SilverStone Introduces Its First TFX PSU
Small Form Factor (SFF) systems usually use SFX or TFX PSUs. The latter aren't as popular as the former, though. SilverStone, a company devoted to compact PSUs, released the TX300, which follows the TFX form factor and has Bronze efficiency.
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SilverStone includes in its portfolio a great number of compact PSU offerings, but until now it didn't have a TFX unit. This changed today with the release of the TX300. The main features of the TX300 include Bronze efficiency, an 80mm diameter fan, 40°C temperature rating for continuous full power delivery, and a rather high mean time between failures (MTBF) number (100,000 hours, at least), according to SilverStone.
The PSU is equipped with only a single 6-pin PCIe connector. It would be nice if SilverStone took the extra step here and used a 6+2 pin PCIe connector instead, but it seems it's engineers were afraid that the restricted capacity could lead to problems if someone used an energy-hungry graphics card. The number of SATA connectors is sufficient, though, and the same goes for the peripheral connectors, seeing as this PSU will be used inside a small chassis with a limited number of bays and slots for HDDs/SSDs and other type of devices.
All cables are fixed, and they feature black sleeving. Unfortunately the cables aren't fully sleeved back into the chassis, and this is a major downside; aesthetics aside, properly done sleeving also provides an extra protection layer.
Given that this PSU will be used inside small chassis with restricted airflow, it would be nice if it was equipped with over temperature protection (OTP), which in any case we believe that it is a crucial protection for every PSU. The PSU is quite affordable at $55, and the provided warranty is satisfactory at three years. With a richer protection features set, this unit would be even better, though.
| SilverStone TFX Line | |
|---|---|
| Model Number | TX300 |
| OEM | CWT (GPF Platform) |
| Capacity | 300W |
| PFC | Active PFC |
| Efficiency | 80 PLUS Bronze |
| Modular | No |
| Intel Haswell Ready | Yes |
| Operating temperature | 0°C - 40°C |
| Protections | Over Voltage Protection Over Power Protection Short Circuit Protection |
| MTBF | 100,000 hrs |
| Input Voltage | 90 ~ 264 VAC |
| Cooling | 80 mm Fan |
| Dimensions | 85 mm (W) x 65 mm (H) x 175 mm (D) 3.35" (W) x 2.56" (H) x 6.89" (D) |
| Weight | 1 Kg (2.204 lb) |
| Compliance | ATX12V v2.4 |
| Form Factor | TFX |
| Connectors | 1 x 24 / 20-Pin motherboard connector (350mm) 1 x 8 / 4-Pin EPS / ATX 12V connector (450mm) 1 x 6-Pin PCIE connector (350mm) 4 x SATA connector ("350mm / 150mm" x 2) 2 x 4-Pin Peripheral connector (350mm / 150mm) 1 x 4-Pin Floppy adapter connector (350mm / 150mm / 150mm) |
| +12V Max Power | 276W |
| combined +3.3, +5V | 95W |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Price | $55 |
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Aris Mpitziopoulos is a contributing editor at Tom's Hardware, covering PSUs.
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shrapnel_indie Reply19710694 said:It's fairly cheap at least, this form factor usually costs a pretty buck.
Price isn't bad. Should be a solid unit too. However, most of the prices I see in TFX isn't horribly expensive either, not overall anyway at street prices....
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/power-supply/#t=11&sort=a5&page=1&qq=1 -
bloodroses I was hoping to see higher wattage than 300 for this form factor. SFX I know has gotten quite powerful over the years; lets hope the same for TFX. Silverstone power supplies are usually of decent quality though (I have a SFX 450w full modular).Reply
The biggest knock against this power supply is Seasonic's 350 watt 80+ gold can be bought for $5 more and their 300 watt 80+ gold is over $10 less. The Silverstone unit is colored black at least. :) -
orionfotl Hey Aris, this is made by CWT on their GPF platform. It also comes stock in 250W, 350W and 400W.Reply