Arctic Cooling Silentium T1

Under the hood

Slide off the side panel and the interior layout confirms our earlier suspicions that the Silentium T1 is not your every day, run-of-the-mill case. In the traditional location of the power supply we found the two 80mm fans we spied from the outside. They are at least Arctic Cooling's special low-noise fans: a combination of low RPM and very steep blade angle gives decent airflow at virtually inaudible noise levels.



So where, then, is the PSU? We found the power lead in the bottom left, along with some curious grilling on the bottom of the case. Following the lead to the front of the case, we found one of the strangest power supplies we have ever encountered. It sports another pair of low-noise 80mm fans - mounted outside the PSU itself - and the exhaust vent is on the underside of the case.

'Investigative journalism' usually involves tapping phones and trawling through dumpsters. Thankfully, in the tech arena, the only tools required are a stiff drink and a screwdriver. Let's get busy.



Minutes later and we have the Seasonic power supply bare on the table. It's a 350W unit, with a claimed peak rating of 450W "for a short time" - we're not sure what use that would be. Normal PSUs are fully enclosed but this innovative design uses the case itself to guard against accidental electrocution. Certainly the fans have the potential of being extremely quiet and airflow should be good - let's get a system inside.