Silent Running: Two Fanless Power Supplies And A Quiet One, Tested
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Page 1:Two Fanless Power Supplies, Compared
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Page 2:be quiet! Straight Power E9 CM 480 W
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Page 3:Measurements: be quiet! Straight Power E9 CM 480 W
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Page 4:Seasonic X-460 460 W
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Page 5:Measurements: Seasonic X-460
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Page 6:SilverStone SST-ST50NF
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Page 7:Measurements: SilverStone SST-ST50NF
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Page 8:Test Setup, Hold-Up Time, Inrush Current, Peak Load, And Short Circuit Protection Test
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Page 9:Efficiency According To The 80 PLUS Spec, Temperature, And Standby Power
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Page 10:Efficiency Across The Power Spectrum
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Page 11:Which Fanless PSU Is Right For You?
SilverStone SST-ST50NF
At first glance, SilverStone's SST-ST50NF looks like a gigantic heat sink. Basically, that’s what it is. The top consists of aluminum cooling fins. And its hefty weight, close to eight pounds, offers some indication of this power supply's purpose: achieve maximum cooling performance without a fan. In other words, the SilverStone SST-ST50NF (called the Nightjar after the nocturnal bird) is a fanless power supply like Seasonic's X-460. Unlike the X-460, though, Silverstone's offering is only 80 PLUS Bronze-certified, leading us to assume that it'll dissipate more heat as a result of lower efficiency. This explains why SilverStone turns its entire enclosure into a giant heat sink...at considerable expense, we're guessing.
Unsurprisingly, the 80 PLUS Bronze-certified SilverStone power supply's liberal use of aluminum makes it cost significantly more than Seasonic's X-460. It's as much as $70 more when you compare the lowest prices for each online, taking the SilverStone unit's total to $200.
For that price, you get the highest total wattage of the three power supply's we're comparing. But note that its +12 V rail is limited to the same 38 A current as Seasonic's offering. And, in spite of a hefty price, the SST-ST50NF doesn't employ modular cabling. All of its leads are soldered directly to the PCB. Some folks consider this good (one less failure point) and others prefer modular connectors for their benefit to cable management. The cables are sleeved at least, though they're are too short by several inches. This detracts from an otherwise attractive-looking unit. Fortunately, you get plenty of cables and connectors.
The SilverStone PSU's specs are almost identical to the Seasonic unit's, both armed with a single 38 A, +12 V rail multiplying out to 456 W. SilverStone sets itself apart with a total continuous output of 500 W, whereas Seasonic is only rated for 460 W.
| SilverStone SST-ST50NF | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC Input | 110-240 V, 50-60 Hz | |||||||
| DC Output | +3.3 V | +5 V | +12 V (#1) | +12 V (#3) | +12 V (#3) | +12 V (#4) | -12 V | +5 Vsb |
| 18 A | 18 A | 38 A | 0.5 A | 2.5 A | ||||
| Individual Output | 32 A | 6 W | 12.5 W | |||||
| Rail Utilization | Sys | Sys | CPU And VGA | |||||
| Combined Output | 120 W | 456 W | ||||||
| Total Continuous Output | 500 W | |||||||
| Peak Output | 550 W | |||||||
- Two Fanless Power Supplies, Compared
- be quiet! Straight Power E9 CM 480 W
- Measurements: be quiet! Straight Power E9 CM 480 W
- Seasonic X-460 460 W
- Measurements: Seasonic X-460
- SilverStone SST-ST50NF
- Measurements: SilverStone SST-ST50NF
- Test Setup, Hold-Up Time, Inrush Current, Peak Load, And Short Circuit Protection Test
- Efficiency According To The 80 PLUS Spec, Temperature, And Standby Power
- Efficiency Across The Power Spectrum
- Which Fanless PSU Is Right For You?
Last time I checked, Americans aren't the only ones who enjoy a silent computing experience...
Many companies that are focused on silence such as Noctua and beQuiet! are not "American."
I think it is quite neat that they have fanless option. I would never take the risk, but if I did I would chose seasonic, my 750W has done me well.
Last time I checked, Americans aren't the only ones who enjoy a silent computing experience...
Many companies that are focused on silence such as Noctua and beQuiet! are not "American."
--> argument over.
For the record I am not an American and I don't live in the US
I've been buying Corsair and even $45 Thermaltake 500... and I cannot hear them... with the cover open. The problems with FANLESS PSUs and GPUs is that they become heat-sinks... sure they are quiet, but everything around them gets warm. You need to blow the hot air out.
Going from a fanless GPU to something with a huge fan (H.I.S. brand) - the fans barely makes noise and use a rear exhaust and I can run the system fans at a lower speed.
Mitko: get soundproofing material, apply to inside of case. Put case on floor.
My case is on the desk, a foot or so away from me... its no louder than the A/C vent blowing air in the room.
1. The heat stress is the factor No. 1 for the lifespan of the capacitors, no matter if they are conductive polymer or very high quality electrolytic brand.
2. The case should use more higher intake flow to make sure that the power supply's heat does not enter the case.
3. A noise level of 10-13 dB can be tolerated for the sake of sustainability and avoiding the risk of heating up your case with the heat from from the PSU.
Personally, in the last 10 years I admire Seasonic for their stile... But I would use a passive solution that is still in the PC case just for a while.
most of the voltage regulators are mostly the same though they may add a larger heatsink on them.
you could pretty much turn a standard PSU into a silent one by swapping the caps and heatsinks. High quality capacitors are about 3-5 times more expensive (may take the cost of a single cap from 5 cents, to around 15-20 cents)
Yeap, and you get a better, more reliable, energy efficient bit of kit too. Bit I don't think I'll be having a go a swapping them
Not an 'American' thing, but a medical one. Noise pollution is becoming more and more of a problem; and affects long term hearing quality.
No wonder people can no longer hear the difference between an MP3 and a CD recording.
Every now and then you can find it on sale for $120. A steal for the best 650W PSU in the world.
it'll be used in an HTPC/home media server. to those that have doubts about the usefulness of such a PSU, I will ask: "what's the point of having that nice audio system in your living room if all you're gonna hear is fan noise in the background?"
Another article is what got me hooked http://www.silentpcreview.com/Seasonic_X-400_Fanless_PSU, they basically had to resort to a hair dryer to make the thermal protection trip. A very good power supply that can put up with alot of heat before having to shut down.
translate please...don't understand...thanks in advance