Silverstone SST-ST30NF Review

There is a group of HTPC users who want the best of the best and don't mind paying to get it. In the HTPC world the best of the best includes items that will run in dead silence and perform just as well as any noisy version of the same item. Many people outside the HTPC world don't understand why dead silence is one of the key items to our systems success, however after having a "noisy" pc in the living room for more than 48 hours, any "better half" will let you know they want it gone. So with this in mind we are taking a look at Silverstone's latest PSU to the market, the SST-ST30NF. This unit features a Heat Pipe to move heat from the components of the PSU to the rear of the unit where hopefully the ambient air around the PSU will remove it. There is no fan to push (or pull) out the air and in low air movement environments like HTPC's, this may or may not be a good thing. The theory behind this PSU seems to work... In Theory. The question is, when shooting at it with some power hungry items, will it hold up? At a price tag of approx. $150 on the net, this PSU had better live up to it's claims and then some!