Hello,
Does anyone know how quiet these power supplies really are?
They are realively inexpensive, $43 at www.Newegg.com
The Thermaltake power supplies have recieved good reviews on preformance but next to no data on how silent they really are.


Thanks
Scott

not sure if its the same model but the guys at hardcoreware.net used a thermaltake silent purepower and found it to be quiet.

http://www.hardcoreware.net/reviews/oth ... t_pc/4.php

i have a ThermalTake Silent PurePower 420w with Active PFC.

Subjectively, it's not loud, it's quieter than my old Dell power supply but I have the sneaking suspicion that the zalman or nexus power supplies are much more noticeably quiet.

It's quiet enough for now though (my cpu fan is louder). The PSU's two 80mm fans typically run at around 1600rpm in my system, which may give you an idea on the noise they generate.

I'd say it's a decent choice if you aren't trying for 100% noise elimination.

Hey guys, it really isn't hard to estimate fan noise from basic info.

If you have 2 fans instead of one, add 3 dB. Add a couple more due to the fact that there will be double the turbulence effects from the airflow of 2 fans in a PSU.

Now, you say 1600 rpm. That's really useful info. The Panaflo, which has excellent bearings and is pretty quiet at 1900, puts out 21 dBA -- in free air. In a PSU at 12V, it will probably measure 10 dBA more. Call it 30 dBA.

These Thermaltake fans, let's assume that at 1600 rpm they are equal to the Panaflo. Call them 20 dBA. But there are two, so it's 23 dBA. Put them in a PSU, 33 dBA. Add a few more dB for the extra turbulence of 2 fans. I get 35 dBA.

My guess is that they are a bit louder than the Antec 2-fan TruePower PSUs. In the same ballpark anyway.

The best you can do noise-wise with a 2 fan PSU if you want/need 2 fans is to replace both fans with Panaflos or similar. If the PSU has the right kind of thermal control circuit, the Panaflos will be running at whisper levels most of the time, but kick up to full tilt for decent cooling at peak power. That would actually be a viable PSU for hardcore silencers.

I assume that even though most of these fans are 3-pin, that a 2-pin Panaflo will still just work? Also, how much of a noise difference is it between the stock Antec fans and a Panaflo?

I'd like to find that True380S, or at least figure out when the Sonata will be shipping.

I did read a brief review of this power supply that compared it with the TruePower for measurable noise. The review, as I recall, found them to have virtually the same loudness, with possibly the Antec a db or two quieter under higher loads (if I recall correctly).

It's been getting good review and has a reasonable price. Might be a good candidate for a review here!

yea i have been meaning to ask that same question. mike, would it be possible to make the true380s quieter by changing fans or some other fairly easy mod? It seemed to have pretty big heatsinks but do u think that a quiet panaflo would be enough/ actually make a difference in the noise?

Yes, there would be a BIG noise difference. The Panaflo at 5V is virtually inaudible in free air; inside a PSU, the mech. coupling & turbulence increases noise but it would still be a lot quieter than the stock 80mm fan. The Seasonics, for example, use only one fan rated at 34 dBA & 38 cfm (same as the 80mm in the Antec) and drives it at just 4.3V start voltage (compared to 5V in the Antec). It is considerably quieter than the Antec. Yet a Panaflo 80L swap drops the noise a whole 'nuther level.

Keep in mind that the Panaflo is only rated for 24 cfm. Plus, in the Antec, you'd probably want to swap out the 92mm fan as well -- the 92mm is rated for 57 cfm! My guess is that with the orig fans, when the PSU is at full tilt and pushing the fans at or close to 12V, the REAL airflow through it is somewhere very close to 38 cfm.

If you wanted to be safe, then you'd probably want to get at least a 30 cfm unit for the 92mm. That suggests an "M" rated (medium speed)fan. I have looked at very few of these and can't really recommend any at this point. I recall Jon of Silicon Acoustics saying the 92mm Panaflo L was not quiet, so it's not wise to assume family resemblances with fans...

no i meant on the single fan antec true380 that you just recently reviewed.

The same 80mm fan is used on the PSU in the Sonata, so yeah, there would still be a big difference compared to a Panaflo 80L. The cooling potential caution still applies -- to any fan swap where you drop the max cooling potential unless you know you never push the system that hard. Like on all of mine