Seasonic SS-520FL2 vs. X-650

PSUs: The source of DC power for all components in the PC & often a big noise source.

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sentry
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:50 pm

Seasonic SS-520FL2 vs. X-650

Post by sentry » Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:47 pm

Hi everyone,

Following a thread a opened up a few months ago in this forum, I purchased a new PC with the SS-520FL2 as the power supply.

To my much dismay, the PSU is far from silent, and it emits a static, electronic buzzing sound. While it's far from loud, it's noticeable. Besides, a PSU that demands such a premium should be totally silent.

I talked to Seasonic, they told me to RMA, and that's what I did. The new unit is waiting for me at the store, but the owner has told that new unit emits a buzzing sound as well. I told Seasonic about that as well and they told me to issue a RMA again. I don't think the shopkeeper will be willing to do so, moreover he remarked that all of those PSU probably have that buzzing issue. He also noted that I might have been talking to a Seasonic sales rep and not an engineer or someone else from Seasonic who is in deep familiarity with those PSUs.

I have yet to have chance to listen to the new unit myself, so I can't tell if it's lower-sounding than the previous unit and or if it evens bothers me, but assuming I won't have the option to do so, I don't want to take another chance. From the entire shop's catalog there are only two candidates worth considering as a silent PSU:

1) Seasonic X-650. It's semi-passive, meaning that under a certain load it will run passively. If during that time it is TRULY silent, it's worth considering.
2) SilverStone Nightjar SST-NJ520. Completely passive, but priced even higher (!) than the SS-520.

Here are the specs of the rest of my rig:

Intel Core i7 4790K
Scythe Kotetsu
Asus H97-Pro
Kingston HX316C10FBK2/8
Force 3D HD5870 1GB
Samsung 840 Pro 256GB
2xSamsung HD103UJ
Asus DRW-24F1ST
Fractal Design Define R5
Logitech Performance MX
Logitech K750
Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB

Help would be very appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Pappnaas
Posts: 726
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 11:23 am
Location: Germany

Re: Seasonic SS-520FL2 vs. X-650

Post by Pappnaas » Wed Apr 15, 2015 1:29 am

Coil whine is a symptom of some Seasonic PSU. So, you should try and listen to the replacement unit they send and if it is not silent enough, i would negotiate for a refund.

If you want to go with a passiv PSU, look for the Kingwin aka Superflower models. I have assembled a few Systems with those and they emitted no noise whatsoever (sample size really small!)

If you want to use a fanned PSU, i am sure Luca will pop in and give you some models to recommend.

Generally speaking coil whine is an issue. There was a thread some days ago, where CA_Steve mentioned some BIOS Settings, which are told to reduce coil whine from Seasonic PSU.

And the shopkeeper is wrong, coil whine is a single unit issue, there are al lot of Seasonic owners here, reporting their samples do not emit any noise except when the fan ramps up. Coil whine can be produced with certain Kind of parts combination, it is possible, that the same unit paired with different mobo and other parts could show no noise.

Luckily Seasonic CS seems to be caring and is interested in keeping customers satiesfied.

quest_for_silence
Posts: 5275
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:12 am
Location: ITALY

Re: Seasonic SS-520FL2 vs. X-650

Post by quest_for_silence » Wed Apr 15, 2015 4:15 am

Pappnaas wrote:If you want to use a fanned PSU, i am sure Luca will pop in and give you some models to recommend.

The names are the ones you already know, mostly the usual SPCR favourites (see Recommended list/articles): mainly Super Flower (any brand), BeQuiet!, Corsair RM/HXi or the Enermax Platimax.

BTW, the Silverstone is a rebadged Seasonic 520FL, so there is chance it will squeal the same, whether the shopper is friendly he could take the 650 out of the box and give a try for the OP (to be honest, my Platinum 660 slightly whine, but that's barely noticeable).

sentry
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:50 pm

Re: Seasonic SS-520FL2 vs. X-650

Post by sentry » Wed Apr 15, 2015 11:01 am

Thanks for the input.

1) I'll try to get myself to listen to the replacement unit, but I'm not sure it will be possible.
2) I don't have the option either to get a Seasonic X-650, listen to it in comparison to the SS-520FL2 and THEN decide with which one to go. I'll have to purchase it beforehand, either in addition to or instead of the SS-520FL2.
3) I've heard nothing but good things regarding those Super Flower units, but sadly they're not available where I live.
4) How can I convince the shopkeeper that the noise issue isn't a feature, but a problem?

quest_for_silence
Posts: 5275
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:12 am
Location: ITALY

Re: Seasonic SS-520FL2 vs. X-650

Post by quest_for_silence » Wed Apr 15, 2015 3:34 pm

sentry wrote:3) I've heard nothing but good things regarding those Super Flower units, but sadly they're not available where I live.

Just for instance, this might be a suitable option:

sentry
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:50 pm

Re: Seasonic SS-520FL2 vs. X-650

Post by sentry » Thu Apr 16, 2015 9:28 am

Thanks for the help, but I don't live in Sweden, I probably configured it so by mistake... I noticed that only now.

Where I live, the PSUs you just suggested are not available either.

Derpington
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2012 3:29 am

Re: Seasonic SS-520FL2 vs. X-650

Post by Derpington » Tue Apr 28, 2015 11:23 am

I don't know if you ever solved your PSU issue, but if not, I kind of want to recommend Be Quiet! Straight Power 10. I just got the 500W semi-modular version and it's very quiet. No electronics noise whatsoever (after my previous PSU that's a breath of fresh air), and at low loads the fan is barely audible even if I stick my ear right above it.

The fan never stops altogether, but that could be a benefit if you're installing it upside down like in those Fractal R5 cases.

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