PC Power & Cooling Silencer 760W & 910W

OCZ gave us two Silencer samples with typical characteristics for a PC Power & Cooling product which remind us of the older days where PC Power & Cooling was an independent designer. Of course Seasonic made the basis for these two power supplies but finally they have changed the hole cooling concept. In addition Seasonic is a great ODM who provides a high-quality layout.

When we take a look at the delivery contents we can find similar extras in the packages. Both PSUs come with a power cord, a small user manual, some screws and one PC Power & Cooling sticker. While the 760W version has eight SATA connectors on two cables the 910W model comes with an additional SATA cable. Both ones are able to supply two high-end GPUs or four GPUs with one PCIe connector each. And we shouldn't forget that these PSUs provide two 8-pin connectors (one with 4+4-pin) for CPUs with a length of 60cm. That's more than enough for current hardware in a large computer case. Only the cable sleeving could be a much better version.

In the inside of the PSU the manufacturer uses two very large heatsinks for the MOSFETs and diodes as well as an additional heatsink for the bridge rectifiers. The internal design is almost perfect for an 80mm cooling but we have to criticize that there s not much space in the primary circuit. Many chokes are glued together in this part. PC Power & Cooling (Seasonic) implemented Japanese capacitors from Nippon Chemicon and Rubycon. The EMI filtering is equipped well while the power factor preregulator is outstanding. Two chokes, two caps and two bridge rectifiers are very powerful, specially in order to provide a clean output voltage for switching. That's relatively unusual (for the smaller 760W version).

As always we take a look at the current prices. Let's start with the 760W model which costs 129.99USD. To get 80Plus Silver from Corsair you have to pay 10USD more for a HX 750W. Even the previously tested Antec HCG 750W with an 80Plus Bronze certification is as expensive as the Silencer 760W. In addition there is a visible price difference to most 80Plus Gold models. Altogether the PC Power & Cooling Silencer 760W is a good buy for enthusiasts who care about a strong cooling.

Ditto for the Silencer 910W which showed slightly worse results in our test. With 159.99USD it is less expensive than the SilverStone ST1000-P with the same 80Plus certification. The only real competitor for PC Power & Cooling is the Enermax Revolution85+ 920W since it has modular cables.

Finally the PC Power & Cooling 910W gets a compliment for an adequate performance while the Silencer 760W gets our Silver award for low(er) ripple & noise results and an excellent price-performance ratio. The only two things this PSU should have to be ready for our Gold award are a better fan (Sanyo Denki, Nidec, Delta) and 80Plus Gold.