Seasonic Super Silencer 400W PSU - Specifications (continued)
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Specifications (continued)
I want to quickly talk about the two features touted on the Seasonic Super Silencer series of power supplies. They are active power factor correction and smart silent fan control.
Active Power Factor Correction: Power factor is the ratio between the watts and the volt-amps drawn by an electrical load where the watt is the actual load power and the volt-amp is the apparent load power. Simply put, it is a measure of how effectively the current is being converted into useful work output and more particularly is a good indicator of the effect of the load current on the efficiency of the supply system. PC power supplies basically create a DC supply for the motherboard and other components. This involves rectifying the AC voltage which causes harmonic currents. In some cases, these harmonic currents are insignificant relative to the total load current drawn, but in some power supplies, a large proportion of the current drawn is rich in harmonics. If the total harmonic current is large enough, there will be a resultant distortion of the supply waveform which can interfere with the correct operation of other equipment. The addition of harmonic currents results in increased losses in the supply. Power factor correction for distorted supplies can not be achieved simply by the addition of capacitors. The harmonics can be reduced by the addition active rectifiers, passive inductance, capacitance, reactance filters (LCR) or by the addition of electronic power factor correction inverters which restore the waveform back to its undistorted state. Active PFC uses a circuit to correct power factor, Active PFC is able to generate a theoretical power factor of over 95%. Active Power Factor Correction also markedly diminishes total harmonics, automatically corrects for AC input voltage, and is capable of a full range of input voltage. Non-PFC power supplies are no longer recommended. In fact, in Europe, power supplies are now required to have either active power factor correction or passive power factor correction. Seasonic states that their power supplies improve working power factor from the typical 50% to a near-perfect 99%.
Smart silent Fan Control: This feature is basically a technique of limiting or controlling the fan speed of the power supply until certain ambient temperature thresholds are exceeded. The fan speed and noise level gradually increase as the power supply load increases.
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| (adapts to different ambient temperature levels to maintain system balance) |
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| (noise level will increase as system load increases) |
The gist of both charts is that Smart Silent Fan Control (S²FC) automatically reduces noise without increasing temperature and extends fan life by eliminating unnecessary rotation.
Operation and Testing
Today I will be taking readings from the power supply with it connected to an Antec power supply tester, a PC at stock settings and at overclocked settings.
Test Rig:
DFI LAN Party KT400A (BIOS 42302e31 dated05/06/03, Hyperion 4in1 v4.47 drivers)
AMD XP 2500+ (333 MHz FSB Barton) also overclocked to 1.95GHz (11 x 177FSB)
768MB GEIL Golden Dragon PC3200 (3 x 256MB)
ATI 9700Pro (Catalyst 3.4, default settings)
Maxtor DiamondMax 80GB ATA133 HDD 8MB
Thermaltake Volcano 9
Windows XP PRO (SP1, DX9.0a)
HP i9003 CD-RW
LiteOn 16x DVD-Rom
6 x 80mm case fans
2 x Vantec Blue CCFL
1 x PCToys UV CCFL
Additional test components - (1 x Sunbeam Red Laser LED, 3 x 80mm case fans, 1 x Maxtor 30GB HD, 1 x MSI CD-Rom)
As you can see in the pictures, I first pulled readings from the power supply with it attached to a Antec power supply tester. The power supply tester simply provides a 25W load to the power supply and checks for the presence of the correct voltage for each rail (+5V, +12V, +3.3V, +5Vsb, -12V, -5V). I must admit I was extremely surprised at the lack of noise from this power supply. When I first connected it to the power supply tester, I didn't hear any fan whir or hum from the unit. I had to pick up the power supply and actually look at the exhaust fan to make sure it was spinning. The only other visual proof that the power supply was working correctly was the green "ok" diagnostic light on the PSU tester. Seasonic rates this PSU at 25Dba nominal but I couldn't tell it was running at all. After taking the base voltage readings, The power supply was connected to the test rig and run at default settings for an hour with Motherboard Monitor 5 pulling Hi/Lo statistics for the voltages. I also pulled the same voltages with the multimeter. Then the test rig was overclocked and all the extra test components I had gathered were daisy-chained to the power supply. This setup was run for an additional hour and more voltage readings were taken.
(DC voltage output tolerances according to Seasonic)
These readings are from the calculated specification minimum and maximum voltages compared to the actual minimum and maximum voltages seen by Motherboard Monitor 5. As you can see, The Super Silencer 400W performs admirably by keeping the actual voltage tolerances well within the calculated +/-5% levels.
These readings are from the multimeter taken with just the 25W PSU tester load applied, with the power supply running idle in the test rig and with the PC overclocked and carrying a lot of extra accessories. As you can see the Super Silencer is still rock steady and still has never dipped below specifications on any of the voltage rails while under work load.
This last chart shows the readings from the multimeter and Motherboard Monitor 5 in comparison to manufacturer specifications while the system was running in an overclocked state. As you can see this power hasn't shown the least sign of weakness or instability. The Super Silencer 400W shows that Seasonic means business when they build a power supply. i didn't include readings from the -5V and -12V rails in the graphs above but they were also rock steady and well within the manufacturer stated tolerances.
CONCLUSION
I was highly skeptical of this power supply when I first received it for review, however as far as performance goes, I stand corrected and very impressed. I am so used to having a dual fan power supply running in my systems that I automatically assumed this would be a poor performer based upon it's one exhaust fan and it's rather plain appearance. The phrase "all that glitters is not gold" comes to mind. This power supply is not as showy as my Enermax EG365P 350W power supply but it sure performs just as well if not better.
Pros
Rock solid power across all three power rails.
Dead silent quiet
Did not generate much heat even under heavy load
8 separate Molex connectors for ample supply of power sources
Cable management system included
Cons
Would I want this power supply in my case? After seeing the performance, I would definitely say yes. It will not "wow" anyone visually without some modifications but for quiet, dependable, almost completely silent operation this power supply kicks major ass. So, from a performance standpoint, I would have to definitely give this the DevH recommended award. Two thumbs up to Seasonic for building such a rock solid product. I would also like to thank Seasonic for providing this power supply for review. I just wonder what was the inspiration for the company name. Seasonic doesn't generate images of some technological powerhouse to me. It sounds like a California garage band. But what the hey, they build a tank of a power supply and that's all that matters. I invite you to check out one of these power supplies. I could currently only find this model relatively cheaply at one online retailer, Axiontech.com. Please feel free to comment on this product or this review in our forums or send me an email.
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