Although it uses the exact same platform as Seasonic's Platinum 1050 W unit with model number SS-1050XP3, the Snow Silent edition is somehow quieter and a bit more efficient. Its load regulation is even a bit tighter on all rails. Either its white paint-job gave it a performance boost or Seasonic made some changes to fine-tune the platform to outperform its greyish colored sibling. With both units costing exactly the same, the choice is obvious unless you hate the white color. The Snow Silent unit looks awesome, but I bet most of you will appreciate its significantly lower noise output, which is due to its new FDB fan and relaxed fan profile. Seasonic's fine engineers thankfully realized that users nowadays value both great performance and a quiet operation, and the truth is that noisy PSUs don't stand a good chance against the competition's incredibly quiet high-performance products. Minor component changes have Seasonic deliver a product offering what the SS-1050XP3 should have offered in the first place; however at least they realized what people are looking for soon enough to hopefully keep on heading down that road in the future. Ball-bearing fans surely are good, but FDB ones are much better, and their noise output remains stable throughout time, which definitely makes them preferable since a silent operation is very importance. I now expect Seasonic to take the big step by using 140 mm fans instead of the smaller 120 mm ones that are generally noisier. They state that smaller fans focus airflow more efficiently, which makes them more efficient choices for their platforms, and there is truth in it, but we are talking about highly efficient platforms with restricted energy losses here, so a 140 mm fan would do just as well by offering the same amount of airflow at lower RPMs and, thus, less noise.

The new Snow Silent Seasonic unit is exactly what its name implies: white and silent. I fancy its looks very much because I have a white case with a side window, which makes replacing my current PSU with this one a tempting thought. I just wish I had more time to perform such an upgrade, but that is another story. With its price exactly the same as the SS-1050XP3, I strongly believe that Seasonic crippled the sales of the latter as it should cost at least 10-20 bucks less given it uses an inferior fan. You should definitely take a look at this one if you need an incredibly well-performing white PSU of good build quality and stunning looks.