Page 4 - Minor Tests and Conclusion
Power supplies are interesting products -- because often, reviews of products in this category are conducted and tested in methods that make it difficult to distinguish one power supply from another. Many aspects must be taken into consideration -- of which certain criteria consists of efficiency, noise, power ripples, and of course the ability to pull out the rated specifications. Because many cannot afford such equipment to obtain results regarding those aspects, articles covering power supplies often come out with less than adequate and acceptable information. As this is a product report -- not a review -- what we are doing is a close examination of the power supply and the internal hardware and build. But what we can do for you is do some minor testing with the results we can present to you with, and let other review sites with professional equipment show you the actual test results. We are not going to try to create useless test results by installing the power supply into the latest gaming rig and try to take readings from that, as this is not even remotely the correct way to test power supply units. We understand that many websites do that as a means of load testing, but the results, even if you use an oscilloscope and multimeter at each output location, it is not sufficient, nor does it accurately reflect the performance of the power supply.
Using our power supply tester, which exerts minimal load on the power supply, the initial consumption was 5W as measured by our wall meter unit -- indicating that the basic load-free power consumption of the power supply is good. Independent reviews from websites with professional load testing equipment showed the SilverStone Nightjar NJ450-SXL 450W delivered excellent efficiency and voltage regulation and ripple across all rails. This is an 80 Plus Platinum certified power supply unit.
Voltages with minimal load are generally accurate, which is a basic requirement of power supplies out of the box. In this situation all are within 4%. The PG (Power Good) delay seems to be well within its rated range and general power supply standard at 230ms.
Active power correction is important to correct AC load line loss. In AC power, there are three components to it as there is a phase difference between current and voltage. This makes up the power triangle, which consists of the following: Average usable power (P, measured in watts), reactive power (Q, denoted as VA-R), and total power (S, written as VA). While these components all measure power, they are not the same as each other. What we want is the average usable power, with as little wasted reactive power as possible. The total power provided over the AC line is the magnitude of the two combined (sqrt(P^2+Q^2)). Power factor can then be easily calculated by P/S. The ideal value is 1.00, and this is where active PFC comes in. Under nominal loads, the power factor value of the SilverStone Nightjar NJ450-SXL 450W was at 0.94, indicating that the active PFC function is working well. It should approach 0.99 under full loads.
If you have not noticed by now, this power supply unit comes with no fan installed. According to our APH Networks scale, where 0 is silent and 10 is the loudest, I would rate the SilverStone Nightjar NJ450-SXL 450W at 0.0/10 acoustically under nominal load. Thankfully, I did not notice any coil whine or any other extraneous noise from this power supply while testing or using it, which is another a good sign. Of course, because the internal components are completely sealed off, I would be quite concerned if I could hear something.
SilverStone provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
Much like our other fanless units, the SilverStone Nightjar NJ450-SXL 450W is not targeted at the general user, even if you are looking for a quiet build. Instead, this occupies a niche market of not only being quiet but also being compact. With this constraint, SilverStone and Enhance Electronics have ensured the internal quality is above par to ensure a quiet and cool operation. According to our affiliates with professional load testing equipment, the NJ450-SXL delivered great ripple control and efficiency. To me, this is just another feat of engineering that I am super glad I had the privilege to hold in my hands. If there is anything that I think is a slight letdown, it is the relatively short warranty period at three years. Even though we do not necessarily have any other real competition that does what this unit can do, I think SilverStone should lengthen this power supply to at least five years. At a retail price of $190 USD, this power supply is another level of pricey. The SilverStone Nightjar NJ450-SXL 450W is not a unit for everyone and it does not try to be either. Instead, if you are looking for an extremely quiet unit in small quarters, the Nightjar NJ450-SXL 450W may be where you spend your many nickels.
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Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Minor Tests and Conclusion
