Silentmaxx 580W IC-Tech PSU
Examination:
Un-wrapping the rather heavy Silentmaxx power supply from the bubble wrap, its finish had reminded us of the previously reviewed Ultra X-Connect 500W and Enermax Noisetaker EG425P, both of which sported a nice blue finish. The finish on the Silentmaxx was just as impressive, if not more impressive, as demonstrated by our golf-ball reflection process. On the rear of the power supply, there is the AC power input, on/off switch, AC voltage switch, and an exhaust fan. Helping to maintain a sleek design, the exhaust fan on the rear of the unit is a clear 80mm Silentmaxx fan. On the underside of the PSU, is another clear 80mm fan except this time it serves as an intake rather than exhaust. Both of these fans are temperature controlled, for maintaining a respectable noise/air flow ratio.
On the opposing side of the power supply, where the PSU cables protrude, there is no fan but rather an array of slits to allow for some airflow. Un-screwing the top off the 580W PSU, we found it to be jam-packed full of components. In fact, a transformer was attached to the top of the PSU. The aluminum heatsinks in the PSU were rather small but when paired up with the two 80mm fans, they should be able to sufficiently cool the power supply, especially the transistors and diodes.
The connectors available on the power supply is one 24-pin main power connector (24 to 20 pin adapter included), three case fan, six 4-pin molex, two floppy drive, two SATA (Serial ATA), one P4 4-pin, one 6-pin PCI Express, and one 8-pin power connector. Another cable protruding from the PSU contains a thermal sensor for monitoring the system temperature to adequately control the dedicated fan power connectors. As with most power supplies, the only sleeved PSU cable happens to be the main 24-pin power connector. The rest of the cables remain bare. Although the cable sleeving was lacking, the length of the wires were fairly long, and the overall build quality of the power supply was simply phenomenal; among the best we’ve seen in quite a while.