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Performance, Value, Noise & Efficiency
Performance Rating
The following graph shows the ST1500-TI's total performance rating, comparing it to other units we have tested. To be more specific, the tested unit is shown as 100 percent, and every other unit's performance is shown relative to it.
The ST1500-TI's overall performance is highly competitive. If it had tighter load regulation on the minor rails and better performance in the turn-on transient tests, along with a longer hold-up time, it would come closer to its tough competition in this class.
Performance Per Dollar
The following chart may be the most interesting to many of you because it depicts the unit's performance-per-dollar score. We looked up the current price of each PSU on popular online shops and used those prices and all relative performance numbers to calculate the index. If the specific unit wasn't available in the United States, we searched for it in popular European Union shops, converting the listed price to USD (without VAT). Note that all of the numbers in the following graph are normalized by the rated power of each PSU.
This is an extremely expensive power supply, so its value score is unsurprisingly low.
Noise Rating
The graph below depicts the cooling fan's average noise over the PSU's operating range, with an ambient temperature between 30°C and 32°C (86°F to 89.6°F).
Output noise is the ST1500-TI's most glaring weakness. SilverStone should do something about it in the next revision of this product.
Efficiency Rating
The following graph shows the PSU's average efficiency throughout its operating range, with an ambient temperature close to 30°C.
The platform is highly efficient, so it matches the other PSUs in this category.
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