Silverstone SX500-LG 500W Gold SFX-L

[EvoFreak]

I switched the orientation of the power supply so the fan is facing up toward the sky pulling air in when its under load, and the noise is gone. running intel burn test for 30+mins and fan is spinning with no horrible sounds!

If im in your shoes, i would still try to get a replacement. A proper working one woudn't have noise issue no matter what orientation it sits.That's just me.

 

[rubenjavier]

a representative of SilverStone just posted this a couple of days ago in jonnyGURU, its a 550w SFX PSU 80 Plus Gold, he says its ready to ship by the end of the month and for sale in late january:

http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/ps...ECHNOLOGY_SST-SX550_550W_ECOS 4473_Report.pdf

The name is SST-SX550
aparently is not modular, there is just one picture in the report, and the fan cannot be seen, its based on FSP550-50SGGBA from FSP Technology, but the fan cannot be seen either

http://www.plugloadsolutions.com/ps...INC._FSP550-50SGGBA_550W_ECOS 4439_Report.pdf

The SX550 from SilverStone was previously shown at Computex this year, but again the fan cannot be seen in the picture (you have to go down a little bit on the page)

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/silverstone-sfx-digital-psu-computex,news-50460.html

Did someone here can shed some light about this PSUs Fan an its operation?

I personally don mind if isnt modular, it can fit well on an Ncase, but may be a modular model in the near future? Tony Ou, any info?

Thanks in advance

New Thread Added at:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1884365

 

[ronzzz]

Hey all,

I think I've found a rather nasty issue with the SilverStone SX500-LG.

The left corner of the PCB has a cutout to allow the mounting screw to safely extend into the PSU chassis (see http://pics.computerbase.de/6/5/7/1/0/9-1080.2115021272.jpg). The right corner does not have this cutout. So when the lower right mounting screw is tightened it will hit the PCB, cause a short circuit, and in my case - blow the 10A room fuse.

And here's the fix: A thick aluminum spacer.

I sent an email to SilverStone Europe support, but haven't heard from them yet.

Anyone else having similar problems? Surely something like this can't be a design flaw... or can it?

 

[iFreilicht]

Hey all,

I think I've found a rather nasty issue with the SilverStone SX500-LG.

The left corner of the PCB has a cutout to allow the mounting screw to safely extend into the PSU chassis (see http://pics.computerbase.de/6/5/7/1/0/9-1080.2115021272.jpg). The right corner does not have this cutout. So when the lower right mounting screw is tightened it will hit the PCB, cause a short circuit, and in my case - blow the 10A room fuse.

And here's the fix: A thick aluminum spacer.

I sent an email to SilverStone Europe support, but haven't heard from them yet.

Anyone else having similar problems? Surely something like this can't be a design flaw... or can it?

At which point did it blow the fuse? When plugging it in? Or when turning the PC on? Which screws were you using? The ones supplied with the PSU?

Where on the PCB could the screw touch a bare contact that would actually cause a problem when shortened to ground?

I'm very reluctant to believe that this is a design flaw, I'd bet on a faulty unit, but if it is a genuine design flaw, Silverstone will have to recall those units.

 

[ronzzz]

I used the screws that came with the PSU. They're standard length, about 6 mm long.

The fuse blew immediately when I hit the mains switch on the back of the PSU. This actually happened a few times when I was figuring out the problem. First I removed the PSU from the case, double checked the wiring (it was good) and powered up the PSU and turned on the PC. Everything worked fine. Then put the PSU back in the case, hit the mains switch and the fuse blew again.

If anyone wants to check their SX500-LG (please do!), here's what to look for.

There's a thin sheet of transparent insulating material on bottom and on edge of the PCB. The bottom left corner screw just sort of pushes against this material and into the routed cutout on the board. On my unit the bottom right corner screw has punctured through it.

Maybe it's touching a trace? Maybe just the side of the PCB? Or maybe the screw threads have damaged the board or a nearby wire / component? It's difficult to say without opening up the unit.

I haven't done that yet... I thought I'd first hear what SilverStone has to say.

 

[Phuncz]

My Sharkoon SFX-L 500W (based on the SX500-LG) doesn't have a screw hole that lines up in that location:

As far as I know, you attach an SFX PSU with 3 screws: two on one side, one on the other.

