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The power supply market has always been fiercely competitive, with PC Power & Cooling always remaining a solid staple for nearly two decades. If you have built any systems in that wide range chances are good you have heard of PC P&C, who partner with OCZ Technology to bring their PSUs to light.
The prime example is the Silencer series, which has and continues to be a huge hit for the two companies. After a lengthy hiatus, the Silencer family gets a new addition in the Silencer Mk III, which aside from other innovations, brings the series to the modular era.
Compared to previous Silencer lines, the Mk III division is also going one step ahead by offering a broader array of wattages and efficiency ratings. Ranging from 400W to 1200W, the lower-end models from 400W to 600W are 80 PLUS Bronze certified; the high-end 750W and 850W flavours are 80 PLUS Gold certified, and the extreme 1200W model sports the 80 PLUS Platinum rating.
Technology X will be reviewing the OCZ x PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III 850W PSU, which at $150 provides a solid seven-year warranty and more than adequate power output. While not completely passive, the fan-equipped MK III tries to live up to its name and provide noiseless top-notch performance while remaining proficient in the process.
SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
As we can see these are some pretty solid specs. Key facts to note include the exceptional seven-year warranty (matching Corsair), the 80 PLUS Gold certified rating guaranteeing up to 90% efficiency, and the dimensions that may be too large for some mini/midi chassis, but will be compatible for standard ATX and XL-ATX cases. Of course we also have the 140 mm double ball-bearing cooling fan ideal for longevity and a perfect choice for a non-passive PSU with such a lengthy warranty perioid.
A 70A single +12V rail is more than enough for most rigs and has enough juice to power a plethora of devices, such as two or more GPUs. Keeping that in mind, the Silencer Mk III 850W comes SLI/CrossFire ready for both nVIDIA and AMD graphics cards.
