn’t 12 volts, will be Silverstone’s Achilles Heal. Buyers will pay the money but in return they want every bit of voltage and Silverstone would be wise to get the 12 volt rail in line. The assumption is that a 12 volt rail which delivers less than 12 volts can potentially be problematic. Let it be noted that there was zero system instability during all normal and overclocked tests.

Silverstone SST-ST46F 460 Watt PSU @ Short Media