Using the Silencer turned out to be a breeze. Though many might pass by this unit because it is not modular, I find that I usually use every cable included on a modular PSU anyway and the case was no different here — I used all but two PCI express connectors and the 4 pin CPU connector. PCPC chose to spread the Molex connectors across three cables instead of two, which turned out to be very helpful; often times when there are just two cables, it's hard to route power to all parts of the case. Not so with this unit. Also, it was nice to see that the cables were sleeved all the way back into the casing, but I would have liked them to continue sleeving past the first connectors with the component power cables.

PC Power & Cooling made great efforts to keep the Silencer true to its name: silent. By putting a full inch of free space in front of their 80mm exhaust fan in order to reduce air turbulence, the fan (which, if you recall, can be as loud as 40dBA) was unnoticeable over other case fans. Like the lack of modular cabling, just a single 80mm fan might deter lots of potential buyers, but the air exiting the unit was never very hot. Though warm even at system idle, the fan sped up nicely to help with the added heat at load.

The Silencer Quad performed the best out of any PSU I have ever owned. Not only are the voltages all quite accurate, but they are extremely consistent as well even when stressed on an overclocked, Crossfire enabled system. There are arguments for multiple rail power supplies and single rail power supplies. Those advocating multiple 12V rails note how it is easier to make monstrously high wattage power supplies, manage 12V output, and power a variety of components. Single rail advocates remark the loss of efficiency when using multiple rails because you can never use all of the amps on one rail as well as the security in knowing that with a single rail PSU you will almost surely never overload the 12V supply by accident. Obviously in this case, the single rail design took the cake and really impressed us today.

At around $180.00 USD on a popular internet reseller, the PC Power & Cooling Silencer Quad Crossfire Edition is a great buy, and OCIA.net is happy to award it with our Seal of Approval!