Introduction:

   It's no secret:  I am fully on the silent PC bandwagon.  Noise control is one of the last rough edges that PC hardware has.  We have the speed and we have the looks, but we shouldn't have to submit to a noise penalty to get those benefits.  With careful selection of hardware, quiet operation and high performance need not be mutually exclusive. In the quest for quiet performance, Silentmaxx is doing its part to quell the din by offering up silent and near-silent parts.  Today we'll be looking at their power supply offering, the Semi-Fanless 450W ATX power supply, provided by the kind folks at QuietPC.

Overview:

   The Silentmaxx unit is advertised on the box as being a 2-in-1 Standard and Fanless power supply.  What this means is that the power supply can act in either passively-cooled or actively-cooled modes.  The user can select one of six modes of operation based on a rotary switch located on the back of the unit.  Before we get too deep into the operation and testing, though, let's take a look at what comes in the box. 

What doesn't come in the box is instructions.  This is the second product I have reviewed from Silentmaxx, and they are 0-for-2 when it comes to documentation.  How difficult is it to include even a small pamphlet with some instructions?

   The Silentmaxx unit is constructed of high-quality anodized aluminum, with a machined Silentmaxx logo on the top side.  Fins on the top of the unit look as though they are designed to radiate heat, although this area will be in contact with the case in many applications.  Where the Silentmaxx unit differs from standard Power Supply Units (PSU) is in the addition of a large heat sink located on the back of the unit.  This large finned array will protrude outside the case, radiating heat away from the case.  The quality of construction is top-notch, with no obvious defects in workmanship or cosmetic blemishes.

   The fan included in the PSU is not a standard 80mm fan; it appears to have an advanced blade design far removed from the run-of-the-mill units included with most bargain power supplies.  As I alluded to before, there is no fan in the rear of the unit; just a large aluminum heat sink. (Photo apology:  The top view white balance is not optimal, as the flash reflected highly from the logo. Send photography tips to me, please...)

  A power supply would be useless without a good array of connectors, and fortunately, the Silentmaxx unit comes with a complete bundle.  Unfortunately, only the ATX master power connector is sleeved from the factory.  I would like to see all power supplies come with sleeved wiring.  Modular connections should also be standardized.  The case is handsome, and would show quite well in a custom case, but the wiring would certainly detract from a show-quality installation. 

   Also, the ATX power cable sleeve stops short of the connector, but this turned out to be a feature, not a bug as you'll see later.  The unit comes with a 20-pin adaptor for older motherboards, but it may or may not be needed in your particular installation, even with an older motherboard.

   An adaptor is also included for Pentium-4 motherboards, so you should be able to install this power supply in most, if not all, mainstream motherboards without issue. Two separate, long length, SATA  power supply cables are also included. 

  The first connection to be made is the ATX power cable to the motherboard.  I'll digress here for a moment:  This case uses an older ATX motherboard with a 20-pin power attachment. 

   The OCZ unit came with an adaptor for older motherboards (left in picture below), and I hated it for its sloppy appearance.  Even though I knew that the extra four pins were redundant, the adaptor bundle did not make it obvious which four pins were the extra ones, and I never had a warm fuzzy about trying to bypass it. 

   The Silentmaxx adaptor (right in picture below) is different in that you can easily see that the extra four pins on the 24-pin connector are simply not connected to the end terminals.  Seeing this, I had no qualms about attaching the ATX power connector straight to the motherboard, leaving the extra four sockets hanging off the edge.  The plastic sockets are actually molded with different designs (not square) so it is fairly fool-proof (good thing for me).  I am ecstatic that I don't have to use the adaptor.  Ugh. Check for component clearance problems before you bypass yours, though.  Some motherboard designs may not permit you to do this. The end result is an exceptionally clean power cable attachment.

   I mentioned before that the sleeving didn't go all the way to the connector.  I appreciated this "feature" a little more when I attached the cable, as it allowed a little more flexibility near the connector.

  To finalize the installation, I used a bit of split-loom tubing to round up the additional power supply leads.  No matter what type of system you have, you will probably have some left over.  A couple of zip-ties and the bundle could be neatly tucked away into the unused bay space in the top of the case.  Notice how the fan on the power supply is unobstructed.  This is important for cooling.  Check yours...

   The end result may not be show-worthy, but it is efficient and tidy.

Testing:

   Even though I didn't use all the various power leads, my system does have a fairly steep power supply bill.  The entire case power-budget consists of:

• Socket A motherboard with AthlonXP3000+

• 1 GB RAM

• CPU Cooler Fan

• Northbridge Cooler Fan

• Nvidia GeForce 6800 Video Card

• 3 x 120mm thermally-controlled Case fans

• 2 x 160 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drives

• 1 x 120 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive

• DVD-RW Drive

• Floppy Drive

   Soon I'll be investing in a watt-meter for the master power outlet to get a number for your guys.  I'm trying to keep up!  Even so, I'm not in the business of stress-testing components to failure, only in determining if they fit the needs of the moment.  In this regard the Silentmaxx PSU has been happily chugging along with no hint of power-related issues. 

   In order to test the efficiency of the semi-fanless design, I first tested the unit with the setting in the Auto position.  In the Auto position, the fan began to spin immediately when power was applied, although at a slow velocity, and with no perceptible noise.  I ran some benchmarks with the processor while simultaneously performing a defrag on the RAID array to build some heat and the fan did not appreciably spin up.  The heat sink barely got warm to the touch. 

   Next, I placed the switch in the 50 degree setting to test with no fan at all.  I expected the fan to kick on at some point, but it never did.  I played World of Warcraft for about four hours, checked the fan, and it still didn't come on.  The heat sink got a little warm, but not enough to trip the temperature switch.  I attribute this partly to the fact that this case has excellent cooling characteristics already, and to the efficiency of the heat sink included on the power supply. 

   In order to make sure that the fan was actually working, I disconnected a couple of the internal fans inside the case, and eventually the fan kicked on for a few minutes.  The only way I could tell it was on was to hold my hand behind it periodically to check for airflow.  If I opened the case, the fan cut off as it cooled down.  For this installation, I'll leave it on the 50 degree setting.  It has been there for a week now, and each time I have checked it, the fan has been completely off.  I'm pleased with this result, and even more pleased with the silent nature of the power supply.  Depending on your power requirements and usage patterns, your mileage (as always) may vary.

Conclusion

   I'll keep the conclusions short and to the point.  The Silentmaxx Semi-Fanless power supply looks good, fits well and does its job with no hint of noise or power-related issues.  The various settings on the unit allow you to tailor the operation of the unit to your specific needs and thermal thresholds.  The included wiring harness fit my case (a mid-tower design) with no issues.  I'd like to see factory-sleeved harnesses and modular connections. 

   I would also REALLY like to see Silentmaxx get on the ball and include some sort of installation guidance or specification list with their products.  If you are building a machine for a noise-sensitive environment (such as a Home Theater PC), I recommend that the Silentmaxx be on your short list. Thanks again to QuietPC for providing the unit for testing.