Visual inspection
The Strider Platinum 650W has a simple design with its 120mm fan placed on the left side of the casing, instead of the center. The power supply has no graphics and no RGB LEDs installed, instead it has a regular all black casing.
The power supply has a weight of 2.18kg, a width of 150mm, a height of 86mm and a depth of 140mm. This makes it smaller than the regular Platinum certified power supply and it is a plus for smaller systems.
The fan grill of the Strider Platinum 650W is simple, and its only redeeming feature design wise is the Silverstone snowflake logo which is placed at the center. The grill has wide gaps to allow for a good intake for the fan, in addition, the paint used here has a matte finish.
The sides of the unit are covered by paper labels. On one side there is a minimalist black and white design with the complete product name. The opposite side has the standard label which contains the technical specifications of the power supply.
The back of the Strider Platinum 650W uses the standard honeycomb pattern for as its exhaust port. In addition, this power supply, much like many other models, uses the ATX layout at the back. This includes the AC cable socket and a simple On/OFF switch.
The front part of the power supply has the modular connectors, 9 of them to be exact. The PCIe connectors are light blue instead of black, this is done to make them easy to find and to not be mistaken for other connectors. Unfortunately, the label which is used to identify all modular connectors is simple and made from paper. At this price point, a lot of power supplies have their modular connectors labeled using painted text.
The top of the power supply features the Silverstone name and logo. Unlike the rest of the power supply casing, these two graphic elements are embossed into the metal of the casing.
The cables included with the Strider Platinum 650W have an all-black design and are all flat ribbon style. This type of cables is easier to use and route around the system, as they take up less space and can be overlapped.
The fan used inside the Strider Platinum 650W is made by Globe Fan, and has the model number: S1202512L. This is a 120mm fan that uses a 3-pin connector for power and thus, it can be easily replaced if it malfunctions.
The fan has a maximum speed of 1600RPM and uses a Fluid Dynamic Bearing system with a semi-passive operating mode.
The Strider Platinum 650W and the entire Strider Platinum series uses a Sirtec High Power platform. This platform has been used with other power supplies, albeit with some changes in terms of the components.
The passive cooling is done by three aluminum made heatsinks. These make direct contact with key components of the power supply. The active cooling is done by the 120mm fan installed on the top of the casing.
The filtering starts at the AC slot, at the back of the unit with a single X cap, two Y caps and a Choke which is covered by a rubber layer. All components are installed on the above small PCB.
The APFC section uses a single primary capacitor manufactured by Nippon Chemi-Con with the following specifications: 400V, 470uF. This capacitor has a maximum operating temperature of 105°C.
The FETs (Field-effect transistors) of the unit are made by Infineon, with the model number: IPP015N04N. As is the case with many power supplies, these FETs are making direct contact with one of the main heatsinks of the unit.
The Switching Controller of the power supply is an Infineon made ICE2HS01GS. This chip is installed on a separate vertical PCB.
The small chip installed on the smaller vertical PCB is the PFC controller of the unit. This controller is made by Infineon and has the model number: ICE3PCS01.
Unfortunately, this power supply uses wires to connect the main PCB with the secondary PCB that holds all modular connectors. While this is not a deal breaker, the usage of cables will result in an increase in power losses across the board.
The Strider Platinum 650W uses solid and standard capacitors made by Nippon Chemi-Con and Teapo.
