Silverstone SX500-LG 500W Gold SFX-L

Tony Ou said:
Thanks for the feedbacks guys, please keep them coming. I also want to reiterate again to everyone that SX500-LG was designed to be quieter than all available 450W+ SFX PSU on the market. So any experience to the contrary would be our priority.
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Your support in these forums is very much appreciated.
I ended up making a switch over to your ST70F-PB PSU model due to the fan ticking on the SX500-LG during low rpm and when it kept turning on/off (great PSU but just that fan). So far, this ST70F-PB is working great and super quiet (no semi-fanless operation). Whoever makes these blue fans for this model, I wonder if they could make slim 120mm for the SX500-LG also.
 
El-Dubya said:
So far, this ST70F-PB is working great and super quiet (no semi-fanless operation).
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The noises are not caused by the running fan, but by the semi-fanless feature causing abnormal behavior. If it would never have been able to slow down below spec, it would have probably been the real quietest SFX PSU, while it now is only in theory.

All it would need (oversimplifying) is a minimum voltage treshold instead of being allowed to drop below 3V. Possibly build a switch in so it can be circumvented so the marketing peeps don't melt down. That way we could use the real quiet mode and the marketing-approved semi-fanless crap can look pretty on the website.
 
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Tony Ou said:
Thanks for the feedbacks guys, please keep them coming. I also want to reiterate again to everyone that SX500-LG was designed to be quieter than all available 450W+ SFX PSU on the market. So any experience to the contrary would be our priority.



Noctua practically owns Kolink so they won't make fans for anyone else. With that said though, they've not had experience making slim fans so don't automatically assume that if they do, they'll be better.
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Hey Tony! :D
Do you guys have any plans to make a higher wattage SFX-L PSU?
With X99 ITX coming soon, I think a lot of us would love a higher wattage SFX-L PSU.
Even if you could just re-arrange the components of the SX600-G and put it inside an SFX-L enclousure with a good 120mm fan :)
 
Tony Ou said:
Noctua practically owns Kolink so they won't make fans for anyone else. With that said though, they've not had experience making slim fans so don't automatically assume that if they do, they'll be better.
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I'd bet money that Kolink would do custom-order fans for Silverstone given a certain MOQ.. that's exactly what they do (similar to your own OEM department).

They've had the slim A9x14 (92x14) for a while now (which is an amazing little fan), and are still developing their slim 120x15 fan for this year iirc. They also have the slim'ish 801-L and 80L (80x20) under their Coolink house brand.
 
Phuncz said:
The noises are not caused by the running fan, but by the semi-fanless feature causing abnormal behavior. If it would never have been able to slow down below spec, it would have probably been the real quietest SFX PSU, while it now is only in theory.

All it would need (oversimplifying) is a minimum voltage treshold instead of being allowed to drop below 3V. Possibly build a switch in so it can be circumvented so the marketing peeps don't melt down. That way we could use the real quiet mode and the marketing-approved semi-fanless crap can look pretty on the website.
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Ah, alright, thanks for the correction. Been in and out of the thread and wasn't sure we came to that conclusion yet.
 
It's my personal conclusion seeing as nobody complains about the fan's wind noise and just about the weird noises that happen when the fan wants to start is very close to shutting off. It seems a reasonable conclusion to me as the SX600-G also has some weird noises explained by the semi-fanless feature.
 
Phuncz said:
It's my personal conclusion seeing as nobody complains about the fan's wind noise and just about the weird noises that happen when the fan wants to start is very close to shutting off. It seems a reasonable conclusion to me as the SX600-G also has some weird noises explained by the semi-fanless feature.
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The only weird noise I had in my SX600-G due to semi-fanless was only the birdy chirp sound (which didn't bother me one bit). Once the fan kicked on (and stayed on), I would have the constant maddening clicky, chattering sound.. this particular sound remained, whether at idle or sustained load (was slightly less noticeable under load, but still there).

From these factors, the chatter cannot be due to the semi-fanless feature, low starting voltage, or any particular RPM or loading. It's simply a piece of shit fan, just like the one in my 450W SFX (only slightly better, but in a way, much worse - since it cannot be swapped out for a better fan atm).
 
