Antec TruePower New TP-750

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7. FAN, FAN CONTROLLER and NOISE

The fan controller does a nice job of balancing noise with cooling. The RPM was not closely monitored, but judging from the SPL measurements, the fan controller has a good number of speed levels from minimum to maximum.

At minimum load , the fan spins at somewhere a bit below 400 RPM, according to our calibrated strobe. This is similar to the fan in the Enermax Modu/Pro87+ 500, which measured a hair lower, both in SPL and RPM. The noise level of the TP-750 is low enough up to ~200W load to be a non-factor in almost any PC with other moving parts. It's difficult to hear even from very close up. Even up to somewhere over 300W, it is still quiet enough that other cooling fans (such as the one for the video card) are probably going to making more noise — given the cooling needed for the components if they are demanding that much power. By 400W, the noise is plainly audible, but this is hardly unusual or unexpected. If such power is being delivered to them. other components in most systems will be screaming for cooling airflow, too.

The quality of the noise is moot until beyond 300W when it becomes more obvious. There is some electronic buzzing and humming, but these sounds are audible only from very close up. The fan noise is quite smooth, mostly broadband with minimal tonal elements. Overall, it's a relatively benign noise until >300W load is reached.

12 dBA@1m at under 200W. There's very little difference between the ambient (red line) and when the PSU is on. A bit of very high pitched electronic whine can be seen at ~15kHz; this was at too low a level to be audible. The overall sound was a muted whispering , as if two sheets of paper were being softly rubbed together. 14 dBA@1m at 200W. The fan noise is clearly visible, mostly concentrated between 150 and 700 Hz. There's a touch of hum around 200 Hz. Above 1,000 Hz, there is virtually no noise. 18 dBA@1m at 300W. Most of the noise is between 100 Hz and 1.5 kHz. There's very little tonality and no high frequency noise.

Noise in a Cooler Case

One thing we've been examining is how the power supply performs outside the tough thermal conditions of our standard test. The recent popularity of cases that isolate the power supply from the rest of the system make this a relevant question, as the cooler intake air allows the fan to run slower and quieter. We examine this by running some of the high load tests with the power supply in free air, away from the tough thermal conditions of the hot-box.

Outside the hotbox, the fan's increase in speed occurred at a higher power level, and its rate of increase was lower. This suggests that in a case with isolated external intake vent for the PSU, the TP-750 would remain inaudible to well over 300W load. This actually covers the vast majority of PCs, including DIY gaming rigs.

Antec TP-750 SPL: In Hot Box vs. Out
Power load	90W	150W	200W	250W	300W	400W	500W	500W
in hot box	12	12	14	14	18	33	40	40
out	12	12	12	14	15	27	31	40
Measurements are in dBA@1m

COMPARISONS

The comparison table below shows the SPL versus Power Load data on all the PSUs tested in the anechoic chamber thus far. It's difficult to rank them, as the measured SPL varies with power load. The units which are quietest at minimum load are not always the quietest at midload (100W~300W), which may make them louder in actual use. Then there's the noise level at 400W and up, which will determine the quietest PSUs for high power gaming rigs, during actual gaming.

The Antec TP-750 falls in the middle of the pack, which is pretty good because it is in very quiet company. At the <200W power loads, the TP-750 stands within a decible or two with the quietest PSUs around. In fact, it stands up well even at 300W where it is much closer to the quietest of the bunch than the noisiest. By 400W, it climbs beyond our 30 dBA@1m "too loud" mark, but it's hardly any different from such celebrated performers as the Seasonic X-650 or the Antec Signature 650.

PSU Noise (dBA@1m) vs. Power in Hotbox/Anechoic Chamber
Model	90W	150W	200W	250W	300W	400W	500W	6-700W	850W
Seasonic X-400 Fanless	il*	il	il	il	il	il	n/a	n/a	n/a
Enermax Modu/Pro87+ 500	11	11	11	11	14	20	23	n/a	n/a
Seasonic X-650	<10	11	12	14	16	31	31	32	n/a
Nexus Value 430	11	11	16	18	18	19	n/a	n/a	n/a
Nexus NX-5000	11	11	12	14	22	24	25	n/a	n/a
Antec CP-850	12	12	12	14	14	26	40	44	45
Enermax Eco80+ 500W	<11	12	16	19	26	32	33	n/a	n/a
Seasonic M12D 850W	14	14	14	14	14	24	37	42	42
Enermax Modu82+ 625*	13	13	14	15	16	26	36	37	n/a
Antec TP-750	12	12	14	14	18	33	40	40	n/a
Coolermaster M700W	14	14	18	21	25	27	34	34	n/a
Chill Innovation CP-700M	15	15	15	15	17	30	34	34	n/a
Antec Signature 650	15	15	15	18	18	28	36	47	n/a
SilverStone DA700	18	18	18	18	23	32	35	41	n/a
Nexus RX-8500	14	14	17	22	28	32	32	33	33
NesteQ ECS7001	22	22	22	21	23	25	36	37	n/a
PCPC Silencer 610	20	24	24	24	24	30	40	50	n/a

Caution: Please keep in mind that the data in the above table is specific to the conditions of our test setup. Change the cooling configuration, the ambient temperature and any number of other factors, and you could change the point at which the fans start speeding up, as well as the rate of the rise in speed. The baseline SPL is accurate, however, probably to within 1 dBA.

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