Installation:
The depth of the ST1500 means it won't fit in just any old computer case. Like I mentioned earlier, it measures 22cm long and you'll need to add on another few centimeters to accommodate the space taken up by the modular plugs. You'll definitely want a case where you have some empty drive bays across from the power supply or where it mounts at the bottom - this is to provide you with ample space to route the cables.

To get an idea of the space you can save using the PP05 short cable kit, Silverstone was kind enough to supply the picture below of this giant power supply installed in one of their MicroATX cases! As you can see in the picture, the short cables fit very nicely in a case of this size and leave very little excess cable that needs to be routed or hidden.

Make sure you don't misplace the power cable that came with the ST1500 either, as I bet finding another one with flat-prongs won't be an easy task!

Testing:
Testing Disclaimer: To truly test a computer power supply to it's fullest extent would require equipment far beyond the budget of any part time reviewer. For that reason, our power supply tests are simple real world tests done by measuring it's performance when running in an above-average computer system. Since any good power supply should be able to regulate it's voltages, I never expect to see much of a change in that area. Therefore, take our power supply tests as providing some overall feedback on how I felt all aspects of the power supply performed.

I will be honest: this power supply is so powerful that not even I can come up with a system nearly large enough to even make it twitch, let alone bend and break. I will provide you with some basic feedback based on the system I am running it with. If anyone is running this power supply on a system large enough to actually tax it, I would be delighted to add your performance results onto this review.

Testing System:
CPU: Intel Core2Quad Q6600 2.4ghz @ Stock Speeds
Motherboard: Asus P5K-E WIFI-AP
Memory: 4x1gb Patriot Extreme Performance DDR2 800mhz (4-4-4-12)
HDD: Western Digital Green Series 1TB
DVD+/-RW: Pioneer DVD-R212
Video: Asus 8800GT 1GB
Sound: MOTU 8PRE Firewire Audio Interface
Power Supply: Arctic Cooling Fusion 550R
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Under idle and load situations with the computer system above, I could not make the ST1500 budge from the voltages in the table. I did expect this though, as I mentioned just a few paragraphs ago.

For being as powerful as it is, Silverstone has managed to keep a wonderfully low noise level on the ST1500 when it's in idle (or on a system that isn't drawing a lot of power from it). When I was using it in my system, I could not tell it apart from the few other fans operating throughout the case. Keep in mind it is a thermally controlled fan so the more demand that's put on the power supply the faster it will be running.