Hey! I bought this PSU, installed it and I have weird clicking sound when fan running at low speed ?! Is it possible to fix it ? Maby is it possible to change fan to Cooler Master XtraFlo 120 Slim ? Need for solution asap, because the sound is very loud...
 
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Received mine in the post yesterday. Hooked it up in my 'computer inside a box' project to replace my existing SX600-G (I'm not happy with the fan noise). Flicked the power switch on the PSU and poof, the circuit breaker in my house flipped and everything on the power circuit lost power. Really disappointed that the first PSU I've had fail in my own hands is a Silverstone unit. I'll be getting a replacement from Amazon because I love the form factor, but it's hard having to wait for shipping to NZ for a replacement when I've put down so much money for these small power supplies.
 
Is Silverstone planning on a new revision of this yet? I really want this PSU but I dont want a clicking fan or cheap caps. I'm not so picky with fan noise, so right now the st45sf-g is still the best option out since it has decent caps and I'd rather have a loud fan then clicking fan.

The fanless feature sounds good but if it can't be implemented without the clicking, I'd rather see it always running at a low speed.
 
Hanakuso said:
Is Silverstone planning on a new revision of this yet? I really want this PSU but I dont want a clicking fan or cheap caps. I'm not so picky with fan noise, so right now the st45sf-g is still the best option out since it has decent caps and I'd rather have a loud fan then clicking fan.

The fanless feature sounds good but if it can't be implemented without the clicking, I'd rather see it always running at a low speed.
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I'm in the same boat. I own every silverstone sfx psu made but skipped the 600 due to the wacky noises. Then i had this PSU pre-ordered but got a funny feeling and canceled... glad I did. Really too bad, this is the ideal design for small quiet builds, just the execution seems off.

my ST30F is great, it can sit completely fanless while i browse and do other light tasks and transitions to quiet fan when needed with no crazy noises... I've read previous posts talking about fanless idle being harder to do in these units because of power density being higher but doesn't the larger casing of the 500 help?
 
Hanakuso said:
The fanless feature sounds good but if it can't be implemented without the clicking, I'd rather see it always running at a low speed.
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I agree with this. It also would have been nice if this unit was a 550-600w. I feel that Silverstone will come out with a larger watt version in the future though.
 
I have a new build ready to put together. Not sure what to do about the power supply though. I don't want the SX600G. The one currently in my M1 is annoying. Has the tweeting, chatty sound then the bomb-dropping sound, then constant clicking after that.

Sounds like the SX500LG makes a galloping noise instead of the bird noise.
 
do what i did: remove the fan+grill and mount a normal fan on the radiator bracket :p
 
flod said:
do what i did: remove the fan+grill and mount a normal fan on the radiator bracket :p
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I was thinking about doing this but with ducting directly to the PSU but I rather just wait it out for a better solution
 
Has anyone used all 3 - 450W gold SFX, 600W SFX and now the 500W SFX-L? Which one is the least noisy or loud? It seems like 600W is the worst, followed by 500W and 450W being the 'best'. Although i don't think any of them are quiet enough for me.
 
I had the non modular 450 W and the fan was really loud (for me silent MUST be silent!). I also had the Silverstone SFX-L and returned it the next day.

Most amount of noise was made by the 'passive' part. It was stopping and starting the fan all the way (in idle with no case). And it did this slooowly and was pretty noisy.

I'm thinking about trying the Chieftec. SFX-L, which has the fan runnig all the way - but without the awful 'starting' noise.


Sharkoon has also this 500 W SFX-L PSU coming, the Silent Storm SFX Gold:
http://www.hardwareluxx.de/index.ph...ackt-a-angefasst-sharkoon-shark-zone-c10.html

http://www.sharkoon.com/?q=ja/content/silentstorm-sfx-gold


It also has the flat cables and fan looks like the one in the Silverstone. Hope it's not as bad as the Silverstone psu.
 
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yolostrats said:
Has anyone used all 3 - 450W gold SFX, 600W SFX and now the 500W SFX-L? Which one is the least noisy or loud? It seems like 600W is the worst, followed by 500W and 450W being the 'best'. Although i don't think any of them are quiet enough for me.
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I have both the ST45SF-G (v2) and the SX600-G (v1), and think the 600W sounds a little better. But honestly, I'm not entirely sure which fan noise annoyed me more.. 450W fan constantly sounds dry and scratchy, and the 600W fan continuously sounds clicky/chattery (probably a more annoying noise, but at a noticeably lower volume than the 450W noise).

