Need silent PSU at as low cost as possible

MarkProvanP · Post by **MarkProvanP** » Sun Jan 17, 2010 5:45 am

Right, after checking whether the noise coming from my home server was due to the PSU (which I suspected) or the CPU fan, I found that my original idea had been correct. Has anyone got any recommendations for a PSU that doesn't cost a lot, and doesn't need to have extras like SLI/CrossFire support or other useless things? Just as long as it can support an Athlon LE-1600 (45W) and several 7200RPM hard drives, it will be fine.

Parappaman · Post by **Parappaman** » Sun Jan 17, 2010 6:06 am

Nexus Value 430w is your answer

xan_user · Post by **xan_user** » Sun Jan 17, 2010 8:23 am

fsp 300.

Dont skimp the on PSU's, its the most under appreciated part of the computer.

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Sun Jan 17, 2010 9:36 am

+1 on the FSP 300, i used to have one until my E6750 and 9600GT killed it in a week.

i was pushing the limits of 300W.

MarkProvanP · Post by **MarkProvanP** » Sun Jan 17, 2010 11:16 am

I have looked at both, and the Nexus PSU looks very nice and would fit the bill perfectly but 1. I can only find it at one online store in the UK and 2. it costs too mucg, unfortunately.

I see that the FSP-300 looks popular, but forgive me for saying this but who makes it? (edit - I found it, but it is a MicroATX power supply. The case is a standard no-name ATX)

xan_user · Post by **xan_user** » Sun Jan 17, 2010 11:53 am

Check out the FSP Group ATX350-pnt http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817104045

Lawrence Lee · Post by **Lawrence Lee** » Sun Jan 17, 2010 11:56 am

Have you considered fan modding? I've built a few quiet budget machines using a $40 Sparkle/Fortron power supply (ATX-400-PN-B). Replaced the fan and modded a 3-pin to molex adapter to feed it 5V/7V.

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Sun Jan 17, 2010 12:02 pm

I had the FSP 300-GLN, which was ATX, I guess they don't make it anymore.

350GLN might be worth it.

Parappaman · Post by **Parappaman** » Sun Jan 17, 2010 12:37 pm

Or take a look at BeQuiet's offerings, they are silent, cheap and pretty efficient too, many units in the 300-350w range are rated 80Plus. Also, they won't explode if you overload them (sorry but it seems strange to me you're recommending a power supply that exploded in your own hands...)

MarkProvanP · Post by **MarkProvanP** » Mon Jan 18, 2010 12:51 pm

Wow. I really really regret not knowing about this earlier, since Ebuyer were selling the Be Quiet 350W for Â£23.99. Too late, now

Are there any other recommendations at all? Unfortunately it seems that some reviewer's ideas of 'value' is very different from mine (it is hard to spend more than necessary if you only get Â£20 a month

audiojar · Post by **audiojar** » Mon Jan 18, 2010 12:56 pm

If you are happy with your current PSU besides the noise then consider a simple fan swap. It takes but the simplest of DIY skills.

zodaex · Post by **zodaex** » Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:58 pm

bonestonne wrote:+1 on the FSP 300, i used to have one until my E6750 and 9600GT killed it in a week.

i was pushing the limits of 300W.

Your E6750 + 9600GT was pushing the limits of 300W? The E6750 is a 65W cpu, and most 9600GT cards pull all the power they need from the 75W pci-e slot. How could you system be drawing so much power for just those parts? Perhaps you had the special 9600OC (overclocked edition), in which case would maybe make more sense?

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Mon Jan 18, 2010 3:18 pm

E6750 + 6GB DDR2 + P45 + 9600GT killed it.

not sure how, but it only took a week. PSU was roughly 1.5 years old, give or take a month or two.

one week into having the setup it just died. slight burning smell, pop/buzz, no power. that's how it went.

MarkProvanP · Post by **MarkProvanP** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:22 am

audiojar wrote:If you are happy with your current PSU besides the noise then consider a simple fan swap. It takes but the simplest of DIY skills.

I can see people doing this for better engineered PSUs, but a cheap no-name 350W one? I saw some people saying that quieter fans wouldn't draw as much air through so the PSU wouldn't work properly.

audiojar · Post by **audiojar** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:25 am

Well a better quality fan will be able to draw the same of amount of air with less noise. It's just a matter of choosing one that has enough airflow.

I'm not saying it's optimal, but it is the cheapest way to get a lower noise PSU.

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:55 pm

MarkProvanP wrote:
audiojar wrote:If you are happy with your current PSU besides the noise then consider a simple fan swap. It takes but the simplest of DIY skills.
I can see people doing this for better engineered PSUs, but a cheap no-name 350W one? I saw some people saying that quieter fans wouldn't draw as much air through so the PSU wouldn't work properly.

At low power draw, a PSU only produces a little heat, meaning you only need a little bit or airflow to keep it running at optimum temps.

It's under high power draw that a slow fan causes problems, because it can't dissipate the heat, and that can cause problems.

there's nothing wrong with a quiet fan in a power supply...