 

[ronzzz]

My Sharkoon SFX-L 500W (based on the SX500-LG) doesn't have a screw hole that lines up in that location:

As far as I know, you attach an SFX PSU with 3 screws: two on one side, one on the other.

That's very interesting Phuncz!

The SilverStone SX500-LG actually has 6 threaded mounting holes and came with four screws. The manual does not mention which holes should be used. I browsed through SFX power supply photos and it seems like people are using all sorts of mounting patterns and anything between 3 to 6 screws.

So yeah, it's a dangerous design flaw. Don't put screw holes on a commercial product if they're not to be used. Sharkoon did it right.

 

[hask]

That's very interesting Phuncz!

The SilverStone SX500-LG actually has 6 threaded mounting holes and came with four screws. The manual does not mention which holes should be used. I browsed through SFX power supply photos and it seems like people are using all sorts of mounting patterns and anything between 3 to 6 screws.

So yeah, it's a dangerous design flaw. Don't put screw holes on a commercial product if they're not to be used. Sharkoon did it right.

Yeah, only 4 out of the 6 are usable. You'll run into the plastic sheet insulator, and subsequently the pcb if you attempt to force the last 2 screws in on the SX500. Luckily I realized it in time while assembling my rvz02 else I might have damaged the pcb permanently.

 

[iFreilicht]

Yeah the SFX standard normally allows for three mounting holes in a triangular pattern. But a lot of cases have that pattern a second time rotated by 180° to allow PSUs to fit in both orientations.
Silverstone apparently wanted their PSUs to fit with every case there is, so they did the same.

 

[ronzzz]

Silverstone apparently wanted their PSUs to fit with every case there is, so they did the same.

Versatility is a good thing, but if you flip the PSU in a case with three mounting holes, you would still run into the same problem - potentially damaging the board or getting electrocuted.

I'm using the SX500-LG in a Lian Li TU100 and every single photo I can find of the case has an SFX format PSU mounted with four screws, one in each corner. I felt no extra resistance or heard strange noises when I installed mine. There were no warning signs.

Tony Ou seems to be the SilverStone rep here. I'm hoping he will chime in too.

 

[Phuncz]

In theory, only the case needs to have the 6 mounting holes to accomodate the PSU being installed in both directions, not the PSU. It seems Silverstone had a good reason to also provide 6 screw sockets.

 

[iFreilicht]

Versatility is a good thing, but if you flip the PSU in a case with three mounting holes, you would still run into the same problem - potentially damaging the board or getting electrocuted.

I'm using the SX500-LG in a Lian Li TU100 and every single photo I can find of the case has an SFX format PSU mounted with four screws, one in each corner. I felt no extra resistance or heard strange noises when I installed mine. There were no warning signs.

Tony Ou seems to be the SilverStone rep here. I'm hoping he will chime in too.

I wouldn't say you could get electrocuted. If it just shorts some contact inside the PSU to the chassis, which is grounded to earth, all electric energy would drictly flow there, even if it was the active part of the mains supply and you were touching the case, so no worries there.

Still, stuff like this should absolutely NOT happen at all.

In theory, only the case needs to have the 6 mounting holes to accomodate the PSU being installed in both directions, not the PSU. It seems Silverstone had a good reason to also provide 6 screw sockets.

Yeah the real problem is that the standard just says both have three, so you and up with PSUs and cases having six.

 

[Hanakuso]

Whoa that's scary. I'm glad I put washers on all 4 mounting points. I mainly did it because I didn't want to scratch the psu bracket

 

[ronzzz]

I wouldn't say you could get electrocuted. If it just shorts some contact inside the PSU to the chassis, which is grounded to earth, all electric energy would drictly flow there, even if it was the active part of the mains supply and you were touching the case, so no worries there.

Unless of course you're putting together a killer [sic] gaming PC in a house with shoddy wiring, all the fuses malfunction and you flip the mains switch while hugging the case and standing in bathtub full of water.

But I agree - a flaw like this is just unacceptable. It should never, ever happen. If this was my product, I would recall the thing.

 

[hrdFornax]

There's an image on the SX500-LG's webpage that only has 3 screws. (towards the bottom of the product page)

The problematic screw hole would be near the plug, bottom left corner in the image.

I received a v1.1 SX500-LG but am unable to test it yet (waiting on parts). I did notice there are both short (3mm flat head) and long (5-6mm combo hex/phillips) 6-32 screws, supplied with the PSU — 4 of each.

