Cooler Master's new X Silent family of PSUs promise high wattage without the high noise

Cooler Master X Silent Edge PSUs
(Image credit: Cooler Master)

As power requirements grow ever higher for powerful gaming components, so too does the wattage of the PSUs built to feed them. However, more power often means more heat, more fans, and potentially more distracting fan noise. Cooler Master seems keen to buck that trend with the announcement of its X Silent family of PSUs, two of which use no fans at all.

Both the Cooler Master X Silent Edge Platinum 850W and 1100W models make use of passive cooling through the integration of heatpipes built in to the aluminium casing, something Cooler Master refers to as "an innovative modularized thermal structure" (via Tom's Hardware), which is a fancy way of saying that the PSU case itself cools the heavy duty internals within. 

This eliminates the need for a fan entirely which should mean that these PSUs run completely silently, making them a perfect fit for environments where fan noise could be distracting, like a home theatre setup, or indoor zen garden. 

Okay, maybe just the first one.

Still, blending the heatpipes right into the thick aluminium casing strikes as an interesting solution to heat-dissipation, although looking at the photos it's clear that the X Silent Edge PSUs are also making use of some pretty serious venting, so it's likely that they'll need some serious case clearance for airflow to deliver their full cooling potential. 

A noisy PSU can be massively distracting particularly if you've made the effort to quieten down the rest of your system, so a completely silent yet powerful solution makes a whole lot of sense for those looking to combine high-end hardware with a zen-like ambience.

Even more powerful still is the X Silent Max Platinum 1300W PSU, which makes use of one of Cooler Master's really-very-quiet-indeed Mobius fans to ensure it runs cool and serene. The fan maintains a sub-20db ambient noise output while also making use of a zero-RPM mode, so unless you're pushing your system it should remain passively cooled right up until the moment it needs some extra air.

Your next upgrade

Nvidia RTX 4070 and RTX 3080 Founders Edition graphics cards

(Image credit: Future)

Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD.
Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.
Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.
Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest.

All of the X Silent range of PSUs will feature an 80 Plus Platinum efficiency certification and a 15 year warranty, which should give some reassurance as to the longevity of a passively cooled high wattage PSU design. Pricing and availability is yet to be confirmed.

Super quiet components might not be at the top of your priority list when you're putting together a build, but as anyone who's made the mistake of buying an overly-noisy component will tell you, high levels of background noise get old fast. A silent or near-silent PSU may well be the last piece in the puzzle for a blissfully quiet PC experience, and if these new units live up to expectations they look set to deliver a little bit of peace and calm to the hubbub of daily modern life. 

All together now: Ahhhhh.

_____________________________________
PC Gamer's CES 2024 coverage is being published in association with Asus Republic of Gamers.

Andy Edser
Hardware Writer

Andy built his first gaming PC at the tender age of 12, when IDE cables were a thing and high resolution wasn't—and he hasn't stopped since. Now working as a hardware writer for PC Gamer, Andy's been jumping around the world attending product launches and trade shows, all the while reviewing every bit of PC hardware he can get his hands on. You name it, if it's interesting hardware he'll write words about it, with opinions and everything.

Read more
Monster Hunter Wilds official art
A match made in heaven: Buy a 1600 W MSI power supply and get Monster Hunter Wilds for free
Two of the best PC fans side by side on a blue background
Best PC fans in 2025: I've put these case fans through their paces to find the coolest and quietest
Be Quiet and Noctua CPU air coolers on an orange background with the PC Gamer Recommends badge in the upper right hand side.
Best air cooler for CPUs in 2025: keep your processor chilled with one of these budget-friendly and capable coolers
Two Thermaltake PSUs on show at CES 2025, one very large and the other very small.
Thermaltake's new 2000 W PSU is too powerful to be sold in the USA and comes with four PCIe 5.0 GPU power connectors
A Be Quiet! cooler installed on a motherboard inside a gaming PC.
Air coolers are still cool
An air cooler from Noctua and a liquid cooler from Arctic on a blue background with the PC Gamer Recommended badge in the upper right.
Best CPU coolers in 2025: I've loaded liquid and air coolers onto today's top processors and these are my favorites
Latest in Hardware
A woman wearing a VR headset with dramatic, colourful lighting across the background
'World’s smallest LEDs' could lead to accurately lit screens with 127,000 pixels per inch and much more immersive VR
The NES themed 8BitDo Retro mechanical gaming keyboard on a blue background
I love the 8BitDo Retro C64 keyboard but I'd pick its cheaper NES-themed model near its lowest price ever during Amazon's Big Spring Sale
The snazzy red and black HyperX Cloud Alpha wireless headphones float in a teal void. The microphone is attached to the headset.
The best wireless gaming headset is now even better in the Amazon Big Spring Sale, boasting a more than $50 discount
A chip being held up in an Intel fab
Intel is reportedly 'working to finalize commitments from Nvidia' as a foundry partner, suggesting gaming potential for the 18A node
Amazon box
Don't panic! The 'Do Not Send Voice Recordings' option Amazon just removed was only used by 0.03% of customers and they can still have it
Digital generated image of people surrounded by interactive transparent and glowing panels with data. Visualising smart technology, blockchain and artificial intelligence
Now I shall demand the cookies! Proposed new browsing agreement turns the tables and lets users dictate terms to websites
Latest in News
Image of Ronaldo from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves trailer
It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened
Junah beginning a battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Today's RPG fans are 'very sensitive to feeling like they wasted time' when they die, says Metaphor: ReFantazio battle planner—but Atlus still made combat hard anyway
Image of Cersei Lanniser from Game of Thrones: Kingsroad Steam early access trailer
A new Game of Thrones RPG is coming to Steam today with a cast of 'familiar faces,' which is good because it's really the only way to tell it's a GoT game at all
The new Prime Asset featured in the upcoming update for the Outlast Trials.
The Outlast Trials puts its already paranoid players under surveillance for a time-limited story event
A Viera looking confused in Final Fantasy 14.
Old armor continues to fall victim to Final Fantasy 14's bizarre two-channel dye system, unless you're super into changing the colour of teeny-tiny eyelets: 'Why even bother at this point?'
Starfield: Shattered Space
By the time Bethesda was on Starfield, you'd 'basically get in trouble' for breaking schedule, says former dev: 'A lot of the great stuff within Skyrim came from having the freedom to do what you want'