Introduction

We would like to thank PC Power & Cooling for supplying the review sample.

Every company out there has to adapt to new technologies and market trends if they want to survive the harsh competition. So PC Power & Cooling decided that it was time for some drastic changes into their products since the technology in PSU manufacturing has highly advanced and some problems of the past are long solved. Teaming with Seasonic again, they released the new Silencer MK III series which has three members with capacities ranging from 400W to 600W. In a previous review we tested the MK3S600 and awarded it with a TPU recommendation. Now it’s time for the smaller MK3S400 to prove its worth.

The white painted MK3S400 is 80 PLUS Bronze certified, has a top mounted 120 mm fan, utilizes a semi-modular cabling design, is backed by a five year warranty and can deliver its maximum power continuously even at 50°C, something that we will definitely check during our tests. The price of the MK3S400 isn’t among the lowest we have seen in this category so it must score pretty high in our tests in order to achieve a good Performance per Dollar ratio and be competitive. Currently there is a mail in rebate running for all Silencer MKIII units which lowers their prices by $20, but as we all know MIRs are not permanent and on top of that you have to pay the full price in advance and you get your money back later. However we shouldn’t complain when a company offers lower prices even in the form of MIRs, especially in these hard times.

Specifications

Efficiency is merely 80 PLUS Bronze to keep cost down, the unit can deliver its full power even at 50C and the ball-bearings fan along with the five year warranty will ensure your long piece of mind. The dimensions of the unit are not super small, taking into account its capacity, but normal. Nevertheless since they are the standard ones the PSU will be compatible with every normal chassis out there. Finally the price (at the time of the review) is on the high side for a 400W unit, but if you want quality components you have to pay the price.


There is only one +12V rail which can deliver up to 30A. The minor rails have a combined max power of 130W, so they are pretty stong compared to the total max capacity. However in a contemporary system you won't ever need such high power from the minors. Finally the 5VSB rail has the minimum allowed power, for nowaday's standards, 2.5A.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

The small capacity inevitably leads to single EPS and PCIe connectors. The number of peripheral and SATA connectors is sufficient and can easily support a low-to-midrange system. The length of the 24pin ATX cable is 50 mm shorter than the optimum and the distance among peripheral connectors is 30 mm shorter than what ATX spec recommends (150 mm). Finally all connectors use 18AWG wires, so no complaints here.

Since this PSU features a single +12V rail we do not have anything to comment about its power distribution.

Packaging

White dominates the packaging. On the front we find a transparent angled photo of the PSU and the series description along with the capacity are highlighted in big fonts. On the front bottom right corner there are two badges for the five year warranty and the Bronze efficiency. As usual in the rear side of the box we find much more detailed info about the unit's technical characteristics and features. Finally on one of the two sides there is a useful illustration showing all cables/connectors along with their lengths.