SilverStone's NightJar 520W PSU is Fanless

By Niels Broekhuijsen
published

Silverstone's new PSU is fanless, which makes it very likely to also be completely quiet.

Silverstone has revealed a new power supply – the NightJar 520W. Beyond its rather odd name, the PSU itself is also a bit odd, as it doesn't actually have a fan. Now, it's technically not an incorrect name, as jars are indeed quite silent throughout the night… just kidding; it's named after a nocturnal bird.

The unit, as its name indicates, is able to push up to 520 W of power. It is also 80-Plus Platinum certified, which is certainly what made it possible to run the unit without a fan – it simply doesn't generate a lot of heat. Do note though, the unit should be oriented with the grated side up, as otherwise the heat generated will get trapped.

Silverstone has also opted to make the unit fully modular, so you'll only have to connect the cables that you need, and no more. Since the 12 V supply is taken care of by a single powerful rail, you also won't have to worry about which modular ports you use in order to draw power.

No word on pricing just yet.

Niels Broekhuijsen
Niels Broekhuijsen

Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.

17 Comments Comment from the forums
  • nukemaster
    Well with guts that are most likely made for an 850+ watt unit(thus the ability to get away without a fan), This will not come cheap.
    Reply
  • Steveymoo
    Nice! HTPC enthusiasts will be happy.
    Reply
  • ram1009
    Nothing electronic is improved by reducing airflow. This is a simple marketing gimmick at the expense of longevity.
    Reply
  • lp231
    No fans on the PSU, but you do have fans on your case so it can use the air flow from that to cool it.
    I still prefer a PSU with a fan.
    Reply
  • Quarkzquarkz
    Listen, for those who are dying to know just how 'fanless' works, it's nothing but a series of heat sinks consisting of very thin and flat plates of conductive metal such as copper and/or aluminum alloys.

    For maximum efficiency, the configuration of these are laid out in a fan shape or fin shape depending on the manufacturer to basically 'wick' away heat. The way it's configured will usually determine the amount of heat that is displaced.

    Lastly, more caution should be emphasized on the placement of the PSU because trapped heat will definitely affect it on a greater scale. For those who aren't strapped down by cash and/or sensitivity, then this might be a suitable alternative!
    Reply
  • joraph
    This will definitely increases the temperature of the system..
    & How long do you think that this can function properly without a fan.
    Reply
  • Smallfilou
    Well Tom, that one was almost correct! The nightjar series is quite ancient actually. I have one in my current build (Core 2 Extreme, 2007) that is called SST-ST50NF: 500W, also passive cooling.

    Only major difference: it was only 80plus bronze certified. But for an ultrasilent build in a big case, just perfect! No longevity issues as the components used are top shelf only (japanese 105° capacitors...) and of course there is always thermal protection (even with overclocked qx9650 in mid-summer, I never had a problem).

    BTW, no, definitely not cheap, around 140 Euros (should be approximately 150 USD) at the time.
    Reply
  • ko888
    It's just a re-badged Seasonic Platinum-520 Fanless (SS-520FL2 Active PFC F3). The only difference is the color of the shell and the brand name slapped on it.

    Seasonic's version sells for around $140 US and has a 7 Year Warranty. SilverStone usually doesn't offer any more than a 5 Year Warranty at most.
    Reply
  • mortsmi7
    This will definitely increases the temperature of the system..
    & How long do you think that this can function properly without a fan.
    I have a PC Power & Cooling fanless 750w psu, it's 8+ years old and has no problems.
    Reply
  • nukemaster
    To all the people who think it will not last because it lacks a fan.

    1. It will use case air flow + convection. Convection alone should work as long as the case has plenty of space for the hot air to rise.
    2. Does your stereo die because of a lack of a fan?(I know some still have one) Old stereos lasted for years(and this was with VERY low efficiency linear power supplies.). On top of this, the amp was dumping its heat into the system as well.

    These are certainly not to everyone, but I do not think they would design them to die.
    Reply