Really Cool and Quiet Power Supplies?

Silverstone SST-ST30NF

General Impressions

The fanless power supply from Silverstone, the SST-ST30NF (EFN-300), uses only passive cooling. The device is supposed to deliver 300 Watts of maximum power, but this is only attainable when using 230V power; on 115-120V systems, the maximum attainable power output is more like 250V. That's because this device conforms to the older ATX`12V 1.3 specification.

The enclosure is completely made of aluminum, and the front and back sides are well ventilated with air holes. The materials are plain, and the unit isn't lacquered (as is sometimes the case with other power supplies).

A warning sticker on the unit indicates that the device can get hot during operation; our own testing demonstrated that this was indeed the case

A green LED labeled PWR indicates normal operation (if this LED turns yellow, the device is in standby mode, usually as a function of power management like ACPI; if it turns red, this indicates a device failure or shutdown owing to exceeding a temperature threshold).

The TEMP LED is normally not lit, but if it turns yellow, it indicates the temperature threshold has been exceeded. You'll also find a power switch on this device as well.

Two LEDs provide device status. Take the warning sticker "Caution Hot!" seriously!