Page 3 - Physical Look - Inside
After examining the outside, let’s take a look at the inside. Four screws and one pesky sticker later, we can see the internal elements of the Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 1500W. I think Mythbusters may or may not have said, “Remember, don’t try this at home. Or you will void your five year warranty!” I think this quote applies very well to our situation. But here at APH Networks, we just say, "Screw that!"
My first impression was how well it is organized. Weighing over 10 lbs and 'only' 220 mm in length, the density of this black box is probably above the average power supplies in the market. Even with this many components in such a tight space, it appears to receive adequate cooling through smart use of space. The design is well thought out, and components fit like a jigsaw puzzle with enough space to prevent overheating... and obviously, shorting.
Starting at the AC receptacle. Right behind it, we can see the transient filter stage, comprised of two X capacitors and two Y capacitors. Two more X capacitor are located on the main PCB sitting above two transient filtering coils. One of the X capacitor on the main PCB sits above a filtering coil and below the active PFC heatsink. This is a good example of efficient use of space. With two more Y capacitors tugged in between the transient filtering coils, this brings the total of X capacitors and Y capacitors to four each. This exceeds the minimum requirements of X capacitor and Y capacitor by three and two respectively. Two surge suppressing metal-oxide varistors next to the transient filtering coils protect the Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 1500W from electrical surges.
On the primary side, under the massive aluminum heatsink are four Japanese brand Matsushita capacitors. Each capacitor is rated for 270μF at 420V. Connected in parallel, these bring the total capacitance up to 1080μF. While the number sounds impressive, the total capacitance is actually not very large, especially for a power supply that is rated for 1500W. All four capacitors are rated for 105c. The higher than average rating is a mini statement that the Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 is built to last, even with heavy load.
Some parts of active PFC circuit hides behind the four big capacitors. Reading the model number off those parts is a bit too challenging for this Yours Truly. Their identity will remain a mystery for now. Of the parts where the sight isn’t obstructed fully by the capacitors, we can see two Infineon CoolMOS SPW35N60C3 power transistors. Each Infineon SPW35N60C3 can provide up to 21.9A continuously at 100c.
On the secondary side, the 12V DC to DC conversion is handled by three Infineon IPP015N04N and four Infineon IPP023N04N chips. At 100c, the IPP015N04N has a maximum drain current of 90A, while the IPP015N04N has a maximum drain current 120A. With these seven MOSFETs combined, they can deliver up to 720A. A big, full copper heatsink keeps the seven MOSFETs running cool. Further voltage step down are controlled by two ANPEC APW7073 synchronous buck PWM controllers and eight STMicroelectronics STD85N3LH5 power MOSFETs. Those are evenly distributed onto two daughterboards, with one daughterboard outputting 5V, while the other outputting 3.3V.
Facing outwards on the back on the Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 1500W, another daughterboard provides modular connections to the back panel. This daughterboard also houses many capacitors to deliver additional filtering. The build quality of the Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 1500W is pretty good; but for a high end 1500W power supply, it better be. Even with bunch of components in little space, everything is arranged elegantly with the aid of two small daughterboards. Solder joints look clean enough, and not too much bonding agent were applied to secured components in place. Enhance, the OEM, did a fine job manufacturing the Cooler Master Silent Pro M2 1500W.
Finally, let us take a look at the active element that keeps all these heavy duty components working nice and cool. The 135mm hydraulic dynamic bearing fan is mounted on the removable cover. It is connected to the PSU with a 2-pin connector. Manufactured by Young Lin Tech Co., the model number is DFS132512H. As taken from the manufacture's website, the fan goes up to a maximal speed of 1700rpm, and rated at 0.25A. The specified airflow is 91.16 CFM at 36.28 dB of noise. Another way of putting it would be that the fan won’t rev up in the majority of the time, staying nice and quiet.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
