PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad CF-Edition
by Christoph Katzer on July 18, 2007 1:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Final thoughts
In total the PCP&C Silencer 750 Quad had an impressive showing in our tests. What we have seen until now still has surprised us. PCP&C has been around a long time, but until now they never made it over the big lake to Europe. They will clearly have a big advantage now with OCZ and their well established sales channels.
The build quality is very good except for the flaking paint-job. That can be avoided by getting the non-CrossFire version, but the red color is very eye-catching and may be one more reason for some users to choose this PSU.
Since this is our second review we only have one power supply to compare with, but the Silverstone OP650 already had a very good efficiency level which has been topped by the Silencer 750 Quad. With more reviews to come we will have to wait and see how this table evolves in the future, but the PCP&C efficiency result is definitely going to be hard to beat. The standby efficiency has been good as well and it used only 0.8W without any load. With increasing load on the 5Vsb rail it showed us excellent results from up to 85% efficiency.
From the performance side the results were also excellent. The 3.3V and 12V rails are stable under any temperature and only the 5V rail has any minor flaws. Even these flaws aren't show stoppers, as the results are all well within the specifications. The 750 Quad is able to deliver its specified output, though with the voltage dropping we had slightly less than 750W. Since all voltages remain within spec and the PSU isn't bursting at the seams, there's clearly room for more.
In the area of naming, the Silencer falls a bit short when we look at the real measured noise levels. It is not a noisy power supply as long as the load remains under about 80% and ambient temperatures are below 30°C. The same holds true for most other power supplies, but then most of those don't put "Silence" in their name. To compare this unit with units that use 12cm fans we definitely see some shortcomings, as in our subjective opinion as well as in test results most power supplies with 12cm fans generate much less noise than the Silencer.
The idea of using a big gap between the fan and the heatsinks in order to reduce turbulence sounds very good initially, but if you look at the acoustic results it doesn't appear all that great. We would even go further and say that the gap doesn't bring much of a difference at all since you hear the fan noise, just like in every other power supply. So what does this small gap bring with it? First the housing needs to be extended, which means that the price for the case increases, the power supply is a bit heavier, and you pay for slightly higher transport costs. For the end-user it might not be a significant difference but if you calculate prices in terms of mass-production it may not be such a great idea. There's also a concern that the extra length may make the PSU less suitable for use in some cases, so users will definitely want to make sure that their intended case can accommodate a large power supply.
High connectivity is given through the various cables that offer differing lengths. Many other manufacturers also do this and it pays off. The user has more flexibility in working with cables and connectors and there are enough connectors that we would be hard pressed to imagine a scenario where an adapter or splitter would be necessary. This is also the first time we have seen a 14AWG power cord delivered with a power supply, which is just one more indication of PCP&C commitment to quality. With increasing power the cables need to be thicker, so now we just have to see how much the power outlet can provide.
With the results we have seen in this review PCP&C lives up to every advertised feature, and even the noise levels turned out to be real - with the above qualifications. The Silencer 750 Quad isn't like most other companies that advertise an incredible 17dB(A) only to deliver 27dB(A) at best. Given the overall quality and performance, the price of around $199 USD in the States and 150 EUR in Europe make this power supply a fair deal, especially for those looking at running a high-end system with multiple graphics cards.
Update: We've got word from OCZ that we've tested one of the first samples of this power supply and thus the paint job was done by covering the normal black paint. The paint job of the final version which is available in the shops will not flake off like our model.
In total the PCP&C Silencer 750 Quad had an impressive showing in our tests. What we have seen until now still has surprised us. PCP&C has been around a long time, but until now they never made it over the big lake to Europe. They will clearly have a big advantage now with OCZ and their well established sales channels.
The build quality is very good except for the flaking paint-job. That can be avoided by getting the non-CrossFire version, but the red color is very eye-catching and may be one more reason for some users to choose this PSU.
