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Tags : 500W   Coolermaster   Power Supplies   PSU   Reviews   Silent Pro   silent pro M500  

Introduction Specifications The Photos and Cables Test Setup and Procedure The BIOS readings Results: Idle and Load Voltage Readings and Power Consumption Verdict and Conclusion

Coolermaster's Silent Pro M power supplies ... Could this be the answer for users who cherish silence?

 

INTRODUCTION

Last month we reviewed Coolermaster's Hyper Z600 CPU cooler. It was a huge fanless cooler that proved to be a great silent product (of course there's no fans). One plus point about the cooler, is that you can mount upto two additional 120mm fans for extreme overclocking, if needed. This year, Coolermaster have really made a big effort in producing silent products from CPU coolers to chassis fans and now ... power supplies. A quiet power supply is everything when comes to those who cherish silence. I noticed that, even with a silent CPU cooler and a silent graphics card, the only other noise that can be quite annoying is the fan on the power supply. Coolermaster combats this by introducing their new range of power supplies ... the Silent Pro series.

Now, this is what Coolermaster claims ...

"Noise pollution is an escalating problem in both the home and office. Combined with the increased demand for media-centric PCs, total noise generation is becoming a major focus for computing enthusiasts. As a leader in PC power supplies, the engineering minds at Cooler Master have developed the Silent Pro Series. Featuring a superior thermal solution, a highly efficient circuit design, and value-added accessories, the Silent Pro Series and its "silent formula" set a new standard in silent computing, generating a noise level of less than 16 dBA...."

 

 

Wow, at 16 dBA ... it's vitually silent and undetectable by a human ear. So how do we measure and test this claim. We can't. It's financially impossible for us or any other hardware review website for that matter, unless they have the right equipment which will cost thousands.

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The best way of testing the noise level right now, is to use the good old fashion way ... stick our ears next to it. I do have a friend who works at a radio station equipped with a silent sound proof room. I'll see if I could utilise their facilities in the near future for a complete and full noise level test. But in the meantime, all I could do is to test the power supply in our system, and see how well it can handle everyday uasge. 

In this review, we'll be taking a look at the Coolermaster Silent Pro M500 - 500W PSU. This power supply is one of the models from their latest "Silent Pro M" series, and it's aimed at the HTPC/mainstream user who's after silence. The "M" symbolises that the power supply is based on a modular cable management system. The Silent Pro M500 is certified 80+ for excellent power efficiency, and Coolermaster offers an amazing 5 years warranty on this product. The PSU is encased in a black chassis features a unique silicon padding along the edges of the casing. This will eliminate the vibration between PSU and chassis. For cooling, the PSU and uses a large, ultra quiet 135mm exhaust fan. The modular cable management system is easy to use, and all the additional power cables are all ribbon type. Other features include a powerful single 12V rail @ 34A, which should be more than enough to power even the most demanding of components.

 

             

 

Like I said before, this power supply isn't aimed at the high-end enthusiast market. Rated at 500 Watts, it probably won't be enough to satisfy the really heavy and demanding users. However, the Silent Pro M500 is more likely to be suitable for HTPC or mainstream user who's after silence ... enough juice to power a Core 2 Duo processor, a decent PCIe graphics card and several hard drives. According to the specs, the PSU can handle upto 500+ watts of continuous power with a peak output of 620W. And I'm sure that the Silent Pro M500 from Coolermaster, can deliver the goods ... both in terms of power efficiency, stability, build quailty and most importantly ... SILENCE.

OK, let's not waste any more time and take a closer look at the Coolermaster Silent Pro M500 - 500W PSU...

 

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Introduction Specifications The Photos and Cables Test Setup and Procedure The BIOS readings Results: Idle and Load Voltage Readings and Power Consumption Verdict and Conclusion