Quietest 300-400W PSU for sale in UK?

Mikity · Post by **Mikity** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 7:46 am

Hi there,

Currently own a Zalman 300W PSU which unfortunately is no longer quiet under high loads, so I am looking for something slightly beefier - and quieter! Ordered a Tagan 380-U01 from Tekheads, it sure was quiet but exhibited an intermittent clicking/chirping sound which I found unbearable (seems like I am not alone, might be a design fault with the Tagans). Anyway, while the unit is being RMAed I am back to my Zalman and looking for more alternatives. Alternatives that are available in the UK, that is.

First there's the Zalman 400B-APS of course, which is readily available. But a recent review at DirkVader.de (in German) makes it seem like this PSU isn't all that quiet - in fact, it's even a bit louder than its 400A predecessor.

I found that KoolnQuiet are selling some Seasonic supplies - the Super Tornado 350FB would fit my wattage budget. The Seasonics seem to get good reviews on this site - but how quiet are they really? I came across a review on PCSilencieux that suggested otherwise (link, French).

So, any other alternatives? I am assuming of course that my Tagan wasn't faulty but that this high-pitched chirping noise affects many of their devices. Would appreciate any other recommendations,
Thanks!

greshoff · Post by **greshoff** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 9:19 am

Hi,

I recently purchased a Silenx 400w Power Supply which I am very happy with. Very quiet and works quietly under load as well.

Hope this helps

Martin

davidstone28 · Post by **davidstone28** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 10:10 am

I'm in the same position as you - looking for a ultra quiet 400W PSU in the UK.

The problem with the Seasonics sold by Kool n Quiet is that they don't seem to have any A3 revisions. You'll therefore faced with getting an A2 and having to deal with fan ramping problems which have been well documented on these forums.

To cut a long story (involving extensive research of old posts on these forums) very short, I've decided to get the Nexus 4090 which is a 400W PSU based on the successful 3500 model. The official specs say that its even quieter and of the people that own the 3500 model, they're very satifisfied with it. Now, I'm really sceptical when it comes to manufacturers Db specs (they seem to overestimate quietness / sounds levels) but the thing that swung it for me with the Nexus is the performance of the Nexus 120mm fan which I have in my case. It performs brilliantly. Although Nexus say it performs at 22db, its for all intents and purposes, silent. I therefore trust the specs given by Nexus as opposed to other manufacturers who quote lower sound levels but provide a product which is nowhere near silent.

I'm about to place an order with www.kustompcs.co.uk - I've ordered from them before and they're very good.

geordie · Post by **geordie** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 11:42 am

That looks pretty impressive.
Shame it appears to be passive PFC not active.

davidstone28 · Post by **davidstone28** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 2:06 pm

geordie wrote:That looks pretty impressive.
Shame it appears to be passive PFC not active.

Here's a thread here about APFC v PPFC:

http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewto ... active+pfc

Doesn't seem to make a huge amount of difference in the real world. So unless someone tells me something that's hugely significant, its not going to chance my buying decision....