Silverstone Strider ST85F 850 Watt Power Supply Review

Silverstone is well known for creating power supplies that are great in performance and offer the latest technology in power supplies.  Today, we look at the Strider ST85F from Silverstone.  It offers up to 850 Watts of continuous power and fully modularized cables.  There are two +12v rails featured in this power supply, for a combined output of 64 Amps, which is great for today's high powered computer components.  Although it was hard to find on the box or manual, this power supply features a three year warranty.

Upon opening the box, you will find the manual, which features detailed test graphs and product descriptions; two next generation PCI-Express 8-pin cables, a power cable, and black colored screws.  The power supply was not protected with styrofoam or cardboard (no protection at all); this can potentially lead to many damaged units due to rough shipping and handling.

Here are the features and specifications from SilverStone's website:

The Power Supply:

The power supply features a flat matte black color, which looks professional.  It is slightly longer than most power supplies. 

Looking at the side of the power supply, there is SilverStone label which features the SilverStone logo, RoHS compliancy sticker, and a condensed specification list.  The +12v1 rail and the +12v2 rail both feature a maximum load of 35 Amps, for a combined maximum of 65 Amps; which is great for peripherals requiring lots of power.  It offers 80%+ efficiency, to help you conserve power.

The rear (outside of case) features honeycomb style vents to allow for quiet, but efficient cooling.  There is also the power input and on/off switch.  The ST85F supports the full range of input voltages, so there is no need for a switch.  A small LED near the power input switch indicates whether the power supply is active or inactive.

Green means it is active, Red means it is ready, but inactive.

The top of the power supply features an embossed SilverStone logo.  One thing that I noticed when reviewing this power supply is the fact that the paint job scratches very easily.  A few turns on my table (while taking pictures), and it was horribly scratched.  Other power supplies do not have this problem.  You can see a few of the scratch locations in the pictures. This is very disappointing, but the chance of seeing the top of the power supply in your case is low; unless you have a completely clear computer case. 

Silverstone's ST85F comes with all the modular cables pre-attached to the power supply.

The Cables:

The great thing about this power supply is that all the cables are modularized.  Usually, the 24-pin ATX and the 4 Pin/8 Pin ATX/EPS cables are permanently attached in other modular power supplies.

Included in the box is a cable bag to store unused cables from the power supply.  This is a great way to store them.  It allows for easy access to needed cables in the future, especially the new 8-pin PCI-Express connectors.

Inside, there are various velcro style straps and pockets to hold the unneeded cables in place.

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