Silverstone ST45NF Nightjar

Conclusion

The Silverstone ST45NF Nightjar definitely raises the bar for fanless power supplies, as it delivers one of the best performances from a fanless unit we have seen to date. It even manages to surpass some of the lower quality fan-cooled power supplies. The build quality also sets new standards, as it is excellent. Only a few power supplies have had such high-grade workmanship. The choice of components is generally good, with the important 12V rail using Nippon Chemi-Con and solid state caps and the lower voltage rails getting by with Teapo. The three main capacitors also come from Nippon Chemi-Con and have to fit under the large heatsinks, which is why there are three instead of only one large capacitor. Given the lack of space, Silverstone's internal layout makes sense.

Thinking back on previous fanless power supplies, there's usually a very limited number of cables and connectors. The Nightjar offers a wide range of connectors, which we would expect from a normal 450W unit. There are six SATA and Molex connectors and two PEG connectors, one of which is a hybrid 6/8-pin connector. The length of the cables is good as well, as we measured a minimum of 50cm.

Moving on to voltage regulation, Silverstone achieved very good results, particularly with the 1% regulation from the 12V rail. Even with a higher ambient temperature of 50°C applied for about 20 minutes the 12V rail remained stable and never dropped under 12.00V. Silverstone states clearly that this PSU is rated at 30°C ambient temperature, which is why we primarily confined our testing to such an environment. The internal heatsinks don't exceed 70°C, and while that's very hot it's still remarkable for a fanless unit. After all, last year we tested several fan-cooled models that had similar heatsink temperatures.

It goes without saying that throughout testing we never heard any noises from this power supply -- and that includes noise caused by electronic components. If you're looking to put together an HTPC that makes as much noise as your stereo amplifier (i.e., none), the Silverstone Nightjar would be a good place to start.

Finally, let's talk about efficiency since this tends to be one of the major selling points of modern power supplies. Even here the Silverstone Nightjar can set new heights and tops most other competitors. 88% efficiency is very high, and it even manages to stay at that level from 225W to 375W. There's no need to panic even at higher loads, since it stays above 86%. All this of course is with an input voltage of 230V; things aren't quite as good with 120VAC or 90VAC, but the efficiency is still high even if the PSU doesn't manage to stay at maximum efficiency over as larger range.

Considering all of the above factors, we certainly don't expect the price to be all that great; the performance and quality delivered will cost more to manufacture. $170 to $190 isn't the most expensive power supply we tested, but it is quite a lot of money for a 450W unit. On the other hand, if you want to run a truly silent HTPC without having to skimp on performance in order to keep power requirements in check, the Nightjar appears to be an ideal PSU. Prices in Europe start at 140€ to 150€, including the 19% tax. Whether or not these prices are acceptable isn't for us to decide, but rather for the people who are interested in this sort of power supply. Not only is the Nightjar completely silent, but it manages to outperform many fan-cooled power supplies with stable rails and high efficiency. At least for the price you won't be purchasing a lemon.