Introduction

We would like to thank Silverstone for supplying the review sample.

Silverstone was founded in 2003 and nowadays their product range includes chassis, power supplies, coolers, storage devices, input devices, fans and various accessories. In PSUs Silverstone has a wide range of products varying from budget PSUs to hi-end ones with monstrous capacity (e.g. the Strider ST1500 that outputs 1500 W continuous and 1600 W peak and currently holds the title of the most powerful PSU since it's still available).

The Strider Plus series, until the release of Strider Gold PSUs, was Silverstone’s top line. It consists of five fully modular PSUs with capacities ranging from 500W to 1000W. The two smaller members are 80PLUS Bronze while the rest are Silver rated. Today we will take a look at the smallest member of the Strider Plus series, the ST50F-P. This PSU has only 140mm depth so it will fit easily in nearly all chassis, is single railed with 34A at +12V and is equipped with a quiet 120mm fan. Its compact size along with the high versatility that the fully modular design offers renders it an ideal choice for many users that want to power a small system, like an HTPC or standard office system. If it manages to earn a recommendation from us then things will be even better for the small ST50F-P.

Specifications

The PSU features all protections besides Over Temperature Protection (OTP). Maximum operating temperature is only 40°C but since ATX spec recommends 50°C we will crank up the temperature inside the hot box.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

The PSU is equipped with two PCIe connectors, one 6+2 pin and one 6 pin. Cable length is sufficient and distance between connectors is the recommended (150 mm). The ATX connector uses 16 AWG wires while all other connectors use 18 AWG. Our only objection is the limited number of peripheral connectors (4 pin Molex). We would like to see at least five of them.

Since this PSU features a single +12V rail we do not have anything to say about its power distribution.