PC Power & Cooling Silencer 1050W PSU Review: Affordable Yet Powerful

Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

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.

Latest Videos FromTom's Hardware

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.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
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.


MORE: Best Power Supplies


MORE: How We Test Power Supplies


MORE: All Power Supply Content

TOPICS
Aris Mpitziopoulos
Contributing Editor

Aris Mpitziopoulos is a contributing editor at Tom's Hardware, covering PSUs.