Silverstone 300W fanless PSU success story

Uberapan · Post by **Uberapan** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 12:52 pm

Hello all,

I just replaced my dying Zalman 300W PSU with a Silverstone fanless PSU, as reviewed here: http://www.systemcooling.com/sst-30nf-01.html

If you can live with only 300W, this PSU is great. For reference, the computer it runs is:

2x Seagate Barracuda IV 40gb
1x Seagate Barracuda V 120 gb
1x Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 160gb
1x dvd-rw
1x dvd-rom
2.0 ghz P4, Willamette (before the die shrink, so it runs very hot and consumes a lot of juice)
512 mb rambus 800 mhz
Geforce 3 ti500
Soundblaster Audigy
Promise PCI IDE Controller card

So 300W really can run much more than you'd think. The voltages are rock steady too.

I now only have 2 fans in this computer, and both are Zalman 92mm fans with Fanmates at the lowest setting. As you probably know, they are so quiet at that setting you can't hear them with your ear 10cm from them. In all, I am very happy with the noise level of this computer. It is inaudible at 1-1.5 meters.

For my next project I will replace my voltage modded SeaSonic Super Tornado 400W in my newer computer with SilenX:s new 460W fanless PSU. If anyone has tried it, I would appreciate some opinions. If not, the product line is here: http://www.silenx.com/productcart/pc/vi ... ategory=20

davidstone28 · Post by **davidstone28** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 1:51 pm

At night / ultra quiet room, do you get any coil whine from the SS?

The SilenX looks very interesting but $240 - holy moley!

Uberapan · Post by **Uberapan** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 11:32 pm

Nope, you can't hear it even with your ear against it.

The SilenX is expensive, yes, but now that I have heard the difference between active and passive PSU I think it is worth it.

TheDarkHacker · Post by **TheDarkHacker** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 11:43 pm

after you installed it did you notice any rise in case temperature

Uberapan · Post by **Uberapan** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 12:41 am

No, not really. My current temperatures are CPU 41C and Case 33C. Remember that the 2.0G Willamette produces A LOT of heat. I haven't noticed any substantial rise in temperature, maybe 1-2 degrees C. I run the computer with one of the side trays off, though.

alleycat · Post by **alleycat** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 1:11 am

I've read some reviews about this PSU; it seems to be the most successful attempt at something fanless that I have seen. Unfortunately, all the systems used for testing had fans in them for cooling the CPU, case etc, which for me negates the purpose of having a passively-cooled PSU. Do you think that this PSU relies on the airflow found in a 'standard' PC setup, or do you feel that it would be capable of living in a case where there is no forced airflow at all? From my own experiments I know that even the slightest air movement can have a significant effect on reducing temperatures, so a totally passive environment is much more demanding. Any chance you could do a bit of stress testing? I'm sure many SPCR readers would be very interested to know more about this PSU.

Uberapan · Post by **Uberapan** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 3:13 am

Well, I tested it by running the CPU at 100% for an hour or so, and there was no problem. The PSU does get hot to the touch, but the built-in temperature LED stays green so this seems normal.

However, I do have two Zalman 92mm fans, but since they are totally silent at > 10cm they do not contribute to the noise level in my opinion. Unfortunately I cannot test it with the case closed, since my CPU overheats if I close it. I have very much dampening material in the box, so it overheats in under 10 minutes with the case totally closed. That said, there is very little airflow around the PSU in my current setup, but it might have a bit more access to the outside air than in your average setup.

alleycat · Post by **alleycat** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 5:17 am

Sounds like you need a different HSF setup. Maybe an Alpha sucking heat off the CPU and ducted out of the case?

al bundy · Post by **al bundy** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 6:24 pm

Thanks Uberapan for sharing this information, it is very useful. I am looking forward to your feedback about the SilenX fanless model as well.