Silverstone Decathlon DA750 Modular Power Supply ReviewMay 4th, 2007 Two months ago we reviewed Silverstone's Olympia 650W power supply sporting a single +12 rail, and were impressed with the rock stable performance it put on display. In fact, despite running two 8800GTS videocards in SLI, the Olympia's voltages remained tighter than any other PSU to come through HardwareLogic, helping it to earn our Editor's Choice award.
Two months ago we reviewed Silverstone's Olympia 650W power supply sporting a single +12 rail, and were impressed with the rock stable performance it put on display. In fact, despite running two 8800GTS videocards in SLI, the Olympia's voltages remained tighter than any other PSU to come through HardwareLogic, helping it to earn our Editor's Choice award. This time around, we're looking at their modular solution based on the same design, which they've dubbed the Decathlon series. While the Olympia set the bar high for today's Decathlon to follow, the DA750 appears to be up to the task, at least from a glance at the specs. Active PFC, greater than 80% efficiency, quiet operation, and plenty of cable connectors all make an appearance, and we get an extra 100W to play with, for 750W total. The Decathlon series also incorporates the same single +12V rail as the Olympia, with a whopping 60A available on our test unit. Will we be as impressed with Silverstone's modular solution as we were with its wired sibling? Damn the suspense, let's go find out!
| Model |
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Max DC Output
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| PFC |
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| Weight |
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| Dimensions |
- 150mm (W) x 86mm (H) x 180mm (D)
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| Efficiency |
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| Noise Level |
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| Cooling |
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| MTBF (Mean Time Before Failure) |
- 100,000 hours at 25C, full load
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| Operating Temperature |
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| Protection |
- Over Current/Power/Voltage
- Short Circuit
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CONTENTS AND CASING
One of these times, a power supply company is going to completely blow us away with a truly killer bundle to make us exclaim, ' Wow, I can't believe they included that!'. Today is not that day. While no mind blowing accessories were thrown in, we do find the standard combination consisting of a user's manual, power cable, black screws, and a couple of zip ties (also black). With the popularity of the Silverstone branding, something as simple as a case badge would make for a nifty perk.
The DA750's casing we received looks identical to the previously reviewed Olympia OP650, which isn't a bad thing. We still like the simple black casing the engraved Silverstone name and logo. Size wise, today's unit checks in at 180mm, slightly longer than the wired version, which runs 150mm deep.
Mums the word regarding the real manufacturer of the DA750, as once again, there's no UL provided, which we could have punched into the Online Certifications Directory. But we do see the voltage ratings printed on the side, most notably the 60A available on the sole +12V rail. There's also a sticker indicating our unit as a Rev. 1.0, which could be a handy identifier should a recall ever be issued or a known problem come to surface in the online communities (Antec NeoHE / Asus fiasco, anyone?).
Ventilation duties are handled by the popular honeycomb grill design. We've pretty much given up looking for adjustable pots anymore, as they seem to have gone the way of the dodo bird.
COOLING AND CABLING
Because the DA750 stretches a bit longer than the Olympia, the 120mm fan on the bottom doesn't quite cover nearly the whole surface as before, though it does span across most of the internal components for active airflow chores.
More similarities to Silverstone's Olympia abound, as we the DA750 sports the exact same 120mm Everflow ball bearing fan. With a max rating of 99.99CFM at 2900RPM, the fan could potentially get very loud at full blast. But just as before, the Everflow never kicked into high gear, and again remained quiet throughout testing.
The Decathlon series is an all modular solution, with even the main ATX connector getting in on the detachable action. We'd actually rather see that particular cable permanently attached, as we can't think of a situation where you'd ever need to remove it, but so long as it doesn't adversely affect our testing, we'll keep our gripe to a whisper. Most of the cables detached with ease, save for the 4-pin molex cables. Wriggling them loose not only takes some extra effort, but will also test your ability to refrain from muttering a few choice obscenities.
Silverstone provides a healthy assortment of connections to satisfy a wide range of users, including the enthusiast packing a case full of hardware. Included are the main ATX 20/24-pin connector, 8-pin EPS12V connectors, 4-pin ATX12V connector, two 6-pin PCI-E connectors, six SATA connectors (three each on two cables), six 4-pin molex connectors (three each on two cables), two floppy connectors, and a single 8-pin PCI-E connector for high end and next generation videocards. There's also an adapter thrown in for the single 8-pin PCI-E connector, which can change the orientation. All cables come sleeved in black sleeving, but just as before, the wires in between connectors remain naked. A bit of extra sleeving on these neglected areas would go a long way towards tidying up the appearance, especially on a modular unit where tidiness is the end goal.
INTERNAL AND TESTING
Let us preface our internal examination with the same warning we apply to all of our power supply reviews. Opening up a PSU not only voids your warranty, but also presents a serious health risk. Even after turning off and unplugging a unit, there can be enough charge stored inside to significantly shock and/or cause a fatal injury to anyone poking around inside. In short, let us at HardwareLogic be the ones to stand in a bucket of water while snapping shots of the internal componentry, and keep the cover on at home.Disclaimer aside, the DA750 comes packed with heatsinks, coils, capacitors, and other such goodies, just as found on the Olympia. In fact, we see the same mainboard and EPS650 model number markings, leading us to wonder just what provides the extra 100W over the OP650...
Making another repeat appearance are the multiple +12V rail markings, despite being marketed and sold as a single rail design. We pinged Tony Ou from Silverstone regarding our findings, and he told us that " it was initially designed to be capable of switching between a single +12V rail or a quad +12V power supply. Although not intended for end users, there is a switch on the side[...]that will allow switching between the two types."
