Power supply potential options - limited budget...

samuelmorris · Post by **samuelmorris** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 5:10 pm

Hi there,
I currently use a Thermaltake Toughpower 750W PSU (complete overkill I know, wish I'd known when I bought it). In my current config, the fan rarely ramps up even when gaming, but at its idle speed it's not exactly what you'd call silent, I'd hazard a guess at 25-27dB at 1m. Consequently, I'm debating how to go about quietening my PSU. The rest of my PC is pretty much silent, all case fans are 120mm and none run faster than 750rpm. Both hard drives are quiet in Nexus Drive-a-way boxes. This only leaves the PSU to annoy me. My question is this:
Is it worth buying a Silverstone PP02 PSU cover? I read conflicting reviews on itsperformance. Some say it works wonders with loud units but does nothing to already semi-quiet ones, and others say the reverse. Though I know different, most people would probably put my PSU in the 'quiet' category. The things are dirt cheap in the UK (about a fiver) but if they're ineffectual on quiet underside-14cm units then I may as well not bother.
Any ideas? I'm looking at either this, or saving up to replace my unit with a Corsair HX 520W.

Thanks in advance

inm8 · Post by **inm8** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:07 am

I recommend you save the money and wait until you have enough to purchase a more appropriate PSU. With quiet computing, eliminating the problem at it's source is always the best course of action. I've attempted many "cover up" jobs in the past as well, and they always fell short of my expectations.

What are your system specs? For most people, a power supply like the Corsair VX-450 (or Antec Neo HE, or Seasonic 430W...etc) is more than sufficient. I think in general people tend to over estimate their systems power requirements. This is particularly true on SPCR, where the need of a 750W -1kW PSU clearly indicates that the user has taken the wrong approach in choosing appropriate parts for his silent (or quiet) computer.