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There is a fair amount of wiring with the SilverStone SST-ST360, but only two sets of wire leads are
covered with loom; the motherboard connector and the optional motherboard power connectors. The
motherboard power connectors supply the motherboard with 12 volts to aid in powering processor chips,
most notably, the Pentium 4. Those who do not require them would have to hide or tuck the wires behind
the power supply or motherboard in order not to interfere with airflow. SilverStone has left the fan RPM
wires intact, so consumers can plug it into a spare motherboard fan connector to allow monitoring of the
fan RPM. The SilverStone SST-ST360 also has three strings of connectors for various devices. Two of the
connectors feature two large molex connectors and one floppy style connector with the third having one
large molex connector only. SilverStone has also added a serial ATA connector for those who require it.
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The SilverStone SST-ST360 Power Supply uses an Adda 120mm sleeve fan, model number AD1212MS-A73GL. The
ADDA AD1212MS-A73GL 120mm fan can push upwards of approximately 80 CFM at 1800 RPM with a noise level
of 34.6 dbA. According to the Adda Fan specs and the SilverStone web site, the fan will adjust itself
according to its thermal sense. As previously mentioned, the fan will sit above the CPU location and
will pull the air off the CPU heatsink; however, from there the air is pushed through the power supply
and forced out of the back. From the looks of the layout inside, there may be a few dead spots.
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SST-ST360 Motherboard Monitor readings
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I installed the SilverStone SST-ST360 Power Supply into a Chenming Silver 301KE case, which houses my current
test bed. Here is a breakdown of the major components in the test bed:
- ASUS CUV4X-C Motherboard
- Intel P3 800
- 256MB of the cheapest ram I could find
- NVIDIA GeForce 2 MX
- 20GB Hard Drive
- Ricoh DVD/CDR
- MADlights Digital Lighting System
The machine was subjected to a few tests using standard application software including Sisoftware Sandra’s Burn-In-Wizard,
CD Burning, DVD playing and Folding@home. I noted all lines were about 5% or 10% deviance over or under the normal level,
with the exception of the +3.3 line, which stayed at +3.3. From the SilverStone website, a 5%-10% tolerance level in terms
of operation and stability was within their acceptable limits. Also I did notice a drop in the CPU temperature of about 2
or 3 degrees.
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Conclusion:
The SST-ST360 Power Supply can be classified as a good performing product and it looks like SilverStone
Technology is off to a good start. I definitely like the dark grey exterior housing which did look good
when installed into a Silver Chenming Silver 301KE Mid-Tower Case. If I ever have to go the Serial ATA
design, I am glad that the SST-ST360 comes with the power connector. The use of the 120mm thermal sensing
fan was a good choice. If the temperatures increase, it will speed up and attempt to move more air, as well
as slow down if temps are stable. The two power connector harnesses that have been wrapped was a nice
touch, however, wrapping the rest of the lines would have improved the overall appearance of the wires,
as well as keep the interior of the case clean. From the looks of the layout inside the SST-ST360 Power Supply,
there may be a few dead spots but power users might up to look at the high-end models in SilverStone
Technologies product line-up to ressolve this issue. Overall, I am rating this product an
8 out of 10. I would recommend the SilverStone SST-ST360
Power Supply for those individuals are upgrading from the stock power supply or investing in something that
requires stability in the power lines. If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the
SilverStone Technology website for more information
or discuss them in our forums.
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Pros:
- SATA Adapter included
- Includes a 120mm thermal sensing fan
- Allows RPM monitoring
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Cons:
- No secondary AC plug
- No straight through air flow
- Wrapping the remaining wires would have improved aesthetics as well as airflow
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