Nexus Value 430 PSU: Affordable Silence

Want to talk about one of the articles in SPCR? Here's the forum for you.
zhell
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:54 am
Location: Zurich

Post by zhell » Sat Aug 22, 2009 2:27 pm

Monkeh16 wrote: I don't see how it can be a software problem, but if the machine boots from S5 it should boot from S3 too. It could easily be the board (DP35DPs are good boards, but.. far from perfect).
Thanks. I agree that it is really strange that the PSU turns on from S5 but not S3. However, I think the board does all it can, by pulling PS_ON# to ground. This is exactly what it is supposed to do and in S5 it works; yet in S3 it doesn't.

Monkeh16
Posts: 507
Joined: Sun May 04, 2008 2:57 pm
Location: England

Post by Monkeh16 » Sat Aug 22, 2009 4:12 pm

It's possible it's pulling far too much current from +5VSB when booting from S3 and causing the PSU to shut off.

zhell
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:54 am
Location: Zurich

Post by zhell » Sat Aug 22, 2009 4:38 pm

Monkeh16 wrote:It's possible it's pulling far too much current from +5VSB when booting from S3 and causing the PSU to shut off.
Agreed, but I cannot remove the last DIMM module, and I did remove ALL USB devices. Moreover, the voltage on +5VSB is 4.95V, which indicates to me that it's not overloaded, and this voltage does not change at all when I press the power button. The only thing that changes is that PS_ON# goes to 0V immediately. The fan of the PSU does not move at all.

NeilBlanchard
Moderator
Posts: 7681
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2002 7:11 pm
Location: Maynard, MA, Eaarth
Contact:

Post by NeilBlanchard » Sat Aug 22, 2009 4:44 pm

Hi,

Did you test the PSU with a wire in the green pin? Sometimes this "stretches" the contact sleeve enough to keep it from making consistent contact.

zhell
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:54 am
Location: Zurich

Post by zhell » Sat Aug 22, 2009 4:57 pm

NeilBlanchard wrote:Did you test the PSU with a wire in the green pin? Sometimes this "stretches" the contact sleeve enough to keep it from making consistent contact.
Thanks for your hint. I did push a wire into the ATX connector's green and black pins and the voltage goes from 3.8 to 0V when I press the power button during S3. So the green wire MUST be making contact with the mainboard, otherwise it would not transition to 0V.

I'd be interested to hear from other users (or SPCR) if they had any issues with S3.

DaveLessnau
Posts: 192
Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 7:01 am
Location: USA

Post by DaveLessnau » Fri Aug 28, 2009 5:15 am

zhell,

Just to let you know, I bought a Nexus Value 430 for another computer I built and have no problems with it. It boots fine and goes into and out of S3 sleep mode without problem. I don't have any of your measuring tools, but the voltage number I get from HWMonitor are:

ATX +3.3V = 3.33V
ATX +5V = 5.00V
ATX +12V = 12.06V

zhell
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:54 am
Location: Zurich

Post by zhell » Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:30 am

Thanks Dave, good to know, I appreciate your feedback.

Nexus let me know they also have a PSU waking up just fine in a test machine. I think it is some incompatibility between my machine and the PSU.
If I get around to do it, I'll try and take some current measurements to see if any component is drawing too much power during S3.

sampo
Posts: 41
Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:56 am
Location: Finland

Post by sampo » Thu Sep 24, 2009 5:14 am

Nexus seems to have new 530W version of this PSU, Nexus NX-5000 R3. Preorder price is similar to 430 value here in Finland.

http://www.nexustek.nl/Nexus_NX-5000_Qu ... y_530W.htm

Can we expect SPCR review of this unit?

zhell
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:54 am
Location: Zurich

Post by zhell » Thu Sep 24, 2009 8:09 am

Monkeh16 wrote:It's possible it's pulling far too much current from +5VSB when booting from S3 and causing the PSU to shut off.
I have measured the current during S3: It is 1.1A, hence well within the specified 2.5A of the PSU.

whispercat
Posts: 376
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 6:05 pm
Location: Calgary, AB, Canada

Post by whispercat » Thu Sep 24, 2009 4:14 pm

Could it possibly be just an incompatibility with the Intel board?

confusion
Posts: 56
Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2003 10:06 am

Post by confusion » Thu Sep 24, 2009 9:13 pm

Have you also reported the problem to Intel?

Reading over the Release Notes for the latest BIOS 0572 I see that they have fixed various issues relating to S3 in this and previous BIOS releases, so it's certainly possible there are more issues not yet addressed.

I have an Intel DP43TF, and resume from S5 didn't work for me with the original BIOS that came on the board, but an update fixed the issue.

