Silentmaxx Fanless 400W PSU Review - Conclusions
(Page 5 of 5 )
Conclusions
The Silentmaxx 400W fanless PSU worked flawlessly, providing rock-solid voltages to the computer under various loads. As expected, the system ran hotter than it would with a conventionally cooled PSU, but it was also pretty darn quiet. The unit obviously requires airflow across its heatsinks and it is a good idea to add another fan to the case to assist in this area.
The included 80mm fan, while keeping with the pretty blue color scheme, does a terrible job at being quiet if the intake is impeded. QuietPC noted that they routinely ship a 120VAC power cord along with the PSU for American patrons, so the European cord is just another spare part. However, I did note that the two cords I got were a tad on the loose side when plugging into the PSUs for those who might need to use them. I also noticed that the blue sleeving on the main harness came loose from the PSU side by the end of testing (not significant, but an annoyance). The documentation was seriously lacking; I couldn't find any data on the Silentmaxx 80mm fan that wasn't on the fan itself, like whether it had ball bearings or what the operating speed and airflow rate are. I couldn't find a diagram outlining which rails were assigned to what connectors/pins on the PSU. There were no adjustment ports for tweaking the output voltages, not surprising considering the reasonable price of the unit, and taking into account the actual voltage outputs as read by DMM, there really wasn't any need to, anyway.
QuietPC USA also did an exceedingly good job at supplying and supporting silent PC parts.
Who Should Buy it?
In any situation, the PSU is dependant upon airflow across its heatsinks. With that in mind, if you are the type of person who lives in a small room and can't stand having a noisy machine running next to your head, then the Silentmaxx 400W is for you. It works as advertised and provides steady power with no audible noise. If you have a high-powered gaming system or are heavily overclocked, you may want to pass this one by as it will increase the case temperature significantly.
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
| Recommended by Dev Hardware |
|---|
|
