The Verdict
We start our conclusion as always with this note: our testing method is trivial at best and can be considered subjective. To test modern age power supplies you need very advanced load equipment and monitoring devices easily worth thousands and thousands of dollars. We do not have it at hand and therefore test the real-world way. We chuck the PC full with hardware, stress it and put that load on the PSu to see how it behaves. During stress we monitor the several voltage rails and look for fluctuations. Now, in the past we have seen some PSUs show a little bit of an offset here and there, this however was not the case with the Cooler Master Silent Pro GOLD 600W we tested.
The 600 Watts needed is something we can fairly easily throw at a PSU, which we did. And the Silent Pro GOLD was just not bothered by it. We did not spot any noticeable voltage fluctuations or instability. At best, when highly stressed the PSU got slightly lukewarm, but that was the only physical oddity we could see, feel or measure.
Efficiency then. During our test session we compared a little to similar PSUs we tested with a similar setup and the numbers do not lie, the Silent Pro GOLD series is very power efficient, a recent Enermax GOLD PSU did show slightly better results though but the differences remain rather small.
Efficiency should be something you need to keep in the back of your head, you are not only a little greener with a highly efficient PSU, you will also save money on your power bill in the long term. Highly efficient product also boils down to the fact that the very best components have been used. And that on it's end translates itself to a extended warranty of 5 years on the Silent Pro GOLD, which is downright fair from Cooler Master.
The modular design works out great as well, you'll have plenty of connectors for all kinds of compatibility and peripheral requirements, the PSU is loaded with safety features and then a topic we have not touched enough, the PSU really is silent. I personally would not mind using it in a HTPC as you simple have a hard time hearing it.
Ehm, let see what else can we say. The modular cabling, handy of course .. but Cooler Master used new wiring, completely black, flexible and easy to route as it's nice and thin. That does help on the overall aesthetics as well. So yeah, there's very little negative to report on the Silent Pro GOLD series.
Quality comes at a price, and one thing that might be considered slightly lackluster is just that. This 600W model will set you back roughly 120 EUR, and if you go higher on wattage this is what we see:
Prices ex VAT:
- 600W €100.76
- 700W €109.16
- 800W €125.97
- 1000W €167.23
- 1200W €210.00
That's certainly steep, but sure, competitive enough to the competition. As I always say, a good PSU is a worthwhile investment. It can last many years, is the lifeline of your PC and with the efficiency level this PSU offers it will earn itself back over time with the money you save on non-used power. We can recommend the Silent Pro GOLD series wholeheartedly as we think there's no way you'd regret this purchase.
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