Silverstone Decathlon DA650: A modular alternative
by Christoph Katzer on August 8, 2007 12:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Conclusion
Despite the voltage drop on the 5V rail (especially under 230VAC input) this power supply still leaves us with a favorable impression. The internal design and the arrangement of components are very good, and Silverstone uses high-quality components rated for higher temperatures. The end result is very good performance, even in harsher environments. Noise levels are also better than most competing power supplies.
The two biggest flaws with the Decathlon DA650 are the same as those of the Olympia OP650. The secondary heatsink is too small and has difficulty dissipating heat at higher loads. It would be great to see a bigger heatsink in the next version, revision, or series from Silverstone. The second problem is the big voltage drop that occurs on most of the rails, and although most of the rails remain within specifications there is still clearly room for improvement. The 12V rail doesn't have as significant of a voltage drop, and we would like to see the same attention given to the other rails. We are staying in contact with Silverstone, and if we receive any new information on this issue we will be sure to update the article.
The efficiency and standby efficiency are above average as we have seen with the Olympia. Reaching a maximum of 83% efficiency, the result is very good, particularly with 230VAC. With an input of 100VAC we still reach 80% efficiency. The standby efficiency is better than what we have seen with other units, although the unit uses a little too much power when the system is turned off.
The Decathlon DA650 is available all over Europe for about 160 EUR. Availability in the states isn't as good, but Newegg is carrying the DA650 with a current price of $160 and a $20 mail-in rebate. It's also noteworthy that we couldn't find any particular differences between the soldered cables of the OP650 and the modular cables used in the DA650. We basically have two power supplies that are almost exactly the same, and the user can decide whether or not they want detachable cables. The price is reasonable considering the quality, and both Silverstone 650W power supplies carry the same price (at least after rebate).
Despite the voltage drop on the 5V rail (especially under 230VAC input) this power supply still leaves us with a favorable impression. The internal design and the arrangement of components are very good, and Silverstone uses high-quality components rated for higher temperatures. The end result is very good performance, even in harsher environments. Noise levels are also better than most competing power supplies.
The two biggest flaws with the Decathlon DA650 are the same as those of the Olympia OP650. The secondary heatsink is too small and has difficulty dissipating heat at higher loads. It would be great to see a bigger heatsink in the next version, revision, or series from Silverstone. The second problem is the big voltage drop that occurs on most of the rails, and although most of the rails remain within specifications there is still clearly room for improvement. The 12V rail doesn't have as significant of a voltage drop, and we would like to see the same attention given to the other rails. We are staying in contact with Silverstone, and if we receive any new information on this issue we will be sure to update the article.
The efficiency and standby efficiency are above average as we have seen with the Olympia. Reaching a maximum of 83% efficiency, the result is very good, particularly with 230VAC. With an input of 100VAC we still reach 80% efficiency. The standby efficiency is better than what we have seen with other units, although the unit uses a little too much power when the system is turned off.
The Decathlon DA650 is available all over Europe for about 160 EUR. Availability in the states isn't as good, but Newegg is carrying the DA650 with a current price of $160 and a $20 mail-in rebate. It's also noteworthy that we couldn't find any particular differences between the soldered cables of the OP650 and the modular cables used in the DA650. We basically have two power supplies that are almost exactly the same, and the user can decide whether or not they want detachable cables. The price is reasonable considering the quality, and both Silverstone 650W power supplies carry the same price (at least after rebate).
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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.