Monkeh16
Posts: 507
Joined: Sun May 04, 2008 2:57 pm
Location: England

Post by Monkeh16 » Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:22 am

zhell wrote:
Monkeh16 wrote:It's possible it's pulling far too much current from +5VSB when booting from S3 and causing the PSU to shut off.
I have measured the current during S3: It is 1.1A, hence well within the specified 2.5A of the PSU.
During S3, but what about the draw when resuming?

sonic6k
Posts: 101
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:59 am
Location: Home

Post by sonic6k » Sat Sep 26, 2009 2:20 am

Hello!

I bought this Nexus VALUE 430, but am afraid I have a bad unit. Voltages are fine, system boots up perfectly and gets in and out of S3 without hassle. What is making me skeptical is that a kind of "burnt electronics" scent comes out of the PSU. I've had the Nexus only three days now, and this scent is quite strong. Is this normal? Do all PSUs have this and should I be worried?

Thanks!

zhell
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:54 am
Location: Zurich

Post by zhell » Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:53 am

whispercat wrote:Could it possibly be just an incompatibility with the Intel board?
It looks like an incompatibility, yes, question is: which part is at fault. My bet is on the PSU because the board works with two other PSUs and also because Intel developed the ATX specs :-)

zhell
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:54 am
Location: Zurich

Post by zhell » Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:55 am

confusion wrote:Have you also reported the problem to Intel?

Reading over the Release Notes for the latest BIOS 0572 I see that they have fixed various issues relating to S3 in this and previous BIOS releases, so it's certainly possible there are more issues not yet addressed.

I have an Intel DP43TF, and resume from S5 didn't work for me with the original BIOS that came on the board, but an update fixed the issue.
BIOS might be part of the issue, I have tried several, including the latest versions and it made no difference at all.

zhell
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 8:54 am
Location: Zurich

Post by zhell » Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:02 am

Monkeh16 wrote:
zhell wrote:
Monkeh16 wrote:It's possible it's pulling far too much current from +5VSB when booting from S3 and causing the PSU to shut off.
I have measured the current during S3: It is 1.1A, hence well within the specified 2.5A of the PSU.
During S3, but what about the draw when resuming?
It does not even begin to resume. And if I put the machine into S3, then short circuit PS_ON# to GND, it does not turn on either.
Even if I put the machine into S3, then short circuit PS_ON# to GND, then completely disconnect the PSU (while keeping PS_ON# connected to GND), the PSU does not turn on either. Only when I then briefly release PS_ON#, then pull it back down, it turns on.

This leads me to conclude that the PSU detects some problem during S3 and decides not to turn on any more -- n no matter if the problem persists or not.

sampo
Posts: 41
Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:56 am
Location: Finland

Post by sampo » Fri Oct 02, 2009 9:09 am

I just received my Nexus Value. It's a clear improvement over my older Antec EW with scythe fan mod, but I can still hear it from one meter distance. I would say that the noise character is nice unless you put your ear right next to the psu. I don't currently have anything in my computer that could stress the power supply, but if it won't ramp up considerably under 200W load, I'm happy. This might not be the right choice for extreme silencers, but if you have even single fan running in your computer, going with passive unit won't be worth it.

Edit: Is the fan supposed to make a ticking sound?

alanoo
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 7:26 am
Location: Paris

Post by alanoo » Tue Nov 17, 2009 7:39 am

sampo wrote:I just received my Nexus Value. It's a clear improvement over my older Antec EW with scythe fan mod, but I can still hear it from one meter distance. I would say that the noise character is nice unless you put your ear right next to the psu. I don't currently have anything in my computer that could stress the power supply, but if it won't ramp up considerably under 200W load, I'm happy. This might not be the right choice for extreme silencers, but if you have even single fan running in your computer, going with passive unit won't be worth it.

Edit: Is the fan supposed to make a ticking sound?
I just received mine today too,
Nice improvement from the Earthwatts 380 in my NSK3480 but... the fan ticks too, when the other fans are regulated at min speed with Speedfan (2x92 Yate loons + 1 Noctua), I can definitely hear it ticking from 1 meter.

It is not strong, but silence fanatics like us would notice it

alexsilentpcreivew
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Dec 13, 2009 10:35 am
Location: NY

Post by alexsilentpcreivew » Sun Dec 13, 2009 10:44 am

[quote]Edit: Is the fan supposed to make a ticking sound?[/quote]

[quote]...the fan ticks too, when the other fans are regulated at min speed with Speedfan (2x92 Yate loons + 1 Noctua), I can definitely hear it ticking from 1 meter.
It is not strong, but silence fanatics like us would notice it[/quote]

Mine clicks too! The Scythe 12mm fan I have on my ninja CPU
cooler also clicks.
Anyone tried replacing the 430 PS's fan? With which fan?

Koolpc
Posts: 332
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2004 9:15 am
Location: Under The Desk

Post by Koolpc » Thu Dec 17, 2009 5:39 am

Nexus NX-5000

What do you think?

