SilverStone DA1650-G Power Supply Review

A power factory that won't empty your wallet.

SilverStone DA1650-G
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

Tom's Hardware Verdict

The SilverStone DA1650-G is a high performance and powerful PSU. Its strongest asset is the notably lower price, compared to the high-end competition in this category.

Pros

  • +

    Fair price

  • +

    Tolerant to high temperatures

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    High build quality

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    High performance

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    Tight load regulation at 12V

  • +

    Satisfactory transient response at 12V

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    Efficient

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    High Power Factor readings

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    2x EPS and 12x PCIe connectors

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    Heavy duty AC receptacle and power cord (C20/C19)

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    Fully modular

Cons

  • -

    Not accurate power ok signal

  • -

    Lower than 17ms hold-up time

  • -

    High inrush currents

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    Can get noisy

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The SilverStone DA1650-G offers tremendous power levels at a good price. For users who don't have the money to get a Corsair AX1600i, an EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 T2, or a be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1500W, SilverStone's offering looks like a good bargain. Besides high wattage, its build quality is good, and the overall performance is at strong enough levels, allowing for good performance per dollar. The SilverStone DA1650-G is one of the best power supplies you can buy in its class.

Strong PSUs are coming to the front scene again, thanks to Nvidia's new Ampere GPUs, which are quite power-hungry. If you have the money to buy a pair of RTX 3090s, which need an equally strong CPU to be fully utilized, you will soon realize that even a 1000W PSU will struggle under full load. This is where some monstrous capacity PSUs like the new SilverStone DA1650-G come to play, offering enough power to support several power-hungry GPUs.

The SilverStone DA1650-G is 80 PLUS Gold certified, while in the Cybenetics scale, it achieves ETA-A (88-91% average efficiency) and LAMBDA-Standard+ (35- 40 dBA average noise output). Given the LAMBDA rating, this is not a quiet PSU, but you cannot expect silence when a power supply outputs more than 1500W of power.

With a quick look at the specifications, you can easily spot a difference with other high-end offerings from Corsair, EVGA, Seasonic, and others. The provided warranty is restricted to three years, which is not so small period given the huge power levels that this PSU can deliver. It is just the other brands that went on a "warranty" competition, and in the end, they had to provide ridiculously long periods, which are unrealistic when it comes to power supplies. One of the reasons this product is offered at a lower price than other units in this category is the provided warranty period. It totally makes sense, to cover the cost of possible problems due to prolonged warranty periods, you have to apply a different pricing policy. 

 

Specifications

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Manufacturer (OEM)

High Power

Max. DC Output

1650W

Efficiency

80 PLUS Gold, ETA-A (88-91%)

Noise

LAMBDA-S+ (35-40 dB[A])

Modular

✓ (Fully)

Intel C6/C7 Power State Support

Operating Temperature (Continuous Full Load)

0 - 50°C

Over Voltage Protection

Under Voltage Protection

Over Power Protection

Over Current (+12V) Protection

Over Temperature Protection

Short Circuit Protection

Surge Protection

Inrush Current Protection

Fan Failure Protection

No Load Operation

Cooling

135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan (RL4Z S1352512HH)

Semi-Passive Operation

Dimensions (W x H x D)

150 x 88 x 180mm

Weight

2.11 kg (4.65 lb)

Form Factor

ATX12V v2.4, EPS 2.92

Warranty

3 Years (North America)

Power Specifications

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Rail3.3V5V12V5VSB-12V
Max. PowerAmps2525137.530.3
Watts1301650153.6
Total Max. Power (W)1650

Cables & Connectors

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Modular CablesCable CountConnector Count (Total)GaugeIn Cable Capacitors
ATX connector 20+4 pin (610mm) / 6 pin sense wires (640mm)11 / 116-22AWGNo
4+4 pin EPS12V (750mm)2216AWGNo
6+2 pin PCIe (610mm+150mm) 4816-18AWGNo
8 pin PCIe (610mm)4416AWGNo
SATA (600mm+150mm+150mm+150mm)41618AWGNo
4-pin Molex (600mm+150mm+150mm)1318AWGNo
4-pin Molex (600mm+150mm+150mm) / FDD (+150mm)13 / 118-22AWGNo
FDD Adapter (105mm)1122AWGNo
AC Power Cord (1680mm) - C19 coupler1116AWG-

You get a vast number of cables and connectors with this unit, which can easily handle the 1650W max power output. All cables are long and it is nice to see dedicated PCIe cables, hosting one connector each. Moreover, the distance between peripheral connectors is adequate at 150mm. 

Component Analysis

We strongly encourage you to have a look at our PSUs 101 article, which provides valuable information about PSUs and their operation, allowing you to better understand the components we're about to discuss.

