Small Form Factor (SFX) PSU review: power supplies for small PCs

Specifications

The chart below has the exact specifications of each of the four PSUs side-by-side. CLick here to open the table in a new window.

General
Brand	FSP	Seasonic	SilverStone	SilverStone
Product name	FSP300-60GHS 300W	SS-300SFD 300W	SFX ST45SF 450W	SFX ST45SF-G 450W
Product code	FSP300-60GHS	SS-300SFD	SST-ST45SF	SST-ST45SF-G
Details	Product info	Product info	Product info	Product info
General
Continuous power	300 W	300 W	450 W	450 W
Specified efficiency		81 %	85 %	90 %
Certification		80 Plus	80 Plus Bronze	80 Plus Gold
Modular
Specified power
Max. current 12 V - Rail 1	14 A	8 A	36 A	37 A
Max. current 12 V - Rail 2	16 A	14.5 A
Max current 12 V - Total		22.5 A	36 A	37 A
Max. current 5 V	22 A	20 A	22 A	14 A
Max. curren 3.3 V	20 A	20 A	21 A	19 A
Connectors
Standard peripheral	1	4	2	2
Floppy		2	1	1
Serial ATX	7	2	3	3
6 pin PEG			1	1
8 pin PEG			0	0
6/8 pin PEG			1	1
Total PEG			2	2
Mainboard connector	20 / 24 pins	24 pins	20 / 24 pins	20 / 24 pins
4 pin CPU
8 pin CPU
Specifications
Colour	Black	Grey	Black	Black
Size fan 1	8 cm	8 cm	8 cm	8 cm
Lighted fans
Fan speed controlled by temperature
Manual rpm adjustment
Connector for rpm control
Semi-passive
Mesh around mainboard cable
Mesh around other cables
Power switch
Adjustable voltage outputs
Weight	0.8 kg	1.10 kg	0.997 kg	0.834 kg
Depth	10 cm	10 cm	10 cm	10 cm
Extras / Accessoires				SFX to ATX bracket
Retail / OEM	OEM	OEM	Retail	Retail
Length of mainboard cable	20 cm	31 cm	30 cm	30 cm
Length of PEG cable(s)			55 cm	54 cm
Maximum molex cable length	14 cm	47 cm	50 cm	51 cm
SATA cable length	31 cm	42.5 cm	62 cm	60.5 cm
CPU power cable length	21 cm	33.5 cm	41 cm	41 cm