We briefly mentioned this PSU in a few posts around the web after our CES meeting with SilverStone, where the company showcased an external GPU enclosure. Finally, after a small CEBIT unveiling, we're allowed to post some information about the new SilverStone small form factor power supply.
While at CES, we were told that an SFX PSU following-up the company's 450W unit was in the works, and that "engineering advancements" might have pushed it closer to 600W; we were also told that 80 Plus Gold could be a possibility, but the company asked that we withheld information until a later date.
The unit teased at CEBIT is shown above. If you can read the label, you'll see that it's a 600W PSU with Active PFC, somewhat expected (and good), and that it's of SFX form factor. Look a little closer, and you'll see the 80 Plus logo for what appears to be their Gold efficiency rating.
After contacting SilverStone, we were told that the new 600W SFX PSU would offer "semi-fanless operation," as found in their ST30SF that debuted last year. This means that the fan remains inactive until a thermal threshold is reached; if all works out, this should mean that the PSU is dead-silent during low-load times -- like browsing and office work -- but spins-up during high-load scenarios. SilverStone has not confirmed a temperature threshold at this time.
The unit will also ship with their PP05-E short cabling kit, described as "flat and flexible" cabling. The PP05-E cables are less than a foot in length each, targeting them more at small system builds that need to conserve space and struggle with cable management (see: SilverStone's own SG09).
Just like the 450W SFX PSU, the new 600W SFX PSU will ship in the same form factor and size. SilverStone wanted to highlight this fact, noting that web speculation has indicated an expectation of "going bigger" with the new unit, given its higher power output. "Thankfully, this is not true. We were able to keep the dimensions intact," SilverStone told us.
There is no release date yet. It would be fair to speculate a Q3-Q4 target.
- Steve "Lelldorianx" Burke.