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General Information-
Manufacturer (OEM)High Power
PCB TypeDouble Sided
Primary Side-
Transient Filter4x Y caps, 2x X caps, 2x CM chokes, 1x MOV
Inrush ProtectionNTC Thermistor (SCK-057) (5Ohm) & Relay
Bridge Rectifier(s)2x HY GBJ5006 (600V, 50A @ 100°C)
APFC MOSFETs2x Infineon IPW60R060P7 (650V, 30A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.06Ohm)
APFC Boost Diode2x Infineon IDH06G65C5 (650V, 6A @ 145°C)
Hold-up Cap(s)2x Nippon Chemi-Con (400V, 820uF, 105°C, CE)
Main Switchers2x Infineon IPW60R080P7 (650V, 23A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 0.08Ohm)
APFC ControllerInfineon ICE3PCS01G
Resonant ControllerChampion CM6901X
TopologyPrimary side: Interleaved APFC, Half-Bridge & LLC converter
Secondary side: Synchronous Rectification & DC-DC converters
Secondary Side-
+12V MOSFETs10x Toshiba TPHR8504PL (40V, 150A @ 175°C, Rds(on): 0.85mOhm)
5V & 3.3VDC-DC Converters: 8x Infineon BSC0906NS (30V, 40A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 4.5mOhm)
PWM Controllers: ANPEC APW7159C
Filtering CapacitorsElectrolytic: 3x Nippon Chemi-Con (105°C, W), 11x Nippon Chemi-Con (4-10,000h @ 105°C, KY)
Polymer: 23x FPCAP, 6x United Chemi-Con
Supervisor ICSITI PS232S (OCP, OVP, UVP, SCP, PG)
Micro ControllerSTC15W408AS
Fan ModelGlobe Fan RL4Z S1352512HH (135mm, 12V, 0.45A, Fluid Dynamic Bearing Fan)
5VSB Circuit-
Rectifier1x PFC P10V45SP SBR (45V, 10A) & 2x Infineon BSC0906NS (30V, 40A @ 100°C, Rds(on): 4.5mOhm)
Standby PWM ControllerExcelliance MOS EM8569D

High Power provides this platform, and although it doesn't use cutting-edge technology, it has high build quality and uses quality components. We usually meet full-bridge topologies in high capacity PSUs, but the DA1650-G uses a half-bridge topology. They went with an interleaved PFC, at least. On the secondary side, the filtering capacitors are of good quality. We also spotted an MCU on the secondary side, for which we don't have any information on what it exactly does. 

The transient filter has all the necessary components to filter EMI effectively. There is also an MOV to protect against voltage surges. Inrush current protection is handled by an NTC thermistor, which is supported by a bypass relay. 

The pair of bridge rectifiers can handle up to 100A of current! This is insanely high, even for a 1650W PSU. 

The interleaved PFC offers higher efficiency levels and minimizes input/output current ripple. The bulk caps' capacity is low, so the PSU cannot reach 17ms hold-up time, as the ATX spec requires. These caps cost a lot, so larger capacity ones would notably affect the product's price.

Infineon provides the two main switching FETs, and they are powerful, with low Rds (on), which plays a huge role in energy losses. An LLC resonant converter is also utilized for higher efficiency. The resonant controller is a Champion CM6901X IC. 

Ten Toshiba FETs regulate the 12V rail. All are installed on the solder side of the main PCB. The 12V rail also feeds two DC-DC converters, which generate the minor rails. 

All filtering caps are by Japanese manufacturers and of good quality. Besides electrolytics, a large number of polymer caps is also used. 

The modular board hosts many polymer caps, for lower ripple on all rails. 

We don't have any complaints to make when it comes to soldering quality. High Power did a good job in this section. 

The 5VSB circuit uses an SBR and two FETs along with an Excelliance MOS PWM controller. 

The supervisor IC is a SITI PS232S. We also found an MCU on the secondary side, for which we don't have a clue what it is used for. 

The cooling fan is by Globe Fan, and according to the official specs, it uses a fluid dynamic bearing. 

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Contributing Editor

Aris Mpitziopoulos is a Contributing Editor at Tom's Hardware US, covering PSUs.

  • Awev
    Just wondering, what is the suggested retail price for this? And by offering only a three year warranty how much does that save a person compared to the competition, if you only plan to use it for say 2 1/2 years when the next generation of AMD (AM5 socket) and Intel CPUs are released, along with new GPUs - all requiring more power? How long would you have to own one or the other before it really pays for itself in warranty vs actual expected life?

    Please let me know if I missed the price in the article somewhere.
    Reply
  • Endymio
    And of course 90% of the buyers will be those with systems drawing half or less of that 1650 watts, but who have convinced themselves they "need" the extra headroom.
    Reply