Build Quality
As we already know the SilverStone NJ600 features a fanless design. Normally, quiet power supplies utilize 120mm or larger overhead fans which have come to be the preferred standard for quiet cooling environments due to the ability to move a larger volume of air at slower speeds than a smaller diameter fan. However, the SilverStone NJ600 eschews a fan altogether for the ultimately in quiet cooling form factor. While this is great for quiet computing environments the key criteria in our evaluation is whether or not the cooling solution is sufficient, not necessary it’s sound level or form factor.
External Build Quality
The external build quality of the SilverStone NJ600 differs from what we see from a lot of power supplies in one immediate way; this unit is silver as opposed to black and that is a nice change of pace. Oddly, though, the application of SilverStone branding to this housing is incomplete as when we look at the top of the housing we see where the outline for the PRIME logo still exists from when this housing is used by Seasonic. Also, no SilverStone branding has been applied in the middle of our beautiful silver housing which is odd. Moving on, this unit is fanless and, as such, the housing is heavily perforated. The hexagonal mesh that makes up the housing of the SilverStone NJ600 covers all of the facets of the unit save for the bottom and a small portion of the front where the cables connect to the unit.
The SilverStone NJ600 comes in at a total length of ~6 3/4 inches while the cables come in at a length of ~16″ to 25″ to the first or only connector. Additionally, the cables are all the FlexForce style cables. Interestingly, there are not capacitors on the cables here which differs from the base Seasonic model.
Internal Build Quality
Once we open the top of the SilverStone NJ600, we see a unit that is based off of the Seasonic PRIME 600 Titanium Fanless platform. As such, the topology is a full bridge resonant LLC primary and a secondary where we have synchronous rectification with DC-DC VRMs for the minor rails. The heatsink layout is also common between these units and, when we look at the back of PCB, we see the 12v MOSFETs here using the housing as an addition heatsink once more. Overall, the soldering is very neat as Seasonic/SilverStone has done an excellent job with this aspect of the units build quality once more.
On the primary side, the SilverStone NJ600 input filtering begins up on the housing itself with a PCB in a metal housing (but not a self-contained can). This housing contains X capacitors, Y capacitors, and a coil. The input filtering then trails onto the main PCB where we find that it is complete. The bridge rectifiers are found next sandwiching an aluminum heatsink. As we move around to the primary side proper, we find a coil along followed by the APFC power components on a heatsink. Behind this heatsink, we find the main input capacitors which are provided by Nippon Chemi-con. These capacitors are slightly different as one is rated at 400v 390uF 105C and the other is rated at 400v 470uF 105C. Between these capacitors and the APFC coil, we see the main switchers attached to the heatsink towards the center of the PCB.
Moving over to the “secondary side,” we see a large heatsink which is actually two heatsinks bridged by a screwed in aluminum piece and this is used for helping to cool the 12v MOSFETS that are on the rear of the main PCB (these components also use the case housing as part of the overall cooling scheme). As before, the secondary topology features synchronous rectification with DC-DC VRMs. Instead of finding these VRMs on an add-in PCB we find them up on the modular PCB. Next, the standard capacitors come to us from Nippon Chemi-con while the solid capacitors come to us from Nippon Chemi-con and FPCAP. Moving on to the modular PCB, we see the modular connectors as well as the DC-DC VRMs for the minor rails and a heatsink on the rear for them. The capacitors we find populating this very clean PCB are solid capacitors from FPCAP.
Build Quality Summary
Today’s SilverStone NJ600 is based on the same PRIME derived platform used in Seasonic’s own PRIME 600 Titanium Fanless. The overall build quality of this unit is excellent with the only things to quibble about being found in some of the subjective appearances department as SilverStone seems to have dropped the ball a small bit on the branding of this unit. If we skip that though, and move to the interior build quality, we again see a modern design that is extremely well executed with excellent attention to detail in all aspects. The component selection is again well matched to this integration effort as we see Nippon Chemi-con (solid and standard) and FPCAP (solid) capacitors today. So, things look excellent to start the day off with. Let’s move on now to the load tests and see how this unit does there!