Scared of heat in a fanless PSU

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Claraval
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Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2016 5:50 am

Scared of heat in a fanless PSU

Post by Claraval » Mon Sep 12, 2016 6:11 am

Newbie here, but I have been reading SPCR for years now! Using this knowledge to give advice to friends and family. But the time has come. I must get a new rig for myself! (after 9 years!!!)

My plan is to get all the components listed below. At first I won't get the GPU (I will save for a couple of months). I will OC but nothing hardcore.

My concern is: will the GPU heat/heat disipation hinder/warm up the PSU?? Should I get another PSU?

And also, am I missing something? I hope note. I am planning on getting another front intake when I get the GPU. And probably go without intake filters as I am 99% sure it will improve silence and reduce heat.

Would be better to get the no windowed version of the case? I will most likely play a little bit in the future with custom water cooling but I rather stick to silence than looks.

Here is the list:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Scythe Kotetsu 79.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($137.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($38.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($94.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Strix Video Card ($319.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Fractal Design Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series Fanless 460W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular Fanless ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ B&H)
Monitor: Asus VC239H 23.0" 60Hz Monitor ($145.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1199.68


Thank you all!!
Last edited by Claraval on Mon Sep 12, 2016 1:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

CA_Steve
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Re: Scared of heat in a fanless PSU

Post by CA_Steve » Mon Sep 12, 2016 7:02 am

Welcome to SPCR.

The Fractal case: Their window doesn't cause noticable difference in audible noise. PSU gets air from the bottom and exhausts to the rear. So, the only heating would be inside ambient transfering through the PSU case...which won't be much. Not a worry point. However...

Couple of suggestions:
- PSU: Passive PSU is fine and dandy. You may also consider a semi-passive design. The EVGA P2 650's fan won't turn on with your gaming load. Nor will the Corsair RM550x.

- RAM: Go with 2x4GB so you don't lose the performance benefit of dual channel. As you have a Z170 mobo, look at the ddr4-2400 RAM. Price is pretty flat down at this speed range, chances are it's the same.

- SSD: if you have the spare bucks, and if you think storage might be tight, consider the 500GB version @ $157.

Claraval
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Re: Scared of heat in a fanless PSU

Post by Claraval » Mon Sep 12, 2016 11:38 am

Passive PSU is fine and dandy. You may also consider a semi-passive design. The EVGA P2 650's fan won't turn on with your gaming load. Nor will the Corsair RM550x.
Will 650 and 550 be a bit overkill? I understand the logic of going for a 500...520W PSU. If you think I should increase the wattage I could go for the Seasonic Fanless 520W. But If you think that with 2 front intakes + the heat of the gtx 1060 the PSU may be too hot I will look for the semi-passive ones. What is your opinion? Or may just the noise of the GPU cover the noise of the PSU on any situation?
Go with 2x4GB so you don't lose the performance benefit of dual channel. As you have a Z170 mobo, look at the ddr4-2400 RAM. Price is pretty flat down at this speed range, chances are it's the same.
Ok. Nice point. I thought the gains were marginal so I picked the cheapest one. And in the future I could get dual channels with 2x8GB. But I will go for 2x4GB at 2400.
if you have the spare bucks, and if you think storage might be tight, consider the 500GB version @ $157.
It might be tight. But I have 2 USB external drives that I am planning on dismounting and install inside. Just for storage. But If they are not too noisy. I am planning on getting/building a NAS and place it somewhere in the house where the noise is not a problem. Any suggestions on where that can be?

Thank you for your feedback. Really useful.

edh
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Re: Scared of heat in a fanless PSU

Post by edh » Mon Sep 12, 2016 12:56 pm

Consider the Sycthe Ninja instead of the Kotetsu: it's bigger.

CA_Steve
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Re: Scared of heat in a fanless PSU

Post by CA_Steve » Mon Sep 12, 2016 2:57 pm

PSU: It's not a wattage issue or heat issue. The 460W is fine. I merely point out that the two alternatives cost less, will most likely be passive with your loads and are a bit more efficient.
I am planning on getting/building a NAS and place it somewhere in the house where the noise is not a problem. Any suggestions on where that can be?
Run a LAN cable and power to a closet...or a basement.

Claraval
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Re: Scared of heat in a fanless PSU

Post by Claraval » Mon Sep 12, 2016 3:38 pm

Ninja 4: is it worth the $15 more over the kotetsu? You may actually be right. I honestly don't know.

