Pricing and Conclusions

Price – $/Watt

 

Here is the pricing for the SilverStone Element ST50EF-Plus power supply, along with the average cost per watt.  This is the MSRP as of September 2006 and the typical street price will most likely be less.  The ST50EF-Plus offers very good value at this price point.

 

SilverStone ST50EF-Plus High-Efficiency Power Supply Review - Cases and Cooling 35

 

Be sure to use our price checking engine to find the best prices on the SilverStone Element ST50EF-Plus power supply and anything else you may want to buy!

 

 

Conclusions

 

The SilverStone Element ST50EF-Plus high efficiency power supply combines excellent build quality with high efficiency, solid output voltages, and delivers up to 500 watts while running cool and quiet.  The Element-Plus has universal AC input along with active PFC and is constructed from environmentally friendly materials.  As we mentioned in the introduction, the Element Series power supplies are well suited for use in SFF and HTPC cases but will also be right at home in the majority of mid-tower PCs.  If you’re running a pair of the latest high-end video cards and need more than 500W, then look to the SilverStone Zeus Series, which can deliver up to 850W.

 

Some users may consider the lack of modular cables a negative but I personally prefer the hard-wired cables.  The original +12V adapter cable could cause problems for a small percentage of users but since SilverStone has already corrected the problem, this should not be a concern going forward.

 

The SilverStone Element ST50EF-Plus high efficiency power supply incorporates all of the features I look for in a high quality PSU — highly recommended.

 

SilverStone ST50EF-Plus High-Efficiency Power Supply Review - Cases and Cooling 36

 

Strengths:

  • Solid, stable voltages (meets tighter ±3% tolerance)
  • Excellent build quality with industrial grade components
  • Quiet, even while operating under a heavy load
  • Very good efficiency, greater than 80% (from 20% to 100% load)
  • Internal operating temperature up to 50°C
  • Dual +12V outputs up to 36A combined
  • NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFire Ready
  • ATX12V ver2.2 compliant
  • Universal AC input with Active PFC
  • Backed by a 3-year warranty
  • 80 Plus Organization and RoHS certified
  • Competitive price, good value

Weaknesses:

  • Early release +12V adapter could cause problems for some (fixed now)
  • Peripheral cables not modular or sleeved

For outstanding efficiency, quality, performance, and value, the SilverStone Element ST50EF-Plus 500W power supply is awarded the coveted PCPerspective Editors Choice Award.

 

SilverStone ST50EF-Plus High-Efficiency Power Supply Review - Cases and Cooling 37

 

I would like to thank our friends at SilverStone for sending us the Element ST50EF-Plus PSU to review — thank you.

 

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