by Martin Kaffei on 8/2/2011 7:15:00 AM
Posted in Cases/Cooling/PSUs , PSU , OCZ , PC Power & Cooling , Silencer , 760W , 760W , 910W , Seasonic
Buy the OCZ VTX3-25SAT3-240G Technology
Amazon
$259.86
$20.00 rebate
Newegg
$299.99
$20.00 rebate
TigerDirect
$249.99
$20.00 rebate

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 760W & 910W

PC Power & Cooling, a part of the OCZ Technology Group, sent us two PSUs from their Silencer series. The 760W as well as the 910W version bet on strong 80mm fans which is unusual for modern products. Most Companies are interested in using larger fans since they can reach higher CFM per RPM. They try to reduce noise while increasing fan efficiency. But is that right?

First a larger fan can reach more components but therefore the airflow has an angle. From the fan to the PCB and from the PCB to the ventilation holes all PSUs with a vertical cooling have an angle of 90 degrees. Second a large fan is able to provide good cooling at his edges while the center gets problems. That's one reason why manufacturers make a lot of temperature tests for the transformer in the middle of a PSU. So finally the airflow is more direct with an 80mm fan but they can't cool the hole space on a large PCB. Sounds like a draw. In our opinion both solution have a right to exist. A lot depends on the internal design (heatsinks, arrangement of the components) and the position in your computer case.

It is no secret that Seasonic builds some of the Silencer products for PC Power & Cooling. We expect to see two robust PSUs with low ripple & noise results and a high efficiency. Since these Silencer are based on the S12D design (with an 80mm fan modification) both have an 80Plus Silver certification. With an SLI-Ready award and 7 years warranty OCZ wants to catch some enthusiasts. We will see if they can uphold one's reputation as a leading Company for professional products.

 

Scope of Delivery and Power Rating
Best PSU I've Ever Owned by opc on Tuesday, August 02, 2011
I have a five year old version of the 700W PSU, and it is the only component in my PC that has never once given me a problem, and never once needed to be upgraded. I remember hesitating before pulling the trigger because it was a little more expensive, but I'm really glad I spent a little bit more because it has been well worth it.

The PSU has been running SLI video cards (7800GTX -> 8800GT -> 460GTX) its entire life, along with a power hungry processors (Q6600@3.6GHz) and usually several HDD's and SSD's of various types over the years. It has never missed a beat in all that time.

I really wish there was a product like this in every segment of the PC industry. I've had countless problems with motherboards, memory, HDD's, SSD's, and even processors on occasion. If I could spend a little more on those other items and know that they would last without giving me grief, then I would do it every time.

Hopefully these PSU's are just as well made as they used to be, and if they are, then they definitely get a glowing endorsement from me!

Cheers,
Owen
opc
sorry, but i can't help myself: by londiste on Tuesday, August 02, 2011
whole, not hole :)
londiste
RE: sorry, but i can't help myself: by Spazweasel on Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Hole cooling is important. That painful burn can be a real buzzkill.
Spazweasel
Proofreading? by raejae on Tuesday, August 02, 2011
This is entirely meant as constructive criticism... but it seems this article was checked with a spell-checker and nothing else. The grammatical errors, misspellings, and sentence structure make it nearly unreadable... which is disappointing, because I'm very interested by these power supplies.
raejae
RE: Proofreading? by cgramer on Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Agreed. I think AnandTech needs to get one or more copyeditors on staff. Despite that, I still love their reviews. :-)
cgramer
RE: Proofreading? by SilthDraeth on Tuesday, August 02, 2011
I believe English may not be this reviewer's native spoken or written language. I admit it was a bit difficult of a read, but really, it is a psu review.

As long as the numbers on the charts look good. And the conclusion fits the bill, then I believe stressing over the oddly structured sentences is wasted energy.
SilthDraeth
RE: Proofreading? by cgramer on Tuesday, August 02, 2011
I'm not stressing over it, really. I'm concerned mainly about AnandTech's image. Poorly-written articles (even if they're impressive for having been written by a non-native English speaker) reflect poorly on a site's or publication's level of professionalism. I'm noticing a lack of proofreading and editing in lots of publications lately, including extremely popular print magazines such as Motor Trend or Automobile. It's a shame, really, that quality of writing doesn't seem to matter as much in this online age.

As I said earlier, though, despite the sometimes-rough writing, I do love AnandTech. It's the first place I go for in-depth reviews of computer-related products. :-)
cgramer
RE: Proofreading? by Meghan54 on Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Completely agree. I've always said this place could use just one competent copy editor. It'd make a world of difference in the professional image of AT, not to mention making the articles an enjoyable read instead of the tedious work it sometimes is right now.
Meghan54
Sweet deal, it was on slickdeals yesterday, and a bunch of people got in, i cant belive you guys did a rewview right after i bought it. i have never known the reliability of PC power and cooling but after you did this review, it got rid of my buyers remorse.

GO ANANDTECH
ajtyeh
PC Power & Cooling = the best by Vinas on Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Still rocking a TurboCool 1200... Bow to me.
Vinas
Latest from AnandTech