Since this is our second review we only have one power supply to compare with, but the Silverstone OP650 already had a very good efficiency level which has been topped by the Silencer 750 Quad. With more reviews to come we will have to wait and see how this table evolves in the future, but the PCP&C efficiency result is definitely going to be hard to beat. The standby efficiency has been good as well and it used only 0.8W without any load. With increasing load on the 5Vsb rail it showed us excellent results from up to 85% efficiency.
From the performance side the results were also excellent. The 3.3V and 12V rails are stable under any temperature and only the 5V rail has any minor flaws. Even these flaws aren't show stoppers, as the results are all well within the specifications. The 750 Quad is able to deliver its specified output, though with the voltage dropping we had slightly less than 750W. Since all voltages remain within spec and the PSU isn't bursting at the seams, there's clearly room for more.
In the area of naming, the Silencer falls a bit short when we look at the real measured noise levels. It is not a noisy power supply as long as the load remains under about 80% and ambient temperatures are below 30°C. The same holds true for most other power supplies, but then most of those don't put "Silence" in their name. To compare this unit with units that use 12cm fans we definitely see some shortcomings, as in our subjective opinion as well as in test results most power supplies with 12cm fans generate much less noise than the Silencer.
The idea of using a big gap between the fan and the heatsinks in order to reduce turbulence sounds very good initially, but if you look at the acoustic results it doesn't appear all that great. We would even go further and say that the gap doesn't bring much of a difference at all since you hear the fan noise, just like in every other power supply. So what does this small gap bring with it? First the housing needs to be extended, which means that the price for the case increases, the power supply is a bit heavier, and you pay for slightly higher transport costs. For the end-user it might not be a significant difference but if you calculate prices in terms of mass-production it may not be such a great idea. There's also a concern that the extra length may make the PSU less suitable for use in some cases, so users will definitely want to make sure that their intended case can accommodate a large power supply.
High connectivity is given through the various cables that offer differing lengths. Many other manufacturers also do this and it pays off. The user has more flexibility in working with cables and connectors and there are enough connectors that we would be hard pressed to imagine a scenario where an adapter or splitter would be necessary. This is also the first time we have seen a 14AWG power cord delivered with a power supply, which is just one more indication of PCP&C commitment to quality. With increasing power the cables need to be thicker, so now we just have to see how much the power outlet can provide.
With the results we have seen in this review PCP&C lives up to every advertised feature, and even the noise levels turned out to be real - with the above qualifications. The Silencer 750 Quad isn't like most other companies that advertise an incredible 17dB(A) only to deliver 27dB(A) at best. Given the overall quality and performance, the price of around $199 USD in the States and 150 EUR in Europe make this power supply a fair deal, especially for those looking at running a high-end system with multiple graphics cards.
Update: We've got word from OCZ that we've tested one of the first samples of this power supply and thus the paint job was done by covering the normal black paint. The paint job of the final version which is available in the shops will not flake off like our model.
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31 Comments
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Belldandy - Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - link
Was the efficiency higher at constant room temperature @ 25? I'm just curious because in most well cooled cases, for example my Antec P180, the ambient temperature around the power supply never goes up, no matter how high the load.Perhaps the methodology should also test the max 12V current load that many new power supplies now advertise. Testing upto 50A when it's advertised to do 60A maybe the reason why the DC12V don't drop by all that much. Granted there are other reviews that have also found the Silencer's voltages to be very stable, interestingly the 5V line was more stable and never fell below 4.9V
Great job on the noise and temperature testing, it among the best of any reviews on the web. I have decided toget the Silencer after your review, and given I don't envision needing more than 600Watts, the efficiency numbers are very solid.
LoneWolf15 - Friday, July 20, 2007 - link
You want to measure power supply exhaust temperature, not ambient case temperature.The confined insides of a power supply will be quite a bit warmer than the ambient temperature of your case, even in a well-cooled case. It is not unusual to reach temperatures of 40C and higher in a number of situations.
