Page 2 - Physical Look - Outside
While I may have called the Seasonic PRIME 600 Titanium Fanless an interesting looking power supply, the SilverStone Nightjar NJ450-SXL is neat for a different reason. Both of these units are fanless, but the Nightjar takes a totally different approach. Most of our past ones we have seen feature a lot more of an open concept to let air pass through and passively cool the components. However, this one is completely sealed off from any air, relying on the entire enclosure to act as a large heatsink. All of the long edges have a thick layer of aluminum with fins built in, much like a fan heatsink. This design is intentional to increase the surface area of the power supply. In addition, creating this seal should mean we should not see any dust inside. Since the enclosure is so heavy and thick, there are quite a few screws with at least four for each panel. Two of these screws have warranty seals on them, so the only way you can get into the unit is to void the three year warranty.
In terms of dimensions, the SilverStone Nightjar NJ450-SXL measures 13.0 cm in length, which is as expected for SFX-L units. This is pretty amazing still, considering this is an 80 Plus Platinum unit. It should be noted fully modular power supplies generally take up more room compared to their semi-modular or non-modular counterparts by a centimeter or two, as this extra real estate is used for the connector board at the back. We will explore what this looks like later when we delve inside the Nightjar NJ450-SXL 450W. For most ATX or eATX chassis, this sort of length will be almost a non-issue. In addition, even smaller mATX or mITX cases should be quite fine with holding this tiny unit. However, you probably will want to use this unit with a smaller case as the included cables are quite short, as we will see later on. In addition, it is important that you acquire an ATX bracket if you want to install it in a non-SFX chassis, especially since most cases will only have mounting options for the larger standard. In the end, your mileage will vary based on your build.
At the back, we can see the solid panel with not much for any ventilation here. Traditionally, the back vents play an essential role in allowing heat to flow out the back. However, this fanless unit defies a traditional design. Most modern power supplies have an automatic full range (110V to 240V) AC line voltage selection, so you will not need to manually flip an additional switch, and this product is no exception. Therefore, the back has a single power switch and a standard power input. Thankfully, this is not a C20 receptacle, like the ones we have seen on some other power supply units.
Like most of the power supplies we have covered here at APH Networks, the SilverStone Nightjar NJ450-SXL 450W is a fully modular power supply. This means all cables are completely detachable from the main unit. While some users may question the necessity of this for essential cables like the ATX 24-pin and the ATX 4-pin/EPS 8-pin, there still are benefits to having this. For example, I would argue this makes cabling easier, since users can pre-route the cables without needing the power supply installed right away. Secondly, there are a few third party manufacturers who provide sleeved cables for power supplies and this is only made possible by fully modular units. On the other hand, there is a higher, but very negligible, electrical contact loss at the connectors compared to permanently fixed cables. At the end of the day, your preference will make the final call, but I prefer fully modular units.
The rear cable connection panel is clean with similar connectors grouped together and laid out logically. They are clearly labeled, so you know which plug is for what. On the top row, we have a 4-pin Vsense socket. Next to these are two sets of PCI Express connectors. Next we have the CPU EPS 8-pin connector. It should be noted, SilverStone has changed the plastic plug just slightly so that you cannot swap the PCI Express or CPU cables around. Finally we have the first six pin connection for peripheral outputs like SATA or Molex connections. At the bottom row, we have the full 24-pin motherboard connection and two more peripheral outputs. At this power wattage rating, I think SilverStone has provided a good number of connections, especially giving users the option to power multiple PCI Express plugs.
The external build quality of the Nightjar NJ450-SXL 450W is really solid, which is not too surprising for SilverStone. The fit between the panels is quite good with very little gaps in between. The edges are finished and smoothed off to prevent cutting any people handling the unit. What matters is the inside and we will see what it is like soon enough.
The voltage specification label for the SilverStone Nightjar NJ450-SXL 450W is on the back side of the unit near the power input plug. There are two main virtual rails. Up to 16A can be delivered via the +3.3V rail for a total of 52.8W. The +5V rail can deliver 15A, bringing the output to 75W in this area. The total combined output for the +3.3V and +5V rail is 80W. In other words, your power allocation combination must fall within the limits of the listed specifications. Meanwhile, a single powerful +12V rail delivers up to 37.5A (450W) to reduce operating overhead compared to multiple +12V rails. Overall, the combined power output for the whole Nightjar NJ450-SXL 450W is an unsurprising 450W. Again, your power distribution in your system must fall within the limits provided -- it must not exceed 52.8W on the +3.3V rail, 75W on the +5V rail and 80W combined for both, 450W on the +12V rail, and 450W combined between the positive rails. All these confusing numbers aside, this configuration allows for flexible power demands. It should be sufficient to accommodate most users and the overall distribution is pretty reasonable for a 450W power supply.
The SilverStone Nightjar NJ450-SXL 450W is 80 Plus Platinum certified, which means that it is certified to be at least 90%, 92%, 89% efficient at 20%, 50%, and 100% load, respectively. Higher certifications available for power supplies of this type include 80 Plus Titanium at press time.
Coming with the Nightjar NJ450-SXL are a total of seven modular cables, one adapter, and one power cable. All of the modular cables are flat ribbon cables and are relatively easy to bend. The cables, however, separate in odd fashions, due to the fact some wires cross about. For a flat cable, however, it is generally all quite acceptable. These wires are 18AWG, which should be able to handle most high currents found through PCI Express and ATX/EPS connections.
The following modular cables are included out of the box:
- 1x ATX 20+4pin, 30.0cm
- 1x ATX/EPS 4+4 pin, 40.0cm
- 2x PCIe 6+2 pin, 2 connectors each, 40.0cm to first connector, 15.0cm spacing thereafter
- 2x SATA, 4 connectors each, 30.0cm to first connector, 20.0cm to the second connector, 10.0cm spacing thereafter
- 1x Molex, 3 connectors, 30.0cm to first connector, 20.0cm spacing thereafter
- 1x Molex to Floppy adapter, 10.0cm
These measurements are specified from the manufacturer. As this is a SFX-L power supply meant for a smaller enclosure, the cables are on the shorter side. If you are looking to use this in a larger ATX case, you may want to get different cables or a different power supply altogether. As far as the former is concerned, SilverStone sells the PP05-L cable kit. In mini ITX and micro ATX cases, these cables should be long enough to reach the necessary parts, but I found these cables to be too short for my NZXT H200i, so your mileage may vary. The spacing between connectors is quite adequate for multiple drives. I question why power supply manufacturers even include floppy connectors nowadays, as floppy drives are practically relics now. However, the nice thing is this floppy connection is only an adapter and can be left unused.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
