SilverStone SX600-G SFX Power Supply Review

Reviews
By Aris Mpitziopoulos
published

SilverStone's SX600-G is one of the most capable SFX PSUs you can buy. Six-hundred watts is a lot for this form factor, and today we are going find out if the company's offering is able to deliver its advertised power even in extreme conditions.

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Specifications, Cables And Power Distribution

Power Specifications

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Rail3.3V5V12V5VSB-12V
Maximum PowerAmps2015502.50.3
Watts9060012.53.6
Total Maximum PowerRow 2 - Cell 1 600Row 2 - Cell 3

There is only one +12V rail that delivers the PSU's full power on its own, which is typical for a modern PSU that uses DC-DC converters for generating the minor rails. Although the combined output looks low, they'll suffice for any system that needs up to 600W. Finally, the 5VSB rail has the typical amperage you'd expect from a contemporary PSU. It would be nice to get three amps or more on this rail, though we can't be so demanding of such a small PSU.

Cables And Connectors

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ATX Connector (300mm)20 + 4 pin
4 + 4-pin EPS12V (410mm)1
6 + 2-pin PCIe (410mm + 150mm)2
SATA (300mm + 200mm + 100mm + 100mm)4
4-pin Molex (300mm + 200mm) / FDD (+200mm)2 / 1

We believe that the SX600-G could easily handle four PCIe connectors. However, the tiny modular board sets the rules, since it can't accommodate any more sockets. The number of the available SATA and peripheral connectors is ample, given the form factor. SilverStone could have left out the FDD connector, yielding an additional 4-pin Molex plug, and offered the floppy interface as an adapter instead. Cable length is satisfactory, particularly since this PSU is intended for small cases. SilverStone was wise to leave enough distance between the first and the second SATA connectors, since the same cable will power the optical drive and hard drives. In most cases, the former is installed farther from the latter. Also, the distance between peripheral connectors is long, which could come in handy for attaching system fans. Finally, all of the connectors use 18-gauge wire, which is recommended.

Power Distribution

Since this PSU features a single +12V rail, there isn't much to say about power distribution.

Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

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

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14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Dark Lord of Tech
    Price is a little high.
    Reply
  • Onus
    The price is a little high.
    I'm not sure I agree with such high ratings of some of the Corsair units, with as many failures as they apparently experience within the first year. It also doesn't bode well for the poor capacitors in this Silverstone either. So far though, at this level, there is no other choice.
    Reply
  • damric
    The review was perfect this time, Aris. My only nitpick is the graphs are hard to read.

    Well done.

    As far as the PSU itself, I was turned off by the 40C max operating temp fan kicks up at 45... bah... If they would have used better caps then temp could easily been rated for 50C.
    Reply
  • David Dewis
    I wanna use this to run a GTX 980 in the Silverstone RVZ02 with a i5-4670 (non K) That is all.
    Reply
  • g-unit1111
    Nice to see that manufacturers are starting to take small form factor builds seriously. I especially like the direction that Silverstone is going in. First the RVZ02B now high quality SFF power supplies. Wave of the future?
    Reply
  • DarkSable
    This is a wonderful power supply, if you aren't pushing it altogether too hard.

    @David Dewis, go look at the Sandia Cooler. When you're done lusting after that, look at the Id-cooling Is-vc45 Vapor Chamber CPU Cooler... which you can buy right now and use to overclock an i5 in the new Raven just fine. I've got my media PC in an RVZ01 with a Pentium anniversary edition overclocked to heck, and it does just fine. (I can't wait for the RVZ02 to put my gaming rig in and run watercooling out the back.)
    Reply
  • DarkSable
    That being said. Tom's. What are you doing.

    Silverstone just released the SX500-LG, which is a very slightly longer (130mm) SFX-profile power supply that fits a 120mm fan on top, instead of a dinky, noisy 80mm fan. That's the power supply that I want to see a review of!
    Reply
  • g-unit1111
    15283400 said:
    (I can't wait for the RVZ02 to put my gaming rig in and run watercooling out the back.)

    I very badly want a RVZ02, it will make a nice home for my old i5-3570K. :lol:
    Reply
  • Grognak
    52dB and more than 25 idle... "Tiny box that makes a lot of noise" isn't my definition of SFF.
    Reply
  • Aris_Mp
    I will ask for the SX-500LG, however I have many samples to process till its turn comes to hit the test bench. Unfortunately a full PSU review needs lots of time and I won't do rushed reviews.
    Reply