SFX-L PSU compilation

Phuncz said:
This is the box it comes in, nothing special of note but I think it's well-designed.

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It actually comes with the toiletries bag?

Guess that's a nice touch, if not a little weird and unnecessary I suppose.
 
I have the PSU installed now, it's very quiet. I heard some faint fluttering for a minute, like it is touching a wire. But I guess this might be the fan quality (bearing) talking. Soon I'll put some load on it (GTA V :D) to see if it does stuff like coil whine. I'll evaluate when it has been running for a while.

i2AktQ1.png


This is the PSU in an Ncase M1 (with v3 bracket) when I shine a light through the top, so you can see how much/little the fan is blocked.
 
So the Sharkoon is the one to get? Phuncz have you tried the Chieftec one too, or only the Silverstone unit before this?
 
Sharkoon looks interesting, but I don't like how they are marketing this 500W PSU as an SFX power supply.
 
WiSK said:
So the Sharkoon is the one to get? Phuncz have you tried the Chieftec one too, or only the Silverstone unit before this?
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Nope, I've only bought this one and it replaced a ST45SF-G which I fan-modded.

This one is quiet though. I've heard a few strange noises but this was very faint and only could be heard with very low ambient noise. Also it hadn't seen any load then.
 
Phuncz said:
I've checked, the PCIe and SATA cables are wired completely different between Silverstone and Sharkoon. I didn't have an 24-pin and 8-pin cable on hand to compare but my guess is these are also different.
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Could you please share that how did you check the wiring of the cables? I'm considering getting a Dirac 650w but not sure if it's compatible with Silverstone's cables. Thanks a lot!
 
I took the Silverstone cables I had on hand and compared them to the Chieftec's, the wiring on the connectors is completely different.
 
Hi Phuncz,

Now that you've had this PSU a while what's your thoughts please? I guess what I would be interested to know please would be (I too have the ST45SF-G modded and think it is waaaaay too noisy):

* After putting it under load, does it ever return to its starting volume? if so roughly how long does this take?
* What type of noise does it make under load? Is it a loud but not annoying noise or is it whiney like the ST45SF-G?
* How much of a snug fit is it against the GPU?

I appreciate your time and efforts in testing this PSU.

Cheers.
Wilko.
 
My ST45SF-G was quiet for a long time, until it suddenly started making a lot more noise. I expect a bearing failed and I replaced tha fan with the Noiseblocker 80x15mm one.

I can't say I ever heard (or was sure I heard) the Sharkoon model over my Noctua fans. When I put load on the CPU and GPU, their fan curves increase too, even though my system is very quiet for my standards, the PSU isn't really noticeable. I also find it to be much cooler, my top panel (to which it exhausts) is at most slightly above ambient.

Please consider your mileage may vary, but I'm very pleased with the non-semi-fanless model.

My GPU has no backplate so it save a few mm, but it is a tight fit. I have the v3 bracket, which also saves a few mm and I had to bend the cables as much as possible. It does bend the end a little, but since my card with heatsink sits flush on top of two fans, it's only slightly.

------------------------------------------

I forgot to post my comments on the PSU here, I was mainly focussed on the improvements the aircooling changes made and posted those in the Ncase M1 topic. I'll quote myself here:

Phuncz said:
The Sharkoon SFX Gold (SFX-L 500W) is also still cold after playing GTA V for an hour.
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While I can expect some people somehow still find faults in this PSU, I am very happy with it.
 
Nice one Phuncz, thanks for the update. I think I'll be getting one of these as soon as the V3 PSU brackets come back in stock :(
 
Those brackets might take a while to be made, they needed a very high MOQ to do them seperate from the cases and the last time they ordered a bunch extra to sell seperately. If there is another production run, it would probably be around fall, is what I saw Necere say the last time about production dates.
 
Phuncz said:
non-semi-fanless model.
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I find it funny we're actually wanting a fan without the semi-fanless/passive feature. I would probably buy one right now if it was available in/to Australia. Haven't looked very hard but shipping will 95% be a killer.

Can I also ask how you've used or tested it?

* Case used
* Distance from yourself to the case (or ear to case)
* Load placed on the PC (something to measure wall draw or similar)
* PSU orientation

Whatever you can provide.

