*Oops, posted in the wrong forum (deleted old and moved here):
I don't need silence, but my goal is to quiet my PC further for hopefully less than $50 (I've already done some stuff). I'm just wondering if buying a Coolmax CX-400B was the right thing to do. Or should I try to sell that, and get a FSP300-60PN instead? I'm basically looking for a cheap replacement for Antec SL400.
When using a 120mm PSU, should the exhaust fan underneath actually be pushing air into the case?
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Background (long):
I made an impulse purchase of a $37 shipped Coolmax CX-400B during Newegg's Thanksgiving sale (scored that $1 optical mouse too ), but later I was trying to research a bit beyond just those positive Newegg reviews since Newegg screens product reviews. I saw a few positive things on the Coolmax after searching SPCR forums so that was good, but then I stumbled across this in another forum:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php ... olmax+400W
That Coolmax took down a brand spankin' new 6800GT!
So now that newegg has already charged and shipped, I'm scrambling to find a reason why that happened to that guy's 6800GT, and reassure myself that my own system won't fry.
1. If I had the dough for a 6800GT, I defintely wouldn't have settled for a $37 Coolmax "400W".
2. My system is not as demanding as that guy's. I only have:
AthlonXP 2500+ @ 3200+ (stock voltage)
ABIT NF7-S rev2
1GB of Corsair Value Select PC3200 at stock
Asus 9600XT @ stock (9800Pro someday?)
80GB WD SE
160GB Maxtor DM9
NEC ND2500A (nice & quiet, good burns w/ good media, but sucky DVD read ECC)
good ol' floppy
My current PSU is an Antec SL400 that runs everything fine, but I finally couldn't put up with the noise. After reading so many reviews that the Coolmax CX-400B is quiet, I decided to get it and hope it quiets things down a bit. The Coolmax looks a lot like a Fortron 120mm, so I hope it's at least close in quality. And if I view it as more of a 300~350W (assuming that 400W is overstated), I should be fine right? What's funny is the CX-400B lists +12V @ 18A while the CX-450B lists +12V @ 15A. That's why I didn't take the Coolmax specs too seriously. In the photos I saw online, the Coolmax heatsinks seem bigger than the ones in the Fortron 120mm PSU's (I looked at the SPCR review of the 350W Auora and my brother has a FSP300), so I thought that might be an indicator of good build quality.
I definitely didn't want to spend more than $40 or so, because future-proofing isn't too much of an issue for me. My next good PSU is going to be PCI-Express compatible anyway so I don't want to sink too much money into a PSU right now. I intend to keep this setup for another 1~2 years and then move to dual core and PCI-e. Of course, by then I'll hopefully have a steady job and be willing to buy a $$nice$$ SPCR recommended PCI-e compatible PSU at that time (maybe 600W will be normal by then lol).
So as long as that Coolmax doesn't fry everything it touches, my system should be relatively quiet I hope. Doesn't have to be silent. Something like this:
Case: Kingwin KT-424; changes: stamped fan grills nibbled out, rear fan replaced with Panaflo 80mm L1A, front fans replaced with 2 x Coolermaster 80mm LED fans. I did most of these changes after finding SPCR website shortly after building my PC 1 and a half years ago. Although the Coolermaster fans are more recent. I used to have two incredibly noisy generic LED fans.
CPU HSF: SLK900U w/ Panaflo 92mm L1A
Northbridge: silver Zalman NB32J
GPU HSF: Evercool VR-CE (that twinkly cooler)
I originally wanted a VGA Silencer Rev 3. I really didn't intend to end up with the VR-CE, but it wouldn't fit on a 9000Pro in a different PC, so I ended up slapping it on my 9600XT. Darn, no more VGA silencer for me.
Hard Drive: HDD's are mounted using the default rubber grommets of the KT-424. With the Antec SL400 at the moment, I can't hear the HDD's. Maybe if the Coolmax is quiet, I'll start to hear the HDD's.
Yea, I know WD's and Maxtors are pretty noisy, but I don't have the money to replace them. I splurged a year and a half ago on the SLK900U, Aluminum case, 1GB PC3200, and 160GB HDD (the 2500+ on the otherhand was a bargain). Then I semi-splurged on the 9600XT half a year ago (mostly to get that HL2 coupon), but today money is much tighter, thus the reasoning for a Coolmax CX-400B and not a Seasonic 400W Super Tornado.
So finally in conclusion, I really really hope the Coolmax CX-400B works out for me.
I'll update later when I get my hands on the Coolmax.
Coolmax CX-400B: quieting on the cheap?
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
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I'd be interested in hearing your experience as well. I bought it on the same sale. Its going into a friends box who is by no means a OCer or a gamer so I don't forsee any problems. I don't think you should get too worried yet, as getting that PS when you have a 6800GT seems quite absurd to say the least. I'm hoping mine will be fine for a
P4 2.4 or 2.8 based system with one DVD and two hard drives and an old matrox G400 and two more fans running at 5-7 volts each. We'll see keep me updated as I won't be putting this system together for her for a couple weeks probably. Hopefully we will both come out unscathed or fried
P4 2.4 or 2.8 based system with one DVD and two hard drives and an old matrox G400 and two more fans running at 5-7 volts each. We'll see keep me updated as I won't be putting this system together for her for a couple weeks probably. Hopefully we will both come out unscathed or fried
I've been running that same power supply for almost a year and have had no problems with it at all. My system is:
A64 3000+
Zalman 7000
512MB OCZ
2 x 36 GB Raptors in RAID
120 GB Maxtor
MSI 5900XT
NEC 2500A DVD-RW
Compucase LX-6A19
Globe 120mm in back
Papst 120mm in front
The power supply has a switch on the back to control the fan speed. High Medium and Low I believe. I always leave it set on Low. It's not really audible to me. By no means a dead quiet system by standards on here but MUCH quieter than my old rig.
I'll think you'll be just fine and much happier with the power supply.
A64 3000+
Zalman 7000
512MB OCZ
2 x 36 GB Raptors in RAID
120 GB Maxtor
MSI 5900XT
NEC 2500A DVD-RW
Compucase LX-6A19
Globe 120mm in back
Papst 120mm in front
The power supply has a switch on the back to control the fan speed. High Medium and Low I believe. I always leave it set on Low. It's not really audible to me. By no means a dead quiet system by standards on here but MUCH quieter than my old rig.
I'll think you'll be just fine and much happier with the power supply.
Got the Coolmax today, it is very quiet on low and auto. I leave it on auto, so that when I play HL2 it might speed up a bit.
On a side note, that $1 mouse, the build quality reflects its price, I've never seen such a thin mouse cord before! Then again, for $1, still fine for a relative with an old PC and ball mouse.
Now I can only hope that the Coolmax will last me a good 2~3 years, and the negative air pressure won't be any worse than with the Antec SL400 (the crevices on my drives get dusty awfully quick).
I realized that the most annoying sound wasn't the Antec, but instead the Evercool Twinkle cooler. I did get a modest decrease in PSU noise nonetheless ... My next targets are probably VGA Silencer Rev3 and maybe a Zalman Fanmate for the CPU fan.
Edit: Forgot to mention, the cords on the Coolmax are quite short like what a few of the newegg reviews say. So definitely not good for a full-tower case. Worked out okay for my mid-tower Kingwin KT-424 though.
On a side note, that $1 mouse, the build quality reflects its price, I've never seen such a thin mouse cord before! Then again, for $1, still fine for a relative with an old PC and ball mouse.
Now I can only hope that the Coolmax will last me a good 2~3 years, and the negative air pressure won't be any worse than with the Antec SL400 (the crevices on my drives get dusty awfully quick).
I realized that the most annoying sound wasn't the Antec, but instead the Evercool Twinkle cooler. I did get a modest decrease in PSU noise nonetheless ... My next targets are probably VGA Silencer Rev3 and maybe a Zalman Fanmate for the CPU fan.
Edit: Forgot to mention, the cords on the Coolmax are quite short like what a few of the newegg reviews say. So definitely not good for a full-tower case. Worked out okay for my mid-tower Kingwin KT-424 though.
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- Location: Washington, D.C.