Power Supply [SFFn] An In Depth Look at Silverstone's Nightjar NJ450-SXL

[confusis]

It's finally here. Silverstone's Nightjar NJ450-SXL, the completely passive 450 Watt SFX-L power supply has arrived. Silverstone gave SFF Network the first look (and I mean first!) at this unit at Computex 2017, and our community has waited with bated breath since then.

The idea of a passive (or even just a silent) SFX power supply has been on our minds for some time. Somewhat satiated by semi-fanless designs, we nonetheless still desired that final step - completely fanless. In all honesty, I expected the first real foray into fanless SFX(-L) would have been a 300W unit at best, but Silverstone has jumped straight to 450 watts - a perfectly adequate capacity for most of the more powerful SFF systems at present.

Let's see how the first contender in this new market segment sets the bar!


A disclaimer first before we get started: SFF Network does not currently possess the expertise or equipment to fully test the electrical performance of PC power supplies, and as such, this article should not serve as the sole data point in determining whether to purchase this product. We’ll be able to contextualize the utility and experience of using this unit with others in the market place, but we’d suggest having our own review supplement those by others who have the hardware and capability to do more thorough analysis of electrical performance, especially at higher wattages.

Read more here.

 

[NYCesquire]

Great review. What's the "restricted the passive airflow" test methodology?

 

[confusis]

@NYCesquire I basically formed a chassis formation on the test bench with case side panels mimicking the worst case (lol) intended chassis - airflow only via front and back of a case, with no extra fans.

 

[LocoMoto]

Oh my... Quite something

 

[jtd871]

~$190
If you thought the Corsair SF450 was pricey...then true silence is indeed golden (but mostly black ).

 

[OneDollarWilliam]

It obviously doesn't effect the quality of the unit, but actual nightjars (a kind of weird looking small bird) are also called "goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk tale that they sucked the milk from goats" I think Silverstone should lean into that and if they ever come out with a higher wattage model: *NEW* The Silverstone Goatsucker SFX750-GS

I mean, it's no worse than "ThreadRipper"

 

[jack1940]

I think SFX-L 800W should be coming too

And I think we will probably see the SFX power of 700W next year.

 

[Mackan]

What would the 40C maximum operating temperature mean for this unit? Would it be the temperature of the outer aluminium shell?

 

[comagoosie]

Hopefully this is just a beginning! One soon won't need to compromise on size, noise, or power!

Seasonic just needs respond with their own fanless sfx(-l)

 

[rfarmer]

Hopefully this is just a beginning! One soon won't need to compromise on size, noise, or power!

Seasonic just needs respond with their own fanless sfx(-l)

Considering Seasonic finally released a SFX-L I think that is a real possibility.

 

[Biowarejak]

Great review, might have to pick one of these up sometime

 

[confusis]

What would the 40C maximum operating temperature mean for this unit? Would it be the temperature of the outer aluminium shell?

It's the chassis ambient temperature (and the shell) before the power supply derates itself as the temperature increases.

 

[SilverStone]

We've just updated our NJ450-SXL page with a new power vs. temperature graph. Someone had asked if this PSU could operate at 45C, the answer was yes, but it'll derate to 400W.

https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=797

 

[Biowarejak]

We've just updated our NJ450-SXL page with a new power vs. temperature graph. Someone had asked if this PSU could operate at 45C, the answer was yes, but it'll derate to 400W.

https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=797

Love to see you have a presence here! Very good info, too

 

[Kooki]

What the actual hell: "(...) and then aimed a hot air gun at the power supply."

Don't break new toys so fast please. :v

I live in a relatively warm area, I wonder if this would fulfill my needs without issues.

 

[confusis]

@Kooki I break it/tear it down/etc so you don't have to

 

[MarcParis]

Question is : will this SFX 450W fanless handle flawlessly my ryzen 1700X and GTX 1080 ti Overclocked...

From wall, I guess my max consumption was 500W..I should be inside maximum output of this SFX L450W..

 

[Phuncz]

Running so close to the limit might be a problem, as the Corsair SF600 already has a good efficiency. So 450W internally will not be enough. Also, wall power consumption meters often don't register short spikes that might trip the PSU's OCP. Even if it works, adding a single fan might trip it too.

 

[MarcParis]

Running so close to the limit might be a problem, as the Corsair SF600 already has a good efficiency. So 450W internally will not be enough. Also, wall power consumption meters often don't register short spikes that might trip the PSU's OCP. Even if it works, adding a single fan might trip it too.

adding a fan to a fanless psu is a ...non sense, no?..

For now I can't complain versus my sx800 lti..

 

[Mackan]

It's the chassis ambient temperature (and the shell) before the power supply derates itself as the temperature increases.

Thanks. I understand it can be seen as the ambient temperature, but it has always been a bit confusing to me. For a ventilated PSU I assume it would actually be the air temperature surrounding the so called thermistor inside the PSU? Not sure where these thermistors are usually placed, perhaps directly to the shell.

It seems to me that the NJ450 could struggle to keep below 40C in SFF cases like Dan A4, where the PSU is basically surrounded by hot air components without real fresh case air flow.