Hardware Review
SilenX iXtrema 450w PSU
PSU these days are very common upgrades for computers. With devices requiring more power, stock PSU may no longer be enough. SilenX had kindly sent us a sample of one of their 450W iXtrema Pro PSUs for review. SilenX has worked on perfecting silent computing since its humble beginnings in 1995. We would like to thank the SilenX team for making this review possible.
With silent computing in mind, SilenX built the iXtrema Pro as silent as possible. The iXtrema Pro’s are modular based PSU using a a second generation SIlenX Powerpipe modular connection to make quick and easy installations. The iXtrema appears to have your standard ratings, which includes a 450w maximum output and dual 12v rails with 12a on each rail. Here's a more detailed specifications for the iXtrema PSU:
| POWER FACTOR | PASSIVE |
| DIMENSIONS | 150X140X86MM |
| INPUT | 95~265V @ 50~60Hz |
| MAX OUTPUT | 450w |
| VOLTAGES | 3.3v=30A,5v=30A,12v1 and 12v2=12A each |
| OVER VOLTAGE PROTECTION | 3.3v/4v 5v/6v 12v/14v |
| OVER POWER PROTECTION | 105~150% max load |
| CONNECTORS | 6 Molex, 2 Floppy, 6 S-ATA, 2 PCI-E SLi/XFire |
Click the image to see it full view...
One thing we immediately noticed with the PSU is its cables and connectors and its cabling system. All the cables are housed in a plastic sleeving. We did find it to be a bit difficult to arrange the cables because of the stiffness of the cables' sleeving. The Molex connectors fit fine on most of our devices. However, the PCI-E connectors are a bit thicker thus creating a tight fit with our X800 Pro in our test system. We did mange to take one of the PCI-E connectors off its housing and re-inserted it to our card.
Internally, the iXtrema uses very good quality parts as well as a 120mm fan to dissipate heat out of the case. We also liked the metallic Titanium finish of the iXtrema. Let's get it on with the testing. Here are the specifications of our test system:
| AMD 64 3700+ |
| ASUS A8N SLI |
| ATI X800 Pro 256MB PCI-E |
| Crucial Ballistix Tracers 4x512 MB DDR 400 |
| 2 x 80 GB Western Digital SATA |
| 16 LG DVD-RW |
| SilenX iXtrema 450w PSU |
Click the image to see it full view...
We testED the iXtrema under idle mode and normal load. We also testED the unit while our system is over clocked and check voltage readings to see how stable the PSU is. 3D Mark 2001 run for thirty minutes on each computer state to see how stable the uniT's voltages. Here are the results.
As you can see from the charts above, the iXtema is fairly stable. We did however were a bit concerned with the 5v rail's dip down 4.92 when our system run 3d Mark while it was over clocked. Regardless, our test system didn't crash and remained relatively stable throughout our testing. The PSU was also very silent throughout our testing.
Overall, we were surprised with the iXtremas's very low acoustics. Performance wise, the PSU held its own and was relatively stable and crash free throughout our test runs. We really did not like how stiff the sleeved cables were, which made arranging the cables a bit tougher. We give the iXtrema Pro PSU a score of 7 out of 10.
Pros:
Very silent acoustics
Relatively stable voltages
Metallic Titanium Finish
Cons:
Modular cables a bit too stiff
Voltages could be better
Low 12v rails, not sure if suitable for SLI or CrossFire setup
Manufacturer Link:
