Cooler Master X Silent Edge Platinum 1100W PSU Review
Up Close with he X Silent Edge 1100
Up Close with the X Silent Edge 1100
Upon opening the box, the first thing we saw was a little “Thank You” note from Cooler Master. A nice little touch for Cooler Master’s newest cooling solutions.
Cooler Master’s X Silent series results from years of effort from Cooler Master’s PSU design team. This is thanks to Cooler Master’s partnership with Infineon and their willingness to create a new and innovative power supply. While it may look like a normal PSU, inside, this is a very different beast.
Below, we can see that this PSU is passively cooler. There is no fan directing air into or out of this power supply. Naturally, we wanted to get a look inside, which is possible after removing a few screws.
Below, we can see that this PSU is filled with large heatsinks and some big capacitors. Without a fan for added airflow, this PSU needs large heatsinks to remain cool. Even the underside of the unit has many cooling components, including heatpipes and a finned external shell for added passive cooling potential.
If there is one word to describe the internals of this PSU, it’s DENSE. Good luck fitting larger heatsinks or bigger capacitors in there. Cooler Master played a serious game of PSU design Tetris to fit everything in here and keep it cool under load. Remember, this thing needs to stay cool without the assistance of a fan.
Power outputs and cables
Looking at this PSU’s outputs, we can see Cooler Master’s usual outputs. However, we do have some additional connections like its “USB Protocol” and “Fan” connectors. Yes, you can connect fans to this power supply if you wish or use this PSU as a fan hub.
Through USB, you can monitor your power supply’s thermals and performance using Cooler Master’s MasterCTRL software. This will allow users to monitor the power draw of their system.
As noted before, the X Silent Edge 1100 is a fully modular power supply. Below are all of the cables provided by this PSU. All of these cables are pre-braided, and a list of all included cables is on page 1 of this review.
Below is a closer look at the braid on these cables. These cables would look great in pretty much any system, assuming your cable management is decent.
Below, we have Cooler Master’s custom 12V-2×6 power connector. These connectors use thicker contacts and more contact springs than standard 12V-2×6/12VHPWR cables. This makes the cable cooler under load, at least compared to standard 12V-2×6 connectors.
Note that the end of this power cable had a 90-degree bend, which allows it to be inserted into a graphics card and routed safely without placing a lot of pressure on your GPU’s power connector. This again improves the safety of this PSU cable.
