Final Thoughts and Conclusions
SilverStone continues to raise the bar in the SFX power supply arena with the introduction of their latest 800W power supply in a lengthened SFX enclosure. I have to question “why” you would want or need an 800W power supply in a small form factor build, but for anyone that does, the SilverStone SX800-LTI is for you!
In addition to its small size, the SilverStone SX800-LTI is designed for very high efficiency and to meet the requirements for 80 Plus Titanium certification while operating at room temperature. Unfortunately our review sample struggled to meet the 80 Plus Titanium criteria at high loads while operating at elevated temperatures. (Remember though, as temperature goes up, efficiency goes down.)
The SX800-LTI power supply delivered 800W of combined DC load with very good voltage regulation easily exceeding SilverStone’s claimed ±3% voltage regulation during our tests. AC ripple and noise suppression was also very good for most of the DC outputs but the +3.3V rail was relatively noisy at the higher loads, well above 50% of the ATX guidelines. The power supply features a semi-fanless fan speed control circuit, which turns the fan off at low power for silent operation. At low power the SX800-LTI is silent and at mid-power it remains very quiet. Even at full load the fan remains relatively quiet but at the expense of elevated operating temperatures. We would rather see a higher quality fan along with a more aggressive fan speed profile to keep the internal components cooler, especially considering SilverStone’s choice to use 85°C rated bulk electrolytic capacitors instead of the more expensive and temperature tolerant 105°C version.
SilverStone’s 800W SFX-L power supply is fully modular and comes with eight ribbon style cables intended for use in small form factor cases. If you find one or more cables are too short for your particular build (especially if you are installing the SX800-LTI in a larger ATX enclosure) SilverStone offers a complete line of full-size modular cables that can be purchased separately. All of the sleeved cables in the PP05-E and PP06 Series will work with the SX800-LTI power supply.
The MSRP for the SilverStone SX800-LTI power supply is $179.99 USD (currently selling on amazon.com for $179.99 USD, March 2017). Titanium level efficiency in a niche SFX market is going to be expensive.
Strengths:
• 800W Continuous DC output in the extended SFX form factor
• Quiet 120mm cooling fan with semi-fanless operation
• 80 Plus Titanium efficiency (almost)
• Very good voltage regulation (±2% on the three main outputs)
• All modular cables, flat ribbon style
• Single +12V output can deliver up to 66A/792W
• Four PCI-E connectors (6+2 pin)
• Active PFC with universal AC input
• Compatible with SilverStone custom PP05-E and PP06 sleeved cables
Weaknesses:
• 3-Year warranty
• Struggled to meet 80 Plus Titanium requirements at high loads
• 85°C Bulk electrolytic capacitors
• Above average AC ripple on +3.3V output at higher loads
• Sleeve bearing fan
• Fan speed profile favors quiet operation at the expense of warmer op temps
• SFX to ATX adapter plate sold separately ($8.99 USD)
Our first impressions of the SilverStone SX800-LTI small form factor power supply were quite favorable. 800W in a small SFX enclosure with 80 Plus Titanium certification might be very appealing to some. Add in excellent voltage regulation and all modular cables and it becomes even more interesting. However, the more we dug into the SX800-LTI review, the more we felt like SilverStone was pushing the power density envelope a little too hard on this platform, causing efficiency, AC ripple, and operating temperatures to suffer. There are a number of things we would like to see changed in an improved version.
First, if a company is going to spend the time and money to develop a flagship product that includes the highest efficiency certification currently available it should be backed by at least a 5-year warranty; not a budget class, entry-level 3-year warranty. Next, if a premium product is targeted to sell at a premium price then it should incorporate better components; specifically upgrade the fan to a ball bearing or Fluid Dynamic bearing unit, tweak the fan speed profile to keep the internal temps down, and use 105°C rated capacitors. And last but not least, beef up the filtering on the +3.3V output to get the AC ripple under control at high loads. None of this is hard and I’m sure Enhance Electronics is up to the challenge if asked.
Our thanks to SilverStone for sending us the SX800-LTI PSU to review. We are looking forward to version 2.0!
I do not quite get it. Who
I do not quite get it. Who needs 800W in SFF PC? 800W is required for top/overclocked SLI or Crossfire configuration only.
Perhaps if Corsair comes out
Perhaps if Corsair comes out with something like the TWO…..which I would do an SLI config on to play on the name or something….
Works well with an ATX
Works well with an ATX adapter and would be perfect in an mATX case (which supports SLI) meaning you have more breathing room. Also, more options is never a bad thing.
So, overclocking your CPU and GPU can tax a PSU, and therefore that extra headroom is good to have.
Finally, it’s Titanium rated. Perhaps they didn’t want to put their best components in a 400W PSU, so they are doing more of a “one size fits many” configuration here.
You just don’t see a lot of good quality PSUs in the lower end of the scale, and that’s in part due to a consumer education issue, but also, it costs more for each SKU you pump out. In other words, it’s an efficiency thing on the manufacturing side as well.
I will buy it, not because I
I will buy it, not because I need that extra wattage, but I need to push the silentness to the limit. With only use 200watt on my ITX, means with 800watt psu, It will be in 40% of its fan envelope, which sometime even the fan still not kicked on. Problem with psu without fan, is the hizzing sound
Quite obvious, the sweet spot
Quite obvious, the sweet spot is 50% usage on a PSU. When you get closer to 100% load, there is a chance that capacitors will pop. Also caps lose capacitance over time. I suppose it won’t matter if you upgrade every year though.
I always enjoy your power
I always enjoy your power supply reviews. Very insightful and thoughtful. It almost seems like Silverstone was trying to cut corners a bit on cost here. Using sleeve bearing fan, and cheap Rubycon capacitors is very unfortunate. I agree they should have used a much higher quality fan, and a much better Japanese capacitor. And that warranty is not good either. Very surprised Silverstone did this. They have always had such a good reputation for quality. An otherwise nice SFX power supply though.
This PSU proves there’s no
This PSU proves there’s no need for ATX PSUs anymore, which saves wasted space. You can run two 1080Ti cards and a high-end CPU from this PSU, which already is quite over the top. With more sensible hardware there’s even a lot of room for overclocking.
Some brands have already started releasing mATX and ATX cases that support SFX PSUs only, like Silverstone, Lian-Li and Thermaltake, with more to come.