Don't have the heart to try the SX500-LG due to the first 2, so no opinion on that.

If you absolutely must go SFX and are "picky" about noise (really don't consider myself *that* sensitive to noise), then go with a PSU that you can later mod with a different fan if needed. The 450W you can, the 600W you cannot (no compatible replacement at this time), and the 500W I think you can as well, but not 100% sure.
 
SX500-LG:
GgbEi5H.jpg
 
This is what I gathered from all the things I read. 600W is not as loud but more annoying and the 450W is louder but less annoying.. and 500W is a bit of both. I find this rather amusing but incredibly annoying because I can't design a case using either PSU.

The other SFX-L PSUs are not available here in AU and may never be, but silverstone products can be found in many places. I'm even considering using a full ATX PSU in my case designs instead. Trading a bit more space and weight for true silence.
 
Just to be clear, the SX500-LG does NOT come with a standard 3-pin fan connector like that. I spliced it in since I couldn't easily get the glue off.
 
I didn't get a response to my last question.

Will the 500W SFX-L be sufficient for an overclocked R9 290 and 4790K?
 
Yes. If you search google you can find out exactly how much power that setup will use, but this one will handle it.
 
kwyjibo said:
I had the non modular 450 W and the fan was really loud (for me silent MUST be silent!). I also had the Silverstone SFX-L and returned it the next day.

Most amount of noise was made by the 'passive' part. It was stopping and starting the fan all the way (in idle with no case). And it did this slooowly and was pretty noisy.

I'm thinking about trying the Chieftec. SFX-L, which has the fan runnig all the way - but without the awful 'starting' noise.


Sharkoon has also this 500 W SFX-L PSU coming, the Silent Storm SFX Gold:
http://www.hardwareluxx.de/index.ph...ackt-a-angefasst-sharkoon-shark-zone-c10.html

http://www.sharkoon.com/?q=ja/content/silentstorm-sfx-gold


It also has the flat cables and fan looks like the one in the Silverstone. Hope it's not as bad as the Silverstone psu.
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You might check out this thread:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1840655

Though it doesn't have any chart of noisiness of the PSUs listed.
I'm curious if Chieftec is worth a try.
No thread on it here.


Also this seems to be a "vs" comparision:
http://www.sweclockers.com/recensio...lverstone-sx500-lg-formfaktorn-sfx-l-anlander

But in Swedish.
Anyone here?



Ok, f*ck that, I'm buying the Silverstone on Amazon.
Be that as it may.
 
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babylondown said:
I didn't get a response to my last question.

Will the 500W SFX-L be sufficient for an overclocked R9 290 and 4790K?
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goodbyegalaxy said:
Yes. If you search google you can find out exactly how much power that setup will use, but this one will handle it.
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It depends, not just a plain and simple 'yes'. If the overclocks are using more than 10% voltage increases, it might not be.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/01/13/asus_r9_290x_directcu_ii_oc_overclocking_review/6
 
kuchumovn said:
You might check out this thread:

Also this seems to be a "vs" comparision:
http://www.sweclockers.com/recensio...lverstone-sx500-lg-formfaktorn-sfx-l-anlander

But in Swedish.
Anyone here?
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Basically it says that there pretty much the same (efficiency, ripple, etc) the units only differ in terms of the fan and the cables.
The chieftech has longer ("too long") and stiffer cables ("inflexible") and is less quiet under "low loads". (but still pleasantly quiet and significantly lower compared to other sfx units)
 
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Ok this needs to be cleared up.. I keep reading about a v1.1 of the sfx-l, but not info on Silverstone webpage. Anyone clear this up? What was changed? Is this really true? Tony ou can you hear me now?
 
Talon720 said:
Ok this needs to be cleared up.. I keep reading about a v1.1 of the sfx-l, but not info on Silverstone webpage. Anyone clear this up? What was changed? Is this really true? Tony ou can you hear me now?
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I want to know as well but no one even knows the differences between the 1.0 vs 1.1 for the 600 SFX version. It still mentions 1.0 on the website for the 600 version
 
dondan mentioned here that he has a version 1.1 of the SX500-LG. He later said he doesn't know what the difference is though.
 
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