PC Power & Cooling Silencer 1050W PSU Review: Affordable Yet Powerful
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Load Regulation, Hold-Up Time & Inrush Current
To learn more about our PSU tests and methodology, please check out How We Test Power Supply Units.
Primary Rails And 5VSB Load Regulation
Load Regulation testing is detailed here.
Hold-Up Time
Our hold-up time tests are described in detail here.
Despite the bulk caps' high capacity, this PSU's hold-up time is less than 17ms. Worse, the power-good signal is inaccurate.
Inrush Current
For details on our inrush current testing, please click here.
The inrush current with 115V is normal, given this unit's capacity. However, with 230V input it's quite high.
Load Regulation And Efficiency Measurements
The first set of tests reveals the stability of the voltage rails and the Silencer’s efficiency. The applied load equals (approximately) 10 to 110 percent of the PSU's maximum load in increments of 10 percentage points.
We conducted two additional tests. During the first, we stressed the two minor rails (5V and 3.3V) with a high load, while the load at +12V was only 0.1A. This test reveals whether a PSU is compatible with Intel's C6/C7 sleep states or not. In the second test, we determined the maximum load the +12V rail could handle with minimal load on the minor rails.
Test # | 12V | 5V | 3.3V | 5VSB | DC/AC (Watts) | Efficiency | Fan Speed | PSU Noise | Temps (In/Out) | PF/AC Volts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6.921A | 1.989A | 2.001A | 1.003A | 104.847 | 90.364% | 0 RPM | <6.0 dB(A) | 45.67°C | 0.975 |
12.029V | 5.025V | 3.297V | 4.987V | 116.027 | 40.19°C | 115.04V | ||||
2 | 14.849A | 2.991A | 3.007A | 1.207A | 209.340 | 93.224% | 0 RPM | <6.0 dB(A) | 46.83°C | 0.995 |
12.017V | 5.016V | 3.291V | 4.971V | 224.557 | 40.71°C | 115.04V | ||||
3 | 23.183A | 3.491A | 3.495A | 1.411A | 314.440 | 93.140% | 625 RPM | 13.7 dB(A) | 40.86°C | 0.994 |
12.010V | 5.016V | 3.290V | 4.963V | 337.598 | 47.73°C | 115.04V | ||||
4 | 31.506A | 3.987A | 4.014A | 1.614A | 419.690 | 93.018% | 802 RPM | 19.7 dB(A) | 41.79°C | 0.995 |
12.013V | 5.017V | 3.290V | 4.957V | 451.190 | 49.29°C | 115.04V | ||||
5 | 39.524A | 4.984A | 5.019A | 1.818A | 525.003 | 92.694% | 805 RPM | 19.8 dB(A) | 42.13°C | 0.996 |
12.005V | 5.019V | 3.288V | 4.951V | 566.383 | 50.84°C | 115.03V | ||||
6 | 47.404A | 5.979A | 6.026A | 2.023A | 629.572 | 91.836% | 960 RPM | 25.3 dB(A) | 42.74°C | 0.997 |
12.019V | 5.020V | 3.287V | 4.944V | 685.543 | 52.59°C | 115.03V | ||||
7 | 55.295A | 6.959A | 6.957A | 2.224A | 734.921 | 91.300% | 1100 RPM | 29.2 dB(A) | 43.09°C | 0.997 |
12.041V | 5.031V | 3.320V | 4.949V | 804.953 | 53.95°C | 115.03V | ||||
8 | 63.276A | 7.952A | 7.988A | 2.429A | 840.264 | 90.680% | 1240 RPM | 33.1 dB(A) | 43.69°C | 0.998 |
12.040V | 5.032V | 3.305V | 4.943V | 926.622 | 55.17°C | 115.02V | ||||
9 | 71.558A | 8.463A | 8.436A | 2.433A | 945.153 | 90.034% | 1400 RPM | 36.1 dB(A) | 44.53°C | 0.998 |
12.055V | 5.024V | 3.319V | 4.934V | 1049.773 | 56.70°C | 115.02V | ||||
10 | 79.807A | 8.957A | 8.982A | 3.056A | 1049.948 | 89.273% | 1400 RPM | 36.1 dB(A) | 45.72°C | 0.998 |
12.033V | 5.026V | 3.307V | 4.911V | 1176.114 | 58.87°C | 115.01V | ||||
11 | 88.469A | 8.952A | 8.976A | 3.054A | 1154.804 | 88.518% | 1420 RPM | 36.2 dB(A) | 46.88°C | 0.998 |
12.039V | 5.029V | 3.309V | 4.913V | 1304.597 | 60.82°C | 115.01V | ||||
CL1 | 0.146A | 16.006A | 16.001A | 0.000A | 134.818 | 85.432% | 0 RPM | <6.0 dB(A) | 42.59°C | 0.985 |
12.054V | 5.028V | 3.286V | 5.048V | 157.807 | 51.73°C | 115.05V | ||||
CL2 | 87.510A | 1.004A | 1.001A | 1.000A | 1064.493 | 89.548% | 1405 RPM | 36.1 dB(A) | 45.34°C | 0.998 |
12.012V | 5.016V | 3.307V | 4.976V | 1188.743 | 58.32°C | 115.02V |
Load regulation on the +12V rail is tight, but it cannot compete with Seasonic's Prime models. When it comes to the 5V rail, the Silencer leads. It lands within 1% on the 3.3V rail. Lastly, the 5VSB rail maintains low deviations.
Strangely enough, the platform's peak efficiency is apparent with 20% load instead of the expected 40-50%. All 80 PLUS Platinum requirements are met though, even in the face of our very high ambient temperatures. Color us impressed!
Output noise remains low during the worst-case scenario (test number 11) in an almost 47°C ambient environment. Moreover, up until the 20% load test, PC Power & Cooling's fan does not spin. We are completely satisfied by the fan's speed profile. However, we would like to see the passive mode last a bit longer.
Finally, the APFC converter's performance is impressive. With 20% load the power factor is close to one.
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Aris Mpitziopoulos is a contributing editor at Tom's Hardware, covering PSUs.
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