Perhaps avoid that screw hole ronzzz found, and just use 3 screws in pattern probably originally intended. Or use a short 3mm screw if necessary for that spot.

I'm a first time builder, so please correct me if I'm mistaken. I'm interested in the official SilverStone response. Thanks for finding this.

 

[ronzzz]

There's an image on the SX500-LG's webpage that only has 3 screws. (towards the bottom of the product page)

Hmm, interesting.

That diagram is exactly the same as Phuncz's Sharkoon! Only three screw holes and same venting hole pattern. Maybe SilverStone was planning on using the same design, but then decided to add the extra holes for versatility and didn't thoroughly test things after that.

I received a v1.1 SX500-LG but am unable to test it yet (waiting on parts). I did notice there are both short (3mm flat head) and long (5-6mm combo hex/phillips) 6-32 screws, supplied with the PSU — 4 of each.

Perhaps avoid that screw hole ronzzz found, and just use 3 screws in pattern probably originally intended. Or use a short 3mm screw if necessary for that spot.

Mine is a v1.1 too and also came with the shorter screws. However, they are very short and would only be useful on thin materials. They're also countersunk type, which means they're probably intended for the ATX mounting plate. It has suitable screw holes.

I would recommend the three screw triangular mounting pattern (be careful with the PSU orientation!) or the use of spacers. I made mine from 1.5 mm aluminum sheet just to be safe.

 

[Tony Ou]

Hi guys, turned out our web designer received an older development diagram for the SX500-LG, so it's an incorrect representation of our production unit. We will have the website update it soon with a correct one.

We purposely added the additional holes for versatility as this is very useful in many small form factor builds. We can't be sure that all cases have mounting holes for both orientations so these added holes on the SX500-LG could become useful. We have thoroughly tested them with the OEM of this PSU, High Power, to ensure the Mylar protection film is thick enough to resist penetration by screws. Also the edges of PSU's PCB have no electrical traces so even if one manages to break the film and scratch or touch that part of the PCB, there should be no electrical conduction.

The SX500-LG has been on sale for nearly a year now and this is the first incidence we have heard of it causing short circuit this way. There is a chance something else inside ronzzz's SX500-LG that may have caused it.

ronzzz, if possible, please ask for an exchange with our European support so you can receive another SX500-LG. Drop me a pm if you need additional assistance on this.

 

[gav616]

Hello guys.
I got the SX500 PSU and i have noticed when applying load to the system (starting a game), then stopping the load (exiting a game) the fan will then start to slow, then starts the intermittent buzzing and fan slurring.

It is obnoxiously loud, and lasts for 3-5-10 minutes until the system is idle. Can i get advice please, I got it from amazon uk.

 

[Elton Noway]

Hello guys.
I got the SX500 PSU and i have noticed when applying load to the system (starting a game), then stopping the load (exiting a game) the fan will then start to slow, then starts the intermittent buzzing and fan slurring.

It is obnoxiously loud, and lasts for 3-5-10 minutes until the system is idle. Can i get advice please, I got it from amazon uk.

Yep... same problem here. 500W SFX-L Gold. Mine started making noise within days of being installed (click, buzz, rattle, etc) Concerned... I decided to check the 1 and 2 star reviews on Amazon US and discovered we're not the only ones... seems to be a problem that occurs more than Silverstone might like to acknowledge.

At first I thought it was a defective PSU fan. In searching the net for a fix I actually found a forum thread dedicated to modding the power supply by replacing the fan assembly.

I later noticed my PSU makes the clicking noise even when the fan is not spinning so I'm not so sure the fan mod is a fix. Fortunately I was still within the 30 day return/exchange window. Hopefully the replacement will not have the issue.

UPDATE UPDATE
Just found some info on the noise problem in this thread. NET: Silvestone is aware of this issue and I'm afraid it looks like a new / replacement PSU isn't going to fix my problem. Here are some of the comments from that thread:

The SX500-LG's uses temperature based fan control...

We believe the ticking noise that some owners of SX500-LG heard is the result of the ramp up in voltage applied to the fan by the temp control. This is more noticeable around the voltage required to start the fan.

 

[EvoFreak]

Yep... same problem here. 500W SFX-L Gold. Mine started making noise within days of being installed (click, buzz, rattle, etc) Concerned... I decided to check the 1 and 2 star reviews on Amazon US and discovered we're not the only ones... seems to be a problem that occurs more than Silverstone might like to acknowledge.