FrankL
Posts: 72
Joined: Sun Sep 28, 2003 10:28 am

Nexus Value 430 tested on 240V/50Hz

Post by FrankL » Mon Dec 28, 2009 8:42 am

just got one to replace my aging Enermax EG365P-VE (at least 6 years old) fanmodded to a single Panaflo FBA08A for my P4 2.8GHz.

when CPU is stressed (134W) and GPU is maxed out (156W), power draw is 9-11W below what it used to be, which corresponds to an increase in efficiency from 78.5% to 84% if I've properly interpreted the figures provided in the review. Seems like the old Enermax PSU wasn't that bad in the first place.

However, the Value 430 is much quieter than the Panaflo at low speed in the Enermax, and the Enermax will be a nice upgrade for my HTPC as it's much quieter than the PSU in there.

j386
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:40 pm
Location: Australia

Post by j386 » Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:47 pm

Desperately trying to source one of these in Australia. Has anybody had any luck importing them at a reasonable cost? I'd even happily settle for a used one.

Cheers all!

JamieG
Posts: 822
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2008 10:31 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by JamieG » Wed Sep 01, 2010 3:51 pm

j386 wrote:Desperately trying to source one of these in Australia. Has anybody had any luck importing them at a reasonable cost? I'd even happily settle for a used one.
I was told by one of the guys that works at PC Case Gear in Melbourne (my usual source for quiet PC parts) that the Nexus Value 430 has not received electrical safety certification in Australia, which is why they don't stock it.

If the Nexus PSU hasn't been certified in Australia, I would be a little wary about importing one and using it here.

Depending on your budget, you might want to consider the Seasonic X-series PSUs. The Seasonic X-650 seems to be hovering around $200-$210 at the moment. The lower power X-Series PSUs can be pre-ordered now: the X-400 Fanless PSU is $180 at PC Case Gear at the moment and the X-460 Fanless PSU is $200.

Finding some of the other Editor's Choice PSU's on the Recommended PSU list can be a little hard, but some of the other recommended PSUs shouldn't be too hard to locate.

j386
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:40 pm
Location: Australia

Post by j386 » Thu Sep 02, 2010 1:41 am

JamieG wrote:that the Nexus Value 430 has not received electrical safety certification in Australia

That's interesting, I wonder on what grounds it failed? Maybe they just haven't had it tested for Australian sale at all?

JamieG wrote:the X-400 Fanless PSU is $180 at PC Case Gear

I was looking at the X-400 but wasn't really planning on getting a fanless model. Also, the price is a bit too far out of my budget (~$100). My next choice was probably (even though many people apparently don't like the brand) the Cooler Master Silent Pro M500, but I can't seem to source them in Australia either (only their 600w/$129 brothers).

The SeaSonic M12II 520W is looking pretty good, although I'm a little concerned about the noise levels. Also, I can't seem to find an efficiency graph for this PSU. Can anybody vouch for this particular model or know how it compares to other SeaSonic models?

Thanks heaps for your time!

judge56988
Friend of SPCR
Posts: 455
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:39 am
Location: England

Post by judge56988 » Thu Sep 02, 2010 4:52 am

j386 wrote:
The SeaSonic M12II 520W is looking pretty good, although I'm a little concerned about the noise levels. Also, I can't seem to find an efficiency graph for this PSU. Can anybody vouch for this particular model or know how it compares to other SeaSonic models?

Thanks heaps for your time!
Don't worry about noise - up to 300W the fan is inaudible (personal experience)
See here and another glowing review can be found on jonnyguru.com

Personally, I think that at it's price point you won't get anything better.

quest_for_silence
Posts: 5275
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:12 am
Location: ITALY

Post by quest_for_silence » Thu Sep 02, 2010 1:36 pm

j386 wrote:The SeaSonic M12II 520W is looking pretty good, although I'm a little concerned about the noise levels.

The freshly reviewed Antec TruePower New (also Seasonic based) looks even more promising.

Regards,
Luca

j386
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:40 pm
Location: Australia

Post by j386 » Thu Sep 02, 2010 6:15 pm

Hmm, thanks for the heads-up. Lucky I hadn't ordered yet. It seems a bit too close to call now though... lol

I wonder does the Antec carry the same 5-year warranty?

MikeC
Site Admin
Posts: 12285
Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:26 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Contact:

Post by MikeC » Thu Sep 02, 2010 6:38 pm

j386 wrote:I wonder does the Antec carry the same 5-year warranty?
yes

NexusTek
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2012 4:43 am

Re:

Post by NexusTek » Fri Oct 05, 2012 4:47 am

j386 wrote:
JamieG wrote:that the Nexus Value 430 has not received electrical safety certification in Australia

That's interesting, I wonder on what grounds it failed? Maybe they just haven't had it tested for Australian sale at all?
Correct, we do not have a distribution in Australia for the PSU's so until now we haven't had them tested for Australia.

Olaf van der Spek
Posts: 434
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2005 6:10 am

Re: Nexus Value 430 PSU: Affordable Silence

Post by Olaf van der Spek » Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:21 pm

Until now? So now they have been tested? What was the outcome?

Post Reply