E.g. with smaller cases, people may have them a lot closer, like on the desk or at their feet (or taken to a lan). Having the fan face downards in a non-windowed case with 2-3mm aluminium panels will dampen the fan sound a lot more than a windowed case with the PSU mounted vertically and the fan pointing at the user.

A 'control' test could be the PSU mounted vertically on a desk with the fan aimed directly at the user 1m away. The PC is tested at various loads playing different games and running different benchmarks. The noise is noted as an opinion and compared mentally to having it mounted in a case.

But so far it seems like it should be nearly as good as an ATX PSU with a similar sized fan in noise performance.
 
I personally never wanted a semi-fanless model before it even got out, because it doesn't offer anything real. A good fan should result in a quiet PSU, not a not-running fan. It will need to spin-up sometime anyway, or else I've bought a PSU that is way over my usage and I could have just as well gone for a PicoPSU.

The case I'm running is visible in my signature, an Ncase M1. Distance is about 1 meter. The load I placed is browsing the web, playing GTA 5, watching a 1080p movie. The PSU is mounted with the fan outwards, with a wallpapered wall 5 centimeters away.

Nothing scientific, I'm not here to write professional reviews and I don't expect people to consider my babbling as plain truth. When observing information, always evaluate it. Because many people just say random crap, maybe I do too.

Don't consider my "review" as being the end-all opinion on this PSU's performance. Because many variables still exist and it is still a personal preference and view.
For instance, how is my electrical infrastructure ? How much white noise do I have ? How good is my hearing ? How obsessive am I about noise ? Are the screws wound tight enough ? Do I have a vibration issue in my case ? And even then this is one example of the PSU.
 
Conceptually, a semi-fanless PSU is desirable. The noise level at load is the same, and the noise level at idle is reduced.
The issue with the SX500-LG is the implementation; a combination of a small hysteresis region (small efficient heatsink has little thermal mass, fan has good minimum airflow) and a 'switchover' elbow point that sits right in the normal idle operation temperature range mean the fan switches on and off often but irregularly under normal use, resulting in a perceptually more annoying noise than a constant low noise.
The ST30SF - which also has a semi-fanless feature - does not have this issue, indicating it is an implementation issue with the SX500-LG in particular.

The problem for Silverstone is the use of the most basic fan temperature control system imaginable (a thermistor modulating the fan supply voltage) by Sirfa gives effectively no control over the response characteristics. Implementation of even the most basic fan control IC would allow for widening the hysteresis region (making fan switching occur less often) or lowering the fan-on point, or even implementing a 'step' voltage ramp startup so the fan startup noise is reduced (rather than spending time the in not-enough-voltage-to-spin-but-enough-to-make-noise region). The other solution would be to replace the heatsink with one that is either more efficient and/or has a higher thermal mass, changing the hysterisis and switching temperature characteristics, but this is constrained by just how much heatsink you can fit in such tight confines. Giving up semi-fanless for a fan that is quiet at minimum idle RPM (e.g.. Silverstone's own thin 120mm fan) would reduce effective noise though at the loss of the marketing feature.
 
Phuncz said:
IA good fan should result in a quiet PSU, not a not-running fan. It will need to spin-up sometime anyway, or else I've bought a PSU that is way over my usage and I could have just as well gone for a PicoPSU.
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A reasonably modern system will draw under 100w for web browsing, video watching, etc... while approaching or even exceeding 300w during games.

There are a couple of high-end GPUs that turn off their fans when idling, CPU fans can be turned off by modern mainboards, SSDs make no noise. When you're just browsing the web in the middle of the night and you enjoy silence, semi-fanless PSUs make a whole lot of sense.
 
So after a few months of daily use on the Sharkoon SilentStorm SFX-L, I'm still 100% happy with it's function with no weird noises whatsoever. Since people tend to complain about their PSUs a lot more than they show satisfaction, I do want to promote a manufacturer's good work too.
 