At first I thought it was a defective PSU fan. In searching the net for a fix I actually found a forum thread dedicated to modding the power supply by replacing the fan assembly.

I later noticed my PSU makes the clicking noise even when the fan is not spinning so I'm not so sure the fan mod is a fix. Fortunately I was still within the 30 day return/exchange window. Hopefully the replacement will not have the issue.

I had those described noise too when i had my first one. Luckily i bought mine locally and i was able to exchange it for another one. My second one is actually a lot quieter. I guess this psu is like lottery.

 

[makar1]

I have a v1.0 SX 500 LG that I've opened up to replace the fan, and I didn't see anything behind any of the screw holes that could cause a short.

 

[Elton Noway]

Hey all,

I think I've found a rather nasty issue with the SilverStone SX500-LG.

The left corner of the PCB has a cutout to allow the mounting screw to safely extend into the PSU chassis The right corner does not have this cutout. So when the lower right mounting screw is tightened it will hit the PCB, cause a short circuit, and in my case - blow the 10A room fuse.

[snip] Anyone else having similar problems? Surely something like this can't be a design flaw... or can it?

Darn! I'm afraid the same thing just happened to me! Screw shorted the power supply! I hate it because I was aware your post reporting this problem so I made sure to use the screws that came with the PSU and did my best to look thru the vent holes for circuit boards or wires inside the screw holes. I didn't see anything so I thought I was safe. I sure hope Tony Ou can help me because my situation is MUCH worse.

Per an earlier post a couple days ago I mentioned I was waiting for a replacement PSU due to the fan noise problem. I got the replacement and it was super quiet. My case is a Silverstone ML07 so due to the cramped quarters I left it everything disassembled and running for three days until I was sure the PSU didn't act up. All was good, no fan noise. So I decided to finish the build. I put the PSU into the ML07 PSU frame that comes with the case. And assembled the entire PC. Powered it up and BANG... (sounded like a firecracker) and a little curl of smoke came out of the PSU. EVERYTHING went dead. No power light, no fans... no nothing. Remember, everything was running fine for 3 days... unit I mounted it in the PSU cage.

Good news and more BAD news... I hadn't returned the noisy PSU yet. So I disassembled everything, then reassembled the PC with the noisy PSU (only this time I didn't use any screws). Hit the power switch. PC lights came on, all case fans, CPU fan, PSU fan started running, but thats it... no post, no BIOS beep, no display. I'm freaking out. I have no way of knowing but am afraid the PSU short took out my brand new motherboard.

My even bigger fear is... if the motherboard got zapped by the short it may have taken out the memory, or processor, or my m.2 SSD card, video card! Everything was brand new and running so well. I'm just sick. I've built so many PC's in my life that I've lost count. This is the first build failure I've every had. Everything was purchased new for this build and its all mini ITX related so other than the PSU I have no parts I can swap out to try and isolate what got fried. If the PSU did short out the motherboard... am I screwed? I'm afraid I can't afford to buy anymore parts. Any suggestions, ideas?

 

[Phuncz]

I would start with removing the GPU if you have it and reset the CMOS, the manual should instruct you how to.

 

[Elton Noway]

I would start with removing the GPU if you have it and reset the CMOS, the manual should instruct you how to.

THANKS! Appreciate the tip on CMOS, it may have been the fix. I was so freaked thinking the short cooked a thousand dollars worth of parts there was no way I could go to bed and try to sleep. Its a little after 4AM here in the US. I've been trying everything since it blew up. The GPU was the first thing I went after. I removed the GPU then disassembled a gaming rig I built back in 2011 to borrow the GPU from it. No luck.
> Unpluged all power and removed all the components from the motherboard.
> Remove the motherboard from the case.
> Reseated the CPU and heatsink.
> Swapped memory from my old gaming rig
> Tested the motherboards onboard HDMI video.
Still nothing but fans and a power light...

Came back here to see if anybody had any ideas. Saw your suggestion on resetting the CMOS. DOH! (what a dummy ass I am). I was so convinced the bang and smoke had to have fried something (besides the power supply). I can't say for sure it was CMOS that did the trick because I did two things prior to the next test.
1) I reset the CMOS ... then ...
2) I replaced "ALL" the power supply cables. (remember I have two complete PSU's to play with). Swapped the cables because the PSU end of the 8 pin ATX cable smelled like burnt phenolic (i.e. burnt electronics) . I looked for burnt pins didn't see any. (smell may have been smoke residue).

