Introduction

We would like to thank SilentiumPC for supplying the review sample.

SilentiumPC is a relatively new company located in Poland. They enrolled into silent PC cases, cooling solutions, and power supplies. According to their "About us" page, they don’t exercise aggressive marketing techniques to spend money on further developing their products instead of on banners and slogans. They also take user feedback during the product's development process quite seriously to ensure users get exactly what they need and crave.

The company released their first PSU series called Deus in 2012 and currently offers five PSU models, including the Vero L1 500 W, a mainstream PSU. Their newest offering is the Supremo M1-700, and it will be the main subject of today’s review. The Supremo features 80 Plus Platinum efficiency and has its fan operate in semi-passive mode to be as quiet as possible at low loads. It also uses a semi-modular cabling design and our tests show the unit to truly be a Platinum PSU since it registered very high efficiency scores that easily meet the very tough competition in this category. It is definitely good to also see new companies enter the PSU market since it increases choice and creates competition, which inevitably lowers prices.

Specifications

Efficiency is Platinum and the unit uses several native and modular cables. It is also equipped with all available protection features and utilizes a semi-passive operation where the fan doesn't spin up at low loads, which results in a dead-silent unit until the load picks up. The Supremo is also Haswell ready since it uses DC-DC converters to generate the minor rails.

Dimensions are normal for a 700 W PSU, and the same applies to its weight. However, the warranty looks short for a premium unit and should at least be five years long. Its price is also on the high side since Platinum PSUs are still expensive. The Supremo PSU ultimately looks really good on papers and we are anxious to figure out how it performs by putting it on our test bench and running it through our tests.

The single +12V rail is powerful enough since it can deliver up to 58 A, and the same applies to the minor rails which can deliver up to 120 W combined. The 5VSB rail is a little stronger than the average.

Cables & Connectors, Power Distribution

This PSU has two EPS connectors, which is as it should be since its capacity is 700 W, and comes with four PCIe connectors, an adequate number for a mid-capacity PSU that can easily support two strong VGAs with two PCIe sockets each. The Supremo M1 comes with a ton of SATA connectors, which is unusual for units of similar capacity. There are also enough Molex connectors to cover most situations.

All connectors are installed on cables that are long enough, including the main ATX and the first EPS cables that can give extra-large cables the hardest time. The modular cables are flat and stealth, making cable management tasks much easier, while nearly all native cables are pretty rigid, which will make cable routing difficult. The reason behind their decreased flexibility is the use of thicker 16AWG gauges for lower voltage drops at higher loads; the modular and native PCIe cables use standard 18AWG wires.

We have nothing to comment on when it comes to the PSU's power distribution because it features a single +12V rail.

Packaging

The retail box wasn't ready because we got our sample a little too early, so SilentiumPC shipped the Supremo without one. However, they provided us with a rendering we can show you. The face of the box comes with an image of the PUS and a large 80 Plus Platinum badge, and several icons also describe and list the unit's most important features. These include its Japanese caps, the four PCI-e connectors, the DC-DC converters for the minor rails, and the T-SEC technology that engages the fan for a bit after your system has shut down to remove any residual heat inside the PSU.


The second modular PCIe cable was unfortunately missing, which won't influence our measurements noticeably.

Exterior

This PSU features a black, nearly glossy finish of fair quality. However, we prefer a matte surface that is more scratch resistant for high-end models. The on/off switch is right next to the AC receptacle at the front, and both sides sport two plain decals that depict the unit's model number. SilentiumPC should use nicer decals since these look pretty poor for a PSU of this price tag.


A grommet protects the native cables pouring out through the rear, and the modular panel doesn't have many sockets. We would like to see less native cables and more modular sockets.


The specifications label is installed on the bottom of the PSU.


The PSU is pretty compact, but its non-stealth, rigid native cables spoil the whole picture a bit. We believe that expensive PSUs should be fully modular to allow for effortless installation and cable managment.


Two out of the three native cables are round and not stealth, while the third cable, a PCIe cable, is both flat and stealth—what a strange mixture.


All modular cables are thankfully flat and stealth.