Phuncz said:
So after a few months of daily use on the Sharkoon SilentStorm SFX-L, I'm still 100% happy with it's function with no weird noises whatsoever. Since people tend to complain about their PSUs a lot more than they show satisfaction, I do want to promote a manufacturer's good work too.
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promote them enough to make it available in Australia! id buy one straight away
 
Isn't the Scythe version available for you in Australia ? It's "only" sold in Japan (maybe Asia) but it might be easy to import. I think it's about the same as the Sharkoon version.
 
i have the silverstone 500w SFX-L

when exactly does the fan spin on it? i've never seen it spin ever so im wondering if it could be defective or just not enough load/heat build up to cause it to spin
 
Aibohphobia said:
Chieftec SFX-500GD-C

Depth: 125mm? That's what the official spec says but it looks like 130mm
Wattage: 500W
Fan: 120mm x 15mm Globe Fan S1201512MW Sleeve Bearing
OEM: Sirfa

Reviews: Hartware

Notes: [STRIKE= ]The all-Japanese caps in the review units is apparently not what's used in shipping units: http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1041341306&postcount=209, I'm trying to get verification on that.[/s]

1/27 Edit: Apparently there was a mix-up at the factory. Chieftec has expedited delivery of the correct units to distributors and anyone who bought a unit with Chinese caps can RAM theirs for a replacement: http://nl.hardware.info/nieuws/42732/chieftec-sfx-500gd-louter-japanse-condensators
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Chieftec said they would change to all japanese caps on their SFX-L, but apparently didn't do so (said they would even recall the ones that didn't have it). Beware, since one guy in Sweden just bought one, and got chinese/taiwanese caps. They even specifically said that only the version with japanese caps would be sold in Sweden from the beginning.

Just a heads up on that one... Chiefec saying "A", but doing "B".
 
Thanks. I shot an email off to hardware.info to see if they know anything more about this.

If anyone else reading this has purchased one of those Chieftec units recently and could take a picture through the grill to see what type of capacitors are in it that would be helpful.
 
Heard back from Hardware.info. They contacted Chieftec again and according to them all new units should have the Japanese caps and that user must have gotten unlucky and gotten one of the old stock.

It is strange that would happen 6 months later but unless there other users in different countries getting non-Japanese caps in recently purchased units it's hard to prove otherwise.
 
Tony Ou said:
A review from a Russian reviewer a couple of weeks ago (July 17, 2015) showed a SFX-500GD-C with all Taiwanese Teapo capacitors:
http://www.ixbt.com/power/psu/chieftec-sfx-500gd-c.shtml

I wonder why they would send an "old stock" to a reviewer when they supposedly should already have "new stock" with Japanese capacitors? :rolleyes:
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I don't mean to be rude, but shouldn't you be working on your own problems rather than pointing at the competition?

Yes, that's not ok, Chieftec shouldn't be doing that... you're right..

But your version of the units has it's own problems, and some of the are borderline to this.
"Our version is semi-passive", well to 50w, which frankly is nothing and in reality makes it not semi-passive and so on...

Shut me and Chieftec up by launching great products, now you're in a glass house with a brick in your hand.. don't do it, does nobody anything good...
 
I somehow doubt that him making a post here is preventing Silverstone from "working on their own problems"... this is just an informal discussion, give him a break. I like that official reps post here (even if it's on unofficial business); I think I probably speak for most people when I say please don't discourage them from continuing to do so.

Plus they've already announced some new SFX PSUs, maybe your issues have already been addressed!
 
goodbyegalaxy said:
I somehow doubt that him making a post here is preventing Silverstone from "working on their own problems"... this is just an informal discussion, give him a break. I like that official reps post here (even if it's on unofficial business); I think I probably speak for most people when I say please don't discourage them from continuing to do so.

Plus they've already announced some new SFX PSUs, maybe your issues have already been addressed!
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Well, it's one thing Tony posting about new products that is really good.
Him giving support is just his job and duty as a rep.

Pointing out that his competitors are "doing this and that's bad", while his company is doing the same thing leaves a sour taste in some peoples mouths.
"we're much better than them!" well actually you're not, and if a Cheiftec rep were here to post about the problems silverstone have with their products i would say the same thing.

"They make shitty products and lie about it" versus "we make shitty products and are quiet about them".. That's not how you sell products , that's how children act..
You sell products by making great stuff and letting them speak on your behalf.
 
