Silverstone Decathlon DA650: A modular alternative
by Christoph Katzer on August 8, 2007 12:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Introduction
Not long ago we started our power supply reviews with the Silverstone Olympia OP650. Today we will be looking at the Decathlon series which is in fact the same power supply from the inside. The only difference is that the Decathlon has modular cables.
As we saw with the Silverstone OP650 the build quality of this power supply is very good and we expect to see a very high efficiency rating as well. As both the Olympia and Decathlon use the same basic design, we are once again dealing with a single 12V rail on this PSU. We have mentioned in previous reviews that we are not entirely in agreement with companies that deal this approach is best -- standards exist for a reason.
It might theoretically improve compatibility with some higher-end graphics cards, but it also increases the risk of damage to the system and it can be dangerous for the end-user as well. Keep in mind that all graphics cards also have to follow standards, so if a single 12V rail that follows the Power Supply Design Guide is unable to deliver enough power to a certain graphics card, the card manufacturer should be reworking the design rather than expecting other companies to break with standards in order to support their card.
Just like the Olympia the Decathlon is manufactured in Taiwan. In fact since it is the same PCB with the same components it uses the same production line and only comes in a different housing. The label shows the same data as the Olympia 650W.
Not long ago we started our power supply reviews with the Silverstone Olympia OP650. Today we will be looking at the Decathlon series which is in fact the same power supply from the inside. The only difference is that the Decathlon has modular cables.
As we saw with the Silverstone OP650 the build quality of this power supply is very good and we expect to see a very high efficiency rating as well. As both the Olympia and Decathlon use the same basic design, we are once again dealing with a single 12V rail on this PSU. We have mentioned in previous reviews that we are not entirely in agreement with companies that deal this approach is best -- standards exist for a reason.
It might theoretically improve compatibility with some higher-end graphics cards, but it also increases the risk of damage to the system and it can be dangerous for the end-user as well. Keep in mind that all graphics cards also have to follow standards, so if a single 12V rail that follows the Power Supply Design Guide is unable to deliver enough power to a certain graphics card, the card manufacturer should be reworking the design rather than expecting other companies to break with standards in order to support their card.
Just like the Olympia the Decathlon is manufactured in Taiwan. In fact since it is the same PCB with the same components it uses the same production line and only comes in a different housing. The label shows the same data as the Olympia 650W.
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eetnoyer - Wednesday, August 8, 2007 - link
...reviews of power supplies for people who aren't building a quad SLI system and don't want to spend $100 and up?Christoph Katzer - Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - link
...patience.crimson117 - Wednesday, August 8, 2007 - link
Should change to:
mostlyprudent - Wednesday, August 8, 2007 - link
Perhaps my expectations are messed up, but I have yet to be impressed by any of the units reviewed thus far. Then again, when spending $150 to $200 for a PSU, I am going to set my sights very high.Super Nade - Wednesday, August 8, 2007 - link
They used 3 x Primary caps, which is more expensive than 1 450uF, but since they are in parallel, the ESR reduces significantly. Although this may have a minimum bearing on the proceedings (secondary side is more important), there is less stress on the PWM/switching transistors.I think you may have issues calibrating your setup, given that every single PSU you have reviewed seems to have larger than usual voltage drops.
yyrkoon - Wednesday, August 8, 2007 - link
Given this, and that the rails do not seem to be solid/heatsink is too small, I think the PC power and cooling PSU is still the better buy.Besides that PC Power and Cooling is a well respected PSU OEM, why even bother with something else in the same price range.
Who makes this PSU anyhow ? I know it is silverstone branded, but I am fairly certain they did not make it.
Super Nade - Wednesday, August 8, 2007 - link
Impervio Electronics Corp, Taiwan.