Price and Conclusions
Price – $/Watt
And finally we have pricing. The following table lists retail price for each power supply as shown on PC Power & Cooling’s website (June, 2004). I have also included the average cost per watt.
|
Average Retail Street Price | ||
|
Power Supply |
Price $ US |
$/watt |
|
Silencer 350 watt ATX |
65.00 |
0.18 |
|
Silencer 460 watt ATX |
85.00 |
0.21 |
Any one who is familiar with PC Power & Cooling’s traditional prices will immediately recognize that these new Silencer units are much less expensive than in previous years!
Conclusions
PC Power & Cooling’s new line of Silencer ATX power supplies offer more features and cost significantly less than the older Silencer 400 ATX, which was based on the Turbo-Cool 425 watt chassis. Overall, the two Silencer power supplies reviewed produced very good results.
Both Silencer ATX units exhibited good voltage regulation with excellent stability and low AC ripple. (However, I would like to see the 3.3 VDC rail a little higher.) Both of the units tested include active power factor correction and produced above average efficiencies while operating under a moderately heavy load. I also like the look of the new black cases and fan grill.
The following table summarizes the data collected during testing for the Silencer 360 ATX and Silencer 410 ATX power supplies.
(click to enlarge)
While operating under a moderately light load the two Silencers were very quiet — almost inaudible. However, when operating under a heavy load and/or relatively warm ambient room temperatures with poor case cooling, then expect the fan to run at higher RPM and become noticeable.
Strengths:
- Excellent DC voltage stability
- Very low AC ripple (noise) on DC outputs
- Good DC voltage regulation (all rails within spec)
- Active power factor correction (PF = 0.99)
- Above average efficiency (>70% with typical load)
- Auto voltage select and Power On-Off rocker switch
- Very quiet while operating under moderately light load
- Serial ATA drive connectors
- 100,000 hr MTBF, backed by a 3-year warranty
- Low cost
Weaknesses:
- 3.3 VDC output on the low side (but still within the ATX spec)
- Cooling fan can become noticeable at high speed (heavy load)
- No nylon mesh sleeving on cables
The new Silencer ATX power supplies are a nice addition to PC Power & Cooling’s full lineup of power supplies and accessories. These new units offer a lot of features and good value.
I would like to thank PC Power & Cooling for sending us these two power supplies to review. Check out a Silencer ATX or other high-quality power supply or cooling accessory the next time you are ready to build a new system or upgrade an existing one.
