As we mentioned in previous articles and reviews, the first place we look when opening a power supply for a hint about its quality is its filtering stage. The recommended components for this stage are two ferrite coils, two ceramic capacitors (Y capacitors, usually blue), one metalized polyester capacitor (X capacitor), and one MOV (Metal-Oxide Varistor). Very low-end power supplies use fewer components, usually removing the MOV and the first coil. 

This power supply is flawless in this stage, with two Y capacitors and three X capacitors, more than the minimum required, plus one X capacitor after the rectifying bridge.

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Figure 8: Transient filtering stage (part 1).

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Figure 9: Transient filtering stage (part 2).

Now let’s have a more detailed discussion about the components in the Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 800 W.