Specifications and Packaging
The SilverStone SX500-LG power supply is rated for a combined, continuous output power of up to 500 watts at 40°C operating temperature. The PSU includes universal AC line input (automatically adjusts to the AC line voltage) and active PFC, which makes the unit more environmentally friendly to the local power grid. The SX500-LG features a single +12V rail that can deliver up to 40A (480W) of power and can operate under no load conditions.
Specifications and dimensions from the SilverStone web site:
(click to enlarge)
Packaging and Parts
The SilverStone SX600-G SFX-L power supply arrived securely packed inside a standard retail box highlighting the unit's main features and specifications.
In addition to the power supply the package includes a power cord, mounting screws, a detailed User's Guide, ATX adapter bracket, and five modular cables. SilverStone continues to provide one of the most technically complete User Manuals of any PC power supply manufacturer.
The SX500-LG PSU comes with five relatively short modular, flat ribbon-style cables.
Note: If you find one or more cables are too short for your particular build (especially if you are installing the SX500-LG in a larger ATX enclosure) SilverStone offers a complete line of full-size modular cables that can be purchased separately. All of the sleeved cables in the PP06 and PP07 Series will work with the SX500-LG SFX power supply.
An important thing to note
An important thing to note about the ‘fanless’ mode: The entirety of the fan control system is composed of a thermistor attached to the internal heatsink that controls fan voltage, and Silverstone using a fan which happened to have a startup voltage that worked well with the voltage produced by the thermistor and desired startup temperature. The problem being that it is an entirely dumb control system, with only the thermal load of the heatsink (or rather, the thermistor strapped to the heatsing with a short length of heat-shrink tubing) providing any hysterisis.
The upshot being that under idle/low-load conditions, the fan will tend to hover just at the startup voltage. Unfortunately, the fan will also make a lot of noise in this regime, with clicks coming from startup/shutdown and buzzing just below startup as energy is dissipated into the rotor sufficiently to produce audible vibration but insufficient to overcome static friction and start the rotor moving.
Sadly, this makes the PSU in practice a lot noisier than it should be. Infuriatingly, without the ‘fanless mode’ the PSU would be really quite silent. Silverstone (via Tony Ou on the HardOCP forums) even tried their own slim 120mm fan, [url=http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1041479391&postcount=596]and rejected it doe to not spinning down[/url], meaning the PSU is semi-fanless at the expense of actual low-noise operation!
There are quite a few other PSU sellers using the same Sirfa platform that Silverstone are using here, and with different fans, so if they avoid the ‘semi-fanless’ mode those should in practice be quieter. Or the SX500-LG could be modified with Silverstone’s own fan if you’re willing to void the warranty (the fan is soldered to the PSU PCB). Option 3 would be to strap a thick 120mm fan to the outside to keep the PSU cool enough that the thermistor never gets hot enough for the fan to approach the startup voltage in the first place.
I’ve replaced the stock fan
I’ve replaced the stock fan in my SX500LG with the Silverstone FW121 that Tony Ou used. It’s not perfect as the fan still has a quiet buzzing/chatter while spinning, but it’s a good improvement over stock.
Also the stock Globefan was not soldered down. It used a 2 pin fan plug+socket, with some sort of glue on top (not engulfing) to secure it.
My next plan is to swap the FW121 for a Scythe Slip Stream SY1225SL12M as it has a very low starting voltage, although this is a full thickness fan that will need to be mounted to the outside.
I recently purchased this
I recently purchased this power supply and it’s installed in my Xigmatek Nebula ITX case with Z97 mobo, 4690k, GTX970 ITX and even while gaming (Shadow of Mordor – high/ultra settings for example) the fan on the psu still doesn’t spin up. I figured out that because my case has negative air pressure, air is being drawn in from the rear of the power supply keeping it cool enough so it never gets to the target temperature for the fan to kick in – making it passively cooled. Fantastic power supply – I’d just rather it didn’t use semi fanless mode as the Nebula case is designed so that the psu aides the removal of warm air. My case, GPS and cpu temps are all fine, I just think they’d be a little lower with the extra exhaust provided by a spinning psu fan.