Anyway... I powered it up again... BEEP! Oh my God... the BIOS post beep. Hallelujah! Not sure what fixed it but I'm leaning towards CMOS. I could swap the old cables back to prove it was the CMOS or the cables... but the PC is working so I ain't messing with it. Besides its bedtime. Thanks again

I'm not sure why... but now the boot time is painfully slow. Before this incident, and for the last 3 weeks, it was cold booting, every time... in 10 to 12 seconds. Now it takes at least 45 seconds even with the BIOS set to fast boot. Can't imagine how the power surge wouldhave effected OS boot time. But... its booting so I'm not going to complain.. You can't imagine how happy I am that the only thing that fried was the power supply.

NET: I'm now back to where I was a week ago. A new system with at noisy PSU fan. I imagine trying to get a new supply shipped to me at this time of the year will be near impossible. Again hard to get upset now that its working again.

Fair Warning: The screws that come with the PSU when installed in either of the bottom two corners of the PSU "will" hit the circuit board. As Tommy identified, there is a mylar strip covering the edge of the motherboard... but... strange that I didn't have a problem until I screwed the PSU into the case. I would caution anyone installing this PSU to be super careful about screw placement. On closer inspection it appears both the top corners and the left edge middle screw hole are the only ones that appear to be unobstructed.

 

[Phuncz]

The boot time is probably because you reset. It might be because you have CSM enabled (should be disabled for Windows 8 and newer) or maybe some device that is being polled to boot up like a USB stick or DVD drive.

I'm glad it worked out, I have been where you have many years ago. But back then they didn't have as much to protect the other components from frying.

 

[Elton Noway]

[snip]

We purposely added the additional holes for versatility as this is very useful in many small form factor builds. We can't be sure that all cases have mounting holes for both orientations so these added holes on the SX500-LG could become useful. We have thoroughly tested them with the OEM of this PSU, High Power, to ensure the Mylar protection film is thick enough to resist penetration by screws. Also the edges of PSU's PCB have no electrical traces so even if one manages to break the film and scratch or touch that part of the PCB, there should be no electrical conduction.

The SX500-LG has been on sale for nearly a year now and this is the first incidence we have heard of it causing short circuit this way. There is a chance something else inside ronzzz's SX500-LG that may have caused it.

ronzzz, if possible, please ask for an exchange with our European support so you can receive another SX500-LG. Drop me a pm if you need additional assistance on this.

Hi Tony Ou... sure glad you monitor this forum. Not sure if something may have changed in the manufacturing process... but I just had the same issue happen to me! That's two PSU's in the last 11 days having the same issue. (potential screws shorting the power supply)... Or it may just be a coincidence... as you indicated it may be something else in the power supply that just happen to fail.

However... I had the system running for 3 days... turned off and on many times. As soon as I installed the PSU into the ML07 frame assembly and power it up BANG... and smoke. On closer inspection I can see the circuit board is right up against the inside of the screw hole. Yes, there is a piece of Mylar across the edge of the board that looks like it should protect but I question if the longer screws included with the PSU might penetrate just enough to cause an arc and short the supply. The pink highlighted areas are where I installed the two screws that came with the PSU, the area indicates where I think it shorted.

 

[Elton Noway]

The boot time is probably because you reset. It might be because you have CSM enabled (should be disabled for Windows 8 and newer) or maybe some device that is being polled to boot up like a USB stick or DVD drive.

I'm glad it worked out, I have been where you have many years ago. But back then they didn't have as much to protect the other components from frying.

You are the man! I never checked it because I didn't have CSM enabled originally. Been running Win 10 for weeks prior to the PSU failure. Why after the short and crash it would become enabled is beyond me. But once disabled boot speed is back in the 10-12 second time frame. Thank you!

 

[Tony Ou]

Hi Elton Noway, if you haven't already, please get in touch with us directly via the office closest to you in the following link:

SilverStone contact us page

We have been selling SX500-LG for close to a year now without any incidence like this so we'll definitely try taking a closer look at what happened after getting the PSU back from you.

 

[Phuncz]

Thanks Elton, I'm glad you got back on your feet ! Luckily you still had that second unit on hand !