Testing MethodologyHere at HardwareLogic, we strive to provide our readers with accurate and real-world results of every component we put through the wringer. This philosophy presents a challenge when testing power supplies of increasing size, as it would take one monster of a test bed to flex the capabilities of these big watt behemoths. It's simply not enough to hook up a high end system, record the voltages, and praise a PSU afterwards. For this reason, we've employed the talents of our very own Chris Adcock (the only real life Rocket Scientist we know) and longtime forum friend Ron Blain (Electrical Engineer extraordinaire) to build and maintain a custom test bed that we'll be using for future power supply reviews. Without giving away too much before we have a final product, this custom test bed will be able to provide a true full load while measuring key aspects of a PSU's performance under controlled temperatures. The initial prototype looks very promising, and we hope to have a final revision by this summer. In the meantime, we'll be conducting our power supply reviews in the most real world way possible, despite the limitations of such testing. This means outfitting a high end system with dual videocards, increasing the voltages, and overclocking our processor to simulate the computing habits of enthusiasts. Our testbed today consists of the following components:
Test ResultsOur testing today focuses on measuring the +12V, +5V, and +3.3V rails both at idle and with a full system load. We then take a second set of measurements after overclocking our processor to 2.8GHz (up from 2.0GHz at stock), increasing the vCore to 1.525V, and increasing our RAM's voltage to 2.4V. The ATX specification allows a 5% variance in either direction, so we'll be looking to make sure our unit is not in danger of running out of spec. Equally important, if not more so, is whether or not these rails remain stable or have a tendency to jump around. In other words, do they provide clean power? For example, we'd much rather have a power supply whose +12V rail remains at a constant 11.90V (well within the 5% variance allowed) over one that measures +12V on the nose but repeatedly fluctuates all over the place.
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Stock Idle
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Stock Load
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OC'd Idle
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OC'd Load
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| +12V |
12.25
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12.22
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12.25
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12.24
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| +5V |
5.05
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5.04
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5.05
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5.05
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| +3.3V |
3.43
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3.42
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3.43
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3.42
| Once again, our Silverstone turned into voltage readings nothing short of spectacular almost across the board. They ran a little higher this time around than the previously reviewed Olympia, but fluctuations were nearly non-existent whether at idle or load, stock speeds or overclocked. All rails also remained with the 5% variance afforded by the ATX specification, though the +3.3V rail came fairly close to the upper limit.
Segment
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Score
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Comments
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| Feature-set |
9/10 |
- Sheathed cables
- Modular cables
- Active PFC and high efficiency (>80%)
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| Cables and Connections |
19/20 |
- More connectors than most users will ever find themselves needing
- Quick release tabs utilized
- 8-pin PCI-E connector thrown in, though we'd like to see two of these
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| Power |
19/20 |
- 750W of power with 60 amps on the single +12V rail will accomodate all but the most power hungry rigs
- No official SLI certification, though our real-world testing showed it's capable
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| Performance |
18/20 |
- The DA750's rails all remained extremely tight, and stayed within the 5% variance afforded by the ATX specification, though the +3.3V rail came close
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| Cooling and Noise |
10/10 |
- Stayed cool and ran quiet, what more is there to say?
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| Warranty and Support |
9/10 |
- Backed by a 3-year warranty, though we've seen five year and even lifetime warranties start to enter the marketplace
- Silverstone's Contact Page contains various points of contact for support, as well as a downloadable RMA form, which can be FAX'd back to expediate the RMA process
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| Price / Value |
8/10 |
- Streets for just under $200 shipped
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Our RecommendationSilverstone's Olympia series left some pretty big shoes for the modular Decathlon to fill, and not surprisingly, it was able to do just that today. We say we're not surprised because, aside from the modular cables, this is essentially the same power supply. Our only concern with this is that the internal design looked so similar (right down to the model numbers), that we're left wondering what constitutes the higher wattage and +12V rail rating. Armed with two 8800GTS videocards, the Silverstone DA750 Decathlon displayed nary a flinch and remained steadfast throughout our testing. This held true when we overclocked and overvolted our testbed, making us confident that there's enough power to satisfy an enthusiast's upgrade path for the foreseeable future. We'd like to see another 8-pin PCI-E connector thrown in, along with cable sleeving in between connectors, but aside from those issues, we really don't have much to criticize. The DA750 brings a healthy dose of wattage to the table, along with high efficiency, low noise operation, and modular cabling to quell the obsessive compulsive voice in your ear bemoaning your cluttered case. If you have $200 burning a hole in your pocket, then you'll want to invest in a fireproof wallet. Barring that, you could pick up a DA750, save your pocket, and power a high end rig.
EDIT: A Note From SilverstoneAfter reading our review of the DA750, Tony Ou from Silverstone weighed in on a couple of the design decisions implemented on the Decathlon series. Here's what he had to say:
I think many people do not realize why we make our modular cables 100% detachable, but we do this so people can switch out any cables they want to make the power supply fit in any case. Case in point, our Sugo cases (SG01, SG02, SG03), all of them can accept ATX power supplies like the DA750, but not so much room for the cables. A user can get our PP03 short cable kit and switch their main ATX cable to short depth for easier integration into Sugo cases.Regarding the lack of second 8-pin PCI-E connector, we decided to exclude it based on the power number we received from graphics card companies during development. We calculated that having two graphics cards that need 8-pin PCI-E cables plus other loaded components may see the DA750 running close to capacity. An 850W power supply would be safer so the DA850 does come with two 8-pin PCI-E connectors.
Other Reviews of NoteIt's always nice to have more than one opinion on a component before you spend your hard earned money. For one, we may see something others missed, or vice versa. As with all reviews published at HardwareLogic, we'll not only give you our recommendation, but also point out some reviews from some other great sites from around the web. TechAddictsDark Vision Hardware
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