Googer - Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - link
Perhaps, you should consider adding a 24 hour full load stability test to your psu testing procedures?If such testing is done I would recommend it be done in an area where fire cannot spread like a Concrete room/box or metal building and where full fire suppression capabilities are automatically dispensed.
dare2savefreedom - Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - link
WTF?anandy stop playing around...
Where's the 24 hour 3d geforce 8800gtx sli test?
Where's the triple 8800gtx sli test?
Where the audible sound test -> run a 8800gtx with a intensive 3d game and report whether
there is a high freq whine noise - I get that with a ultraX 600watt.
crimson117 - Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - link
AT Editors,You often in your PSU reviews mention the importance of hitting the proper spot on the efficiency/wattage curve to get the best performance from your power supply.
Now that you have your new PSU testing gear, can you provide a short article on the actual power needs for a few common systems setups?
Such as
- a budget X2 3x00+/4x00+ rig with a low/midrange GPU
- a midrange computer with a low/midrange end C2D and a 8800 GTS
- a high end computer with a OC'd C2D and a 8800 GTX (and also in SLI)
I would find this quite useful, and it would be very real-world information to provide to your readers.
Thanks!
LoneWolf15 - Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - link
This method is far from new. Prior to ATX 2.0, there were plenty of single 12v rail power supplies. I have two Antec 4U cases at home with single-rail 36A EPS power supplies, prior to that I've had several single 12v-rail Enermax ATX 1.x units.
I believe the possible danger mentioned in the article is overstated, and that Intel was conservative in their specifications, which are now aging fast. Done right, there is nothing to worry about, and vendors willing to put high-amp single rails in their power supplies are usually the few who take quality control seriously.
ATWindsor - Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - link
Yes, the danger-part is overrated, and having several rails is a big hassle (if you buy a PSU of the proper size for your usage), I'll take a single rail any day. Besides a lot of the "4 rail" PSUs in reality only have a single rail anyway, like for instance seasonic.AtW
Brunnis - Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - link
So, when will we get an article that discusses the actual need for power supplies like this? Why not put together a few different systems and measure the power consumption to see what is actually needed. My guess is that not even 1% of the computerized population own a computer that needs a 750W PSU (or comes close to needing it).People seem to think that 600-1000W PSUs are needed whenever a gaming machine is built, when even a decent 400W PSU would provide power to spare.
LoneWolf15 - Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - link
Problem is, that a gaming machine assumes at least one high-end video card in many cases (for the purposes of high-end, I'll assume a minimum Geforce 8800GTS). If you add one high-end graphics card, a moderate processor, and two hard disks (I rarely know a geek that has just one), a sound card, and a performance mainboard, you're getting up there, and most people want room for expansion. 400w in this day and age is very reachable, and when you consider that nVidia specs power requirements as a minimum of 450w with 30 amps on the 12v rail for the Geforce 8800GTX, consumption can be higher than you think (figures taken from Anandtech, http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2870...">link here).Amperage is actually more important in this case. When was the last time you saw a 400w PSU deliver that kind of amperage? You'd need to use two rails, and then still provide power from both of those rails to your remaining components. Of course, this is assuming a gaming system, a quality 400w PSU would be enough for almost any non-gamer's needs.
I'm not saying that everyone needs a 1kW power supply (I'm running a 550 myself). But I've seen plenty of novice users try to buy a fancy system, and skimp out on the power supply. Give Anandtech time; this is one of their first PSU reviews.
xsilver - Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - link
If you also have heat and efficiency concerns then a higher wattage PSU may be more appropriate - especially if you can afford the $$$Efficiency starts to dip at around 55%+ so a 750w psu ultimately prefers to deliver 400 watts or so which is exactly where a high end system is probably drawing.
I guess the theory is also that a 750w PSU running at 55% loading for most of its life would last longer than a 450w psu running at 90% loading. Yes there is the cost difference, but some people just like to get something and not have to worry.
Monitors are usually touted as the longest surviving components of a hard core system but could it be safe to assume that it might be a high end PSU instead?