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All of the cables are braided.
While this does not do anything for performance, it does make the cables more presentable and actually cleaner and easier to route as loose wiring will not snag inside the case.
There are a plethora of connections which should cover any setup found in a desktop PC.
The longest cables are close to two feet in length, so I don't foresee any issues with power connections not being long enough.
Some video cards require 8-pin PCI-E power connections. These power connections allow flexibility in choosing between 6 or 8.
Testing
We put together a couple systems to test the PSU. Both are Intel based, but built completely differently. The first is an E6750 based HTPC that I designed to be power efficient. The total power draw is 294W under full load. The second system I cobbled together borrowing as much hardware as I could from Hubert. This is a Quad SLI system running an Intel 840 Extreme Edition. Why an older CPU? The older Pentiums were notorious for not being power efficient. The total draw for this setup is 712W under load.
I wasn't able to put together anything that could max out the full load of the Silencer, which is rated at 750W continuous at 40C, 825W peak. On that note, the internal system temperature of the E6750 was a cool 32C while the 840 EE was a very balmy 46C.
The comparison PSU will be a Cooler Master iGreen 600W. Voltages were monitored with ABRA DM-9700 multimeter. System was loaded up by running a batch 3DMark benchmark, along with a system defrag, virus scan and spyware scan using MS Defender. I also taped a coffee filter over the rear exhaust for the case and PSU. This won't block airflow but it will increase the temperatures. For the actual cooling of the CPU, we setup a Asetek WaterChill at high speed.
E6750, Gigabyte X48, ATI X2600, 2GB Corsair XMS2, Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 400GB.
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+3.3v
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+5v
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+12v
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| PCPC Silencer E6750 |
3.21
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5.15
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12.20
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| CM iGreen Power E6750 |
3.22
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5.04
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12.17
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840EE, Nvidia 790i, MSI/Asus/Gigabyte 8800 GTX, 2GB Crucial DDR3, 2x Barracuda 7200.10 500GB, 2x Barracuda 7200.9 400GB.
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+3.3v
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+5v
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+12v
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| PCPC Silencer 840EE |
3.10
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5.11
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12.08
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| CM iGreen Power 840EE |
3.02
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5.00
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11.98
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As expected, the higher load system drew a lot more from the PSUs than the lighter system. The Cooler Master held up very well, but suffered greater drops than the PC Power & Cooling Silencer.
Noise and heat were something we also examined. The Cooler Master and PCPC Silencer were about the same in regards to noise. The Silencer was higher pitched, but the overall level of noise was about the same. The Cooler Master was cooler though, hovering around 52C, while the Silencer was closer to 55C. When idle, the Silencer was indeed more silent than the Cooler Master.
Final Words
Overall we were very impressed with the . The power output and quality were excellent and easily handled both of our test systems. The exhausted heat was a bit warm for our liking, but the chassis was not scorching hot as we may have expected, thus we're not concerned of this becoming a issue
From a feature standpoint, the Silencer is fairly loaded. At 83% rated efficiency. Your power bills should not go through the roof. Furthermore, unlike general perception, the bigger the power supply does not mean a bigger power bill. The PSU will only draw as much power as your system needs.
Build quality was excellent, and it's quite impressive to see some of the physical and technological features in what is essentially a consumer level power supply. The price is competitive, hovering around $150 which we feel is very good.
There are some short comings, though nothing deal breaking. The "silence" in Silencer is anything but. We didn't find the noise overbearing, but the noise is enough that certain applications are not ideal. For example, we don't suggest you use the for a HTPC PSU, but we have no qualms about using it for a desktop PC that is for general use, provided it sits under a desk.
Gamers probably have video cards louder than the PSU, so noise won't be a factor for them. The product manual, or lack thereof is something we would like to see in the future.
We've always said that there is more to a power supply than slapping more zeroes to the power rating. The does bring the power, but does so the right way. We've had readers and even our own staff writers betrayed by sub-par power in very expensive computers. Backed by a solid warranty, good performance and build quality, we have no problems telling our readers to strongly consider the we reviewed today.
Hit us up in the Forums if you have any questions.
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