PSU: well yeah, if I can spare some bucks I could go for a bigger/better SSD. One more question: I thought that Seasonic is the manufacturer for Corsair and not sure about EVGA. Quality wise? What would you guys recommend? In terms of efficiency, wouldn't the low wattage of my build hinder a 550-650W PSU efficiency curve? Also, why/how do you know they are more efficient? Those are gold and the other one is platinum. (Sorry if this is silly, but PSU is a topic I have no idea about)

Thank you for the answers guys!!

CA_Steve
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Re: Scared of heat in a fanless PSU

Post by CA_Steve » Mon Sep 12, 2016 8:14 pm

Brain fart by me - I was thinking of the earlier Seasonic X460 Gold platform. Seasonic has made some of Corsair's earlier models. The RMx series is made by CWT. [url=http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/evg ... 364-3.html]EVGA's P2 is based on Super Flower's Leadex platform. I leave it to you to look at these and other reviews. In reality, the efficiency differences will be a watt or two at idle and maybe 4-5W at load.

As far as peak efficiency goes, your build is in the 210-220W range for gaming load with stock CPU clock. This is in the peak efficiency range of all three PSUs.

Deer87
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Re: Scared of heat in a fanless PSU

Post by Deer87 » Mon Sep 12, 2016 11:16 pm

I have been using a XFX 460 w platinum fanless (rebranded seasonic) for over year now,, with a GTX960 Strix and a 4690K CPU.
No problems so far, and I even shoved it all into a mITX case and put it into a poorly ventilated IKEA desk.

So far my only noise is when my GPU is running on max, or my WD green HDD (not nearly as silent as i expected).

So unless the GTX1060 and 6600K is producing much more heat, i wouldn't worry.

Then again, im no expert, just another happy amateur :)

Claraval
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Re: Scared of heat in a fanless PSU

Post by Claraval » Tue Sep 13, 2016 1:51 am

Thanks again for the replies. I am actually learning a lot about PSU's.

Now I am facing a new problem. You totally conviced me that EVGA P2 650w and the Corsair RM550x are better choices (in terms of money) But now...I cannot find the EVGA in Spain and the Corsair is getting tricky and expensive. I am not so sad about the EVGA as it is a bit overkill I think. Also the corsair now has 10 year warranty which is awesome. And I am starting to doubt that the difference between gold and platinum is significant, aprox 2% more efficiency. Is that a deal breaker?

Could you guys suggest alternatives? I am going crazy reading reviews and I cannot really find anything that matches these 2 PSU or the fanless Seasonic (I am actually considering the 520W version, but I really don't know why)

Sorry for the long post...I now have more doubts than before xDD

PS: what about getting a less powerful one? between 400 and 500 W

CA_Steve
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Re: Scared of heat in a fanless PSU

Post by CA_Steve » Tue Sep 13, 2016 6:27 am

Didn't know you were in Spain. Pcpartpicker has a tab for sourcing there. If you want to save money, the be quiet! BN234 modular 500W Gold is a great PSU. The fan is always on, but slow rpm = inaudible. Here's a review of the 600W model at KitGuru.

As said in an earlier post, don't sweat the Gold/Platinum efficiency differences. In reality it's 1-2W at idle and 4-5W at your loads.

Claraval
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Re: Scared of heat in a fanless PSU

Post by Claraval » Tue Sep 13, 2016 7:33 am

Thank you Steve! I just found a cheaper Corsair RM550x. The be quiet! is actually more expensive!

I guess I will no longer be scared of the fanless PSU as I won't get one haha. And I will also save a few bucks. I don't think I will find anything better for 89€. Well, I don't think I will find anything better in this wattage. Full stop.

Thank you again! It is really nice to learn about PSU's. The hardest component to choose for me.

Just to sum up (further answers are more than welcome and appreciated as I won't get the PC for a couple of weeks yet):

-I will get the Corsair RM550x.

-Scythe Kotetsu as it is cheaper, it will look better in my black and white build and it is much smaller than the Ninja 4. Also, it only runs about 2ºC hotter for the same noise levels which I consider totally marginal.

-I will go for the 2x4gb ram at 2133. After checking some benchmarks the higher speed rams increase FPS by 1 or 2 in games. This one is the cheapest.

-Storage: Tempted by the Samsung 850 EVO 500gb...I will have to negociate that one at home xD. If not the 250gb is fine.

Cheers!!

CA_Steve
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Re: Scared of heat in a fanless PSU

Post by CA_Steve » Tue Sep 13, 2016 7:48 am

Enjoy your build :)

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