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Packaging, Contents, Exterior & Cabling
Packaging
SilverStone's box is tiny, since it contains a compact SFX-based power supply. Up front, there's a photo showing the native cables, which are thankfully sleeved all the way up to the PSU's chassis. The model number is printed in large letters, and the SFX form factor is highlighted as well.
You'll find a list of available connectors up top, along with a list of product specs and the power specification table.
Around back, SilverStone provides two graphs showing the efficiency and fan speed curves. On the same side, in the bottom-right corner, you can find the PSU's version number. We like that SilverStone clearly states this information, contrary to other brands that usually choose to quietly change their products without saying anything.
Contents
Protection inside the box is limited to bubble wrap. More packing material would definitely help the ST45SF survive rough handling.
The bundle is satisfactory. Besides the two manuals that SilverStone provides with all of its PSUs, we also find an SFX-to-ATX bracket and two sets of screws (one for attaching the bracket to the PSU and one for installing the PSU onto the chassis).
Exterior
There's nothing extraordinary about the ST45SF's looks. This is a low-cost, mainstream PSU, after all. At least you get a power switch; that's not always easy to implement in a compact SFX platform.
One of the PSU's sides is fully covered by a power specifications label.
A plastic grommet protects the native cables from the PSU's edges.
The punched fan grille isn't particularly nice-looking. It'd actually be much better if there was a separate grille, though that'd probably increase production cost.
SilverStone doesn't include many native cables. Then again, the truth is that we're accustomed to fully modular PSUs, so a power supply with fixed cables just isn't that common in our lab. You can't have it all in this price range though, and it's better to save money on convenience than drop the quality of switching FETs or filtering capacitors.
Cabling
All of the cables are fully sleeved. But we don't think the colored wires mix well with black material. Also, we're not fans of the ATX cable's sleeving job; it'd look nicer closer to the connector. Clearly, aesthetics aren't a priority in a budget product like this one.
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