SilverStone DA1650-G Power Supply Review

A power factory that won't empty your wallet.

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

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With the introduction of Nvidia's Ampere GPUs, high Wattage PSUs have come into the spotlight again. Surely you won't need a 1650W monster for a single RTX 3080, and since Nvidia only offers NVLink to the super expensive RTX 3090, there is no point in installing a pair of RTX 3080s into a system, for gaming purposes, at least. That said, the RTX 3080 is power limited at 320W or 350W in real-life, and we have already started seeing implementations with higher power limits where power consumption can reach 450W. This is why Nvidia recommends an 850W power supply if you plan to use a potent CPU and at least 1000W if you go with an AMD Threadripper or an Intel HEDT CPU. 

Where could a 1650W monster be used, you might wonder? If you want to use two RTX 3080/3090s along with a power-hungry CPU, even 1200-1300W PSUs will have a hard time. This is where PSUs with 1500W and higher Wattage come into play, and given the high-efficiency readings under light loads, there are no compromises even under light utilization scenarios. 

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The SilverStone DA1650-G is a great addition to the high-wattage PSU category. Like Formula 1 race cars, the Corsair AX1600i and the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1500W are out of reach for most users because of their stiff price tags. On the other hand, the DA1650-G is like an American muscle car, offering huge power levels at a fair price. On top of that, its overall performance is pretty high, and it also manages to score high in areas that matter, like load regulation, transient response, and ripple suppression at 12V. With a few changes, it can get even better, but this is something for future product revisions. 

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Disclaimer: Aris Mpitziopoulos is Tom's Hardware's PSU reviewer. He is also the Chief Testing Engineer of Cybenetics and developed the Cybenetics certification methodologies apart from his role on Tom's Hardware. Neither Tom's Hardware nor its parent company, Future PLC, are financially involved with Cybenetics. Aris does not perform the actual certifications for Cybenetics.

Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

Aris Mpitziopoulos is a contributing editor at Tom's Hardware, 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