Between the Nexus NX-3000 and the Seasonic SS-300 PSUs, is one significantly better? The Nexus is rated slightly quieter on the Recommended PSU list, but it's also about $30 more expensive....

simple version of the answer:

nexus is better.

if you have $30 more extra bucks, buy nexus.

some people do like seasonic since you can mod the fan to a quieter one and for other reasons i haven't come across i'm sure.

but if you want silence (that's why you're here i'm assuming), get nexus. there's just less probability you'll be hitting yourself after buying nexus than seasonic.

good luck to you.

It takes a Panaflo fan swap to bring the SS to the same low noise level as the Nexus. This is much less than $30. But the Nexus fan has the capacity to ramp up to ~38 cfm at full power (should you ever push it that hard), which means it should always run cooler, while the Panaflo can do only 24 cfm max. My Panaflo modded Seasonics do run hotter than the stock Nexus and there is little appreciable noise difference between the two.

my way of looking at it is this: the nexus absolutely rocks. im using a couple right now and they're extremely quiet. $30 is a drop in the bucket that you wont really miss later on, but you'll have a totally sweet power supply.

I have an idea, but it might not work. How about using an M1A or H1A instead of an L1A on the Seasonic. That way you could get the higher airflow, but still have the quiet technology that the panaflo offers.

This might not work if: 1) the M1a or H1a has poor bearings compared to the L1a (not likely right?), or 2) the themal control circuitry in the Seasonic is not as advanced as the Nexus (this seems to be true)

Anyone willing to give this a shot?

Thermal circuitry on the Zalman & the Nexus are the same, AFAI can tell. Both start at ~4.5V & curve exponentially to 12V at full power. It's the fan that is totally better on the Nexus.

So who has an M1A??

Or who has the guts to buy one and try it out?

H1a are $4 US from http://www.hobbytron.net/pcmods7.html

M1a's are $5.50 US from http://www.so-trickcomputers.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=S&Product_Code=P8MU&Category_Code=FF

Thanks for all the advice! I'm definitely not up for swapping fans out of a power supply, and price isn't a *huge* issue, so I'll most likely end up with a Nexus. Might have to wait until my tax returns show up, though.

For swapping the fan in the Seasonic with an L1A. What is the wiring requirement for that. Can you still use the thermistor? I can't quite tell from the pics if the thermistor is part of the fan or part of the PSU.

I guess what I am saying, is there a fan connector inside the Seasonic PSU or what?

I am considering getting the Seasonic, cutting the grill out and replacing it with a wire one, and replacing with an L1A

Yes, and the typical 2-pin Panaflo fits fine with a little jiggling or cutting. See recommended fans page for connector details on Panaflo fan.

Well, I have an M1A - 1BX (though haven't been able to get the RPM monitoring to work correctly, it bounces from the correct speed to zero )

At 12v the M1a is definitely audible, but at less than about 8-9v it becomes fairly silent. I'll be putting it in a True380 as soon as the 92mm L1A comes in. I'll be mounting it with the EAR fan mounts. As soon as I have it up and running, I'll give a report, should be monday or so.

Aaron

I use a 7-volted M1A on the heatsink of my server box. It works fine at 7 volts and is quieter than an L1A at 12V.

L1A at 12V has 24cfm and an L1A at 7V has about 18cfm.