Verdict: A solid PSU, but the 12V2 rail is distinctly underpowered

This is the first time we've had a chance to check out SilverStone's PSUs. However, the company doesn't actually manufacture the Strider itself, because it's made by Enhance, which also manufactures PSUs for Akasa.

The Strider is rated at 460W and has two 12V rails, which provide a better balance of power than a single high-power 12V rail. The 12V1 rail is rated 14A and the 12V2 rail supplies 15A, while the 3.3V and 5V rails are each rated at 30A. Cooling is provided by a 120mm temperature-controlled fan, which is quiet at 50 per cent load, but gets pretty noisy as the PSU produces more power. There's no PCI-E connector, but there are eight Molex, one FDD and four S-ATA plugs, as well as support for both 20- and 24-pin ATX motherboards.

The Strider coped reasonably well with our demanding 100 per cent load test, but the voltage on 12V2 rail dropped to 11.3V. The ATX spec cites that 11.4V is the minimum voltage for this rail, so 12V2 is slightly underspecified. This means that components connected to 12V2, such as the CPU, may suffer instability at 100 per cent load. However, the Strider is reasonably efficient for a 460W PSU, averaging 74 per cent at 100 per cent load. This means it draws 604W from the mains to produce 445W.

At just over £50, the Strider is good value for money, and if SilverStone can fix the problem with the 12V2 rail, it could be a contender.

• Cases - 21st November 2008
• Motherboards - 24th October 2008
• Gaming Headsets - 26th September 2008
• Dream PCs - 24th September 2008
• Headphones - 12th September 2008
• Media PC components - 22nd August 2008
• PSUs - 14th July 2008

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