As power requirements grow ever higher for powerful gaming components, so too does the wattage of the PSUs built to feed them. However, more power often means more heat, more fans, and potentially more distracting fan noise. Cooler Master seems keen to buck that trend with the announcement of its X Silent family of PSUs, two of which use no fans at all.
Both the Cooler Master X Silent Edge Platinum 850W and 1100W models make use of passive cooling through the integration of heatpipes built in to the aluminium casing, something Cooler Master refers to as "an innovative modularized thermal structure" (via Tom's Hardware), which is a fancy way of saying that the PSU case itself cools the heavy duty internals within.
This eliminates the need for a fan entirely which should mean that these PSUs run completely silently, making them a perfect fit for environments where fan noise could be distracting, like a home theatre setup, or indoor zen garden.
Okay, maybe just the first one.
Still, blending the heatpipes right into the thick aluminium casing strikes as an interesting solution to heat-dissipation, although looking at the photos it's clear that the X Silent Edge PSUs are also making use of some pretty serious venting, so it's likely that they'll need some serious case clearance for airflow to deliver their full cooling potential.
A noisy PSU can be massively distracting particularly if you've made the effort to quieten down the rest of your system, so a completely silent yet powerful solution makes a whole lot of sense for those looking to combine high-end hardware with a zen-like ambience.
Even more powerful still is the X Silent Max Platinum 1300W PSU, which makes use of one of Cooler Master's really-very-quiet-indeed Mobius fans to ensure it runs cool and serene. The fan maintains a sub-20db ambient noise output while also making use of a zero-RPM mode, so unless you're pushing your system it should remain passively cooled right up until the moment it needs some extra air.
Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD.
Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.
Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.
Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest.
All of the X Silent range of PSUs will feature an 80 Plus Platinum efficiency certification and a 15 year warranty, which should give some reassurance as to the longevity of a passively cooled high wattage PSU design. Pricing and availability is yet to be confirmed.
Super quiet components might not be at the top of your priority list when you're putting together a build, but as anyone who's made the mistake of buying an overly-noisy component will tell you, high levels of background noise get old fast. A silent or near-silent PSU may well be the last piece in the puzzle for a blissfully quiet PC experience, and if these new units live up to expectations they look set to deliver a little bit of peace and calm to the hubbub of daily modern life.
All together now: Ahhhhh.
_____________________________________
PC Gamer's CES 2024 coverage is being published in association with Asus Republic of Gamers.