 

[Elton Noway]

Hi Elton Noway, if you haven't already, please get in touch with us directly via the office closest to you in the following link:

SilverStone contact us page

We have been selling SX500-LG for close to a year now without any incidence like this so we'll definitely try taking a closer look at what happened after getting the PSU back from you.

Hi Tony.. thanks for the quick response. Good customer service. I've already been contacted by the Silverstone rep in the US. Unfortunately, since I was able to determine the PSU failure didn't do any damage to my system, and in my eagerness to get this system built (its supposed to be a Christmas present) I already contacted Amazon and they are preparing an exchange shipment.

I'm in contact with the US rep via the overclockers forum and gave him the details regarding Amazon. I know this probably won't be of much help... but I installed 3 of the longer screws that shipped with the PSU, one on either side of the fan and one next to the power plug. On closer inspection I see no way the screws near the fan could hit any electronics. So... my initial drawing of where I thought the short in the corner could have been now seems unfounded. The only unknown is the one I installed next to the power plug. I did not want to open the unit or do anything that might cause Amazon to challenge the return. Thinking about it now, the bang I heard when it failed ... almost sounded like a capacitor failing (previous years of electronics training) As mentioned earlier in this thread, at the time of the failure, I still had the original noisy PSU on hand. I plugged it in, got the system to boot and was able to determine everything was fine. No damage to any other system components. I never plugged the "defective?" power supply back into my system. With the scare I had of thinking I had fried my motherboard or worse... I wasn't about to risk it. Hope you can appreciate my eagerness to get the exchange started with Amazon immediately. Sorry for all the excitement.

 

[gav616]

Hi guys,

I acquired the Chieftec "SFX-500GD-C" as a compassion to my very noisy (defective) Silverstone PSU.

I have to say, its much quieter.

In idle it has a much more satisfying "hum" (it does not go passive) , when the load hits though, it's a much more mellow sound.

When the PSU is coming down from a heavy load it has a lot better "hum", much less hard drive noises.

I even prefer the stiff cables, they work quite well in my RVZ02.

thank you.

 

[Elton Noway]

Hi guys,

I acquired the Chieftec "SFX-500GD-C" as a compassion to my very noisy (defective) Silverstone PSU.

I have to say, its much quieter.

In idle it has a much more satisfying "hum" (it does not go passive) , when the load hits though, it's a much more mellow sound.

When the PSU is coming down from a heavy load it has a lot better "hum", much less hard drive noises.

I even prefer the stiff cables, they work quite well in my RVZ02.

thank you.

Hmmm... Never stumbled across one called a Chieftec. When I was looking for an alternative to the Silverstone SFX-L 500W the only one I could find was identified as the High Power SFX-L500 GD. However ... after looking at the pics and reviewing the specs I couldn't he[p but think it was just a relabeled Silverstone.

I'm giving Silverstone one more shot. The first Silverstone rattled and clicked really bad, the replacement was really really quiet, but unfortunately I shorted it on installation. Per the Amazon reviews there are far more people saying its quiet than those reporting noise issues. I'm hoping I get lucky one more time. Tracking shows the replacement will arrive tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

 

[Necere]

Hmmm... Never stumbled across one called a Chieftec. When I was looking for an alternative to the Silverstone SFX-L 500W the only one I could find was identified as the High Power SFX-L500 GD. However ... after looking at the pics and reviewing the specs I couldn't he[p but think it was just a relabeled Silverstone.

High Power is the retail brand of the PSU's manufacturer, Sirfa. It would be more accurate to say that the Silverstone is a relabeled High Power (though that's not totally accurate; Silverstone did spec a different fan). Likewise, Chieftec is also the same Sirfa unit, but they're mostly only available in Europe AFAIK. All the 500 and 700W SFX-L PSUs in current and near future production are based on the Sirfa/High power OEM units.

 

[Elton Noway]

High Power is the retail brand of the PSU's manufacturer, Sirfa. It would be more accurate to say that the Silverstone is a relabeled High Power (though that's not totally accurate; Silverstone did spec a different fan). Likewise, Chieftec is also the same Sirfa unit, but they're mostly only available in Europe AFAIK. All the 500 and 700W SFX-L PSUs in current and near future production are based on the Sirfa/High power OEM units.