Blk said:
Well, it's one thing Tony posting about new products that is really good.
Him giving support is just his job and duty as a rep.

Pointing out that his competitors are "doing this and that's bad", while his company is doing the same thing leaves a sour taste in some peoples mouths.
"we're much better than them!" well actually you're not, and if a Cheiftec rep were here to post about the problems silverstone have with their products i would say the same thing.

"They make shitty products and lie about it" versus "we make shitty products and are quiet about them".. That's not how you sell products , that's how children act..
You sell products by making great stuff and letting them speak on your behalf.
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I believe there is a big difference in our intentions.

I have talked about this multiple times before as our efforts on the SX500-LG were well intentioned. We tried to make it as best as we can with the platform presented to us. With no built-in load based sensor and smart fan control, we opt to use temp controlled fan. To make sure the fan can start and stop reliably, new fan models were tested and used, which took about three months to tune (and missing out on being he first to market). The end result is that we have the consensus quietest SFX/SFX-L PSU on the market with SX500-LG upon its release.

We have switched to all Japanese capacitors on subsequent revisions (V1.1) after many forum members here expressed their preference for that despite the price hike. This was done very quickly and was agreed upon by nearly all of our current customers around the world. Unfortunately removing semi-fanless feature on the SX500-LG as some have suggested here was not possible (as much as I've liked to experiment releasing another version), because we have more customers elsewhere that are happy with it.

I've also answered questions from those who asked for a different fan and presented our findings and challenges. It seems the more I've responded and communicated, the more some of you felt that we are just making excuses for the product's limitations. So from time to time, I have left the discussion alone unless there is something important that I can respond or address (this plus I am busiest during March~June so don't have as much time to come on here). If this make some of you feel that we are "keeping quiet" then sorry for that!


ghostwich said:
Could not agree more.
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+1 with our upcoming SFX/SFX-L lineup!
 
Hey Tony, it's of course very good to have you here on the forums. :) Any chance that you will switch to using 92mm fan on your SFX PSUs in the future (seeing Corsair has their SF600 coming up)? Is your upcoming lineup using load based sensors? I am only aware of the new 700W SFX-L.
 
Tony Ou said:
+1 with our upcoming SFX/SFX-L lineup!
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Oh we'll have some feedback for you that's for sure :D

Thanks for coming back time and again - we've given plenty of commentary on Silverstone's products, and sometimes we don't appreciate your participation enough. At the same time, you've got intelligent and highly critical viewpoints from perhaps your most demanding customers - from people crazy enough to tear open power supplies to replace fans as with the 450w, to those of us who have spent hours looking up esoteric fan specs trying to get to the bottom of a weird fan bearing sound.

I look forward to the new additions in the lineup :)
 
Sorry guys, no ETA currently on the SX700-LPT as it is going through safety certifications. Hopefully there would be just some minor tuning left to do and no delays so we can get it out sometimes in Q4 as planned.

For future SFX/SFX-L PSUs, we would probably have semi-fanless only if load sensor was available. If not, then we'll likely leave it out.

If new platforms allow room for 92mm in standard SFX size, then we'll try to use it too. There seems to be less 92mm fans to choose from at the moment so don't automatically assume SFX PSU equipped with it will be quieter than 80mm ones. Case in point, our SX600-G with 80mm fan was shown to be quieter than Dirac's version that had 92mm fan.
 
Anyone have any idea if the Chieftec atx pin arrangement same as silverstone? Want to know if I can use their atx cable.
 
2Entropy said:
Anyone have any idea if the Chieftec atx pin arrangement same as silverstone? Want to know if I can use their atx cable.
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Hi,

I tried the Silverstone "SX500-LG" cables with the Chieftec "SFX-500GD-C" PSU, and it didn't boot, no issues, it just didn't boot.
 
gav616 said:
Hi,

I tried the Silverstone "SX500-LG" cables with the Chieftec "SFX-500GD-C" PSU, and it didn't boot, no issues, it just didn't boot.
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They are not pin compatible, so that won't work.

Search the forum, I believe someone posted the pin-out here before. *And I failed to find them, meaning either my search-fu is low, or my memory is shot... *
 
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