Wow... good to know. Based on your reply, my first impulse might be to think... Hmmmm... if Silverstone spec'd a different fan then maybe that would account for the fan noise some people complain about and maybe I'd have better luck with a Cheiftec or High Power. However... my first "noisy / clicking" Silverstone PSU, once it started making the clicking noise, (audible from 10 feet away) I noticed two things... it would fade in and out... and... would continue making the noise even when the fan was not running.

Knowing that and that all the PSU's mentioned are manufactured by Sirfa would seem to indicate any of them could be potentially susceptible to the dreaded clicking noise. Which brings us back to the "PSU lottery". You may or may not get one of the quiet ones.

EDIT: In reviewing photos of the High Power PSU I noticed it only has 3 mounting holes as opposed to 6 on the Silverstone. It seems Silverstone spec'd more than just the fan change.

 

[Phuncz]

The problem isn't really the fan, we should be happy Silverstone has done the research into a better fan than the GlobeFan one in your picture, but it is the semi-fanless feature. When it's threading the line (by ramping the voltage) where the fan can't start and can almost start, it will make the noises you witnessed. It's posted all over this thread many times.

My Sharkoon unit (also based on the Sirfa design) also has just those three screw holes.

 

[Breex243]

So I've had my SX500-LG v1.1 sitting in a box for a few weeks now, but after reading all this, I finally tested it out. Since I'm using a Sugo SG05 until my NCase comes in, I had to take my HDD/ODD drives out for this test.

My build idles at ~40W, and after the PSU fan spins up for the first time after powering on, the fan never stops spinning. To make things worse, there is the clicking sound when the fan is spinning. I did some more test, varying the orientation of the case (open-air testing) and found some interesting results:
1. PSU fan facing to the side: fan speed is slower, and you can hear a noticeable grinding sound, along with a louder clicking
2. PSU vertical--power plug facing the ceiling: fan stops completely, with no clicking sounds
3. PSU fan facing down - similar to case 1, but eventually slows down and stops clicking/spinning
Sometimes, in case 1, the fan will click and start up, then click and slow down/stop spinning and repeat

I'm guessing that my experience might be due to the temperature sensor. Although I have a top-down cooler, the waste heat must rise and heat up the bottom of the SX500, causing the temperature trigger of the fan to engage.I can see the fan wobbling slightly as well.

I peak at 200-205W when gaming with my GTX 960, so I was hoping that I could have a semi-fanless gaming experience, but now it seems that I should just stick to my 300W ST30SF, which does get a bit "whooshy" when gaming, but is otherwise silent whenever I'm not, which is 90% of the time.

 

[Epos7]

After receiving my RMA I have to give Silverstone credit for sending out a replacement very quickly. I believe they received my RMA last Tuesday and shipped the replacement out on Thursday.

I didn't have any noise issues with my first SX500, and hopefully the replacement will be the same.

 

[ionutm80]

Hey I just want to share here my ... unfortunate experience with this PSU from Silverstone.
Lately I wanted to rebuild my current HTPC by switching the GPU (GTX 750 TI) with a more powerful one (GTX 960 4GB) and hence a new case and more beefy power supply was needed. After an intensive research I've stumbled upon the RVZ02B-W for the case and ... naturally I needed an SFX-L PSU. I disregarded from the very beginning any simple SFX alternative since I'm a maniac in terms of what a silent system means. Before placing the order with a local IT online shop I've discovered this thread and reading the comments of Phuncz I was close to cancel the order for the SX500-LG and go for either the Sharkoon Silent Storm or the Chieftec one.But since the Sharkoon version uses Teapo caps instead of Japanese ones I was not very convinced that I'm doing the right thing and also the sales person from the online IT shop told me that out of 5 pieces ordered from the SX500-LG none was reported with defects and even more they are procuring their stock directly from Silverstone Germany. Ok, I have put together my PC very eager to enjoy it. At very low loads was dead silent / the GPU is an ASUS STRIX model and the CPU cooler is a Noctua NH9I but than I wanted to test it with Furmark ... and the PSU fan started to spin / the case was standing vertical and so the PSU / face to the side ... I almost panic the fan was making a very disturbing grinding noise + loud clicking that I can hear from 20 meters !!! When I put the case horizontally the sound disappeared. I repeated the test several time to be absolutely sure and I hit the same results, in vertical position the grinding + clicking was a nightmare, in horizontal position was gone. The PSU is a v1.1 version. I'm very disappointed that I have lost significant time to participate in this lottery because after reading several other reviews this is what it is in fact with this PSU, you can get a good silent one or you can end up with a jet engine / tank in your living room.

I should have paid more attention to some of the reviews around that I have found recently:

http://techbuyersguru.com/pc-builders-guides-assembling-high-end-mini-itx-pc?page=2
"The Silverstone SX500-LG, while more than up to the task of powering our mini-monster, was not a particularly docile creature. Sure, it shuts its fan off at idle, which is a neat feature, but once it spins up, some pretty nasty traits become apparent. Its fan bearings just aren't properly balanced, as when it's in the middle of its RPM range, a noticeable scratching sound that is far louder and more obnoxious than any of the other fans in the case."


Anyway I have decided to return the PSU to the online shop since I have a 14 days window but then spent the rest of the holidays without my HTPC courtesy of Slverstone and their poor quality control. I have already ordered the Sharkoon from Amazon.de and I hope to have made a better choice than with the Silverstone one.

Hopes this will be considered helpful by other pioneers who can waste their valuable time testing 100 EUR / piece equipment not properly checked by an otherwise respectful producer.

 

[hrdFornax]

The SST-SX500-LG v1.1 lot number 1534 (mid-August 2015?) was finally hooked up to the motherboard + CPU + Stock HS + DDR4x2 this past week (all outside case). Updating the UEFI/BIOS was not enough load on the PSU to engage the fan.

After adding SSD + HDD the PSU fan started up, and almost immediately I hear the repetitive chirping coming from the unit. I tried different orientations, that changed the quality of the click/chirp — but the sound remained. It was not the fan itself making the sound, I'm assuming it's the control mechanism y'all are talking about.

I added the GPU (GTX 960) and ran it for a few hours, testing my components outside the case prior to installation in a cramped ITX case. The chirping continued the whole time, sometimes changing to fast paced cooing, like a pidgeon. It was not SUPER loud, but louder than I expected for sitting about 3 feet away. In normal use, I would expect to be about 2 feet away from the case.

So I decided to have Amazon replace the unit. The 12v rail on this unit per motherboard UEFI was 12.096v idle.

--

The replacement arrived a few days ago. Also v1.1, lot is 1547 — I'm assuming this was manufactured mid-November. I tested it with my components yesterday for many hours. It was quiet with the fan on. No chirping/clicking at all. The ambient temperature was maybe 5°F lower than last week, so that could be a variable. But ambient was around mid upper 80°F last week, and maybe 75°F these past few days.

I tested with all components as above, motherboard+SSD+HDD+GPU; when fan was working I had to lean in and use a flashlight to confirm that it was spinning. Will put in case soon, and hope the PSU stays silent — no sparks or bangs like Elton

Question: What is acceptable 12v rail voltage range? This replacement PSU has a 12v that is reported by the motherboard to be 12.288v idle, when using the GPU the voltage dips to 12.196v — after a few searches, seems the standard is that ±5% variance is tolerated? I think SilverStone's product page says they're spec'd to be ±3%? "Strict ±3% voltage regulation and low ripple & noise" So +3% for 12v is 12.36v — 12.288v is probably within the expected variance? Is there a problem at 12.288v vs the "official" 12.0v? It won't burn out my components, right? I'm probably just being paranoid, since the first "chirpy" unit had a 12v rail that was 12.096v idle.

I'm a first time builder, so I'm not experienced with all this; hopefully I'm interpreting what I'm reading correctly. Please chime in with advice and comments. Thanks.
--
Update: Contacted SilverStone USA Support via email. Was reassured that the 12.288 is well within expected variance, and not expected to be of issue. The higher than "official standard" of 12 volts will not cause any damage over time, as the system only draws what power is needed. Also the dip from 12.288 to 12.196 volts while the GPU is at high usage is normal and expected behavior. So all of my concerns were addressed.
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Probably nothing new nor enlightening for the experienced members of the forum, updated here in case there are other newbies (like myself) looking to better understand their new builds. Cheers.

 

[ionutm80]

Hey I just want to share here my ... unfortunate experience with this PSU from Silverstone.
...

Update 1: Received the Sharkoon SilentStorm SFX ... and man silence has come finally. Even under Furmark load I need to check my computer to see that it is actually running. Very happy with it.