SPCR

I'd have to say the quietest power supply I've encountered is a Q techonology power supply. I bought two 300W units from <!-- BBCode auto-link start --><a href="http://www.quietpc.ca" target="_blank">www.quietpc.ca</a><!-- BBCode auto-link end --> ... They are hard to find and definitely expensive that's for sure.
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<BR>Personally I think they are very very quiet since the rear fan is running at a low speed and it has large heatsinks inside. Only drawback I see, is that the power supply feels a bit warm but I guess that's normal. I've had one running in my main rig for several months now without a hitch. I do also have a spare one lying around since I sold my second system. Anyways, keep this power supply in mind ...
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I am planning a review on this unit soon.
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A friend has their PSU and CPU cooler on his P3 1ghz and it's silent. No case fans either. Now - if only I could get this 1800xp quieter
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I've been using one for about 8 months in my current set up. It's very quiet well worth investing in one.
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Which CPU cooler--flower or radial?
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My QuietPC 300W unit has survived over 6 months of near-fanless operation. I removed the PSU cover along with the default Adda fan. Then I attached an 80mm Panaflo fan horizontally below the PSU, so it would blow hot air from the CPU upwards into the PSU. This was the only fan in my Tbird/later AthlonXP system throughout this time.
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<br>Now I'm using two Panaflos, both at 7V. The QuietPC PSU is using one of them, and runs much cooler now than using the above config. In other words, this PSU is good quality and can be silenced very effectively. The only potential problem is it might not be as efficient as the Zalman APFC unit... Mike's review will hopefully reveal the truth.
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I have a unit too but, while it's quite, it wasn't as quiet as I had hoped. It is quite audible in my room when I have just the PSU fan running (i.e., in sleep mode), so I have to shut down when I sleep -- I should anyways, since it's summer and PSU's generate copius amounts of heat. I'm looking forward to a comparison with the Zalman to see if the Zalman is worth considering (since I need a new PS for another computer anyways). It also gets quite hot to the touch (it felt like it was about 50C on the backplate, is that normal?). To be fair, my room is very quiet and has wooden floors.
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Once the Q-tech PSU arrives, I'll be able to rate it right away and post a quick ranking on the recommended list as a preview to the full review. So far, I have to say among all the unmodified PSUs that the Seasonic 300 is the quietest -- albeit by a nose. The price is slightly higher internal temps when compared with the new Zalman. Whether you could sleep with it on in the same room... I know I couldn't with any of my systems except the one with 2 Panaflos at ~4V. Normally, I can tell it's on only by the LEDs on the front panel or the monitor.
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Why pay more when you can buy for less from the manufacturer? There are a number of power supplies out there that simply carry a different name but are actually identical to another unit.

Q-tech actually sells Enhance power supplies. Q-tech doesn't make any power supplies of its own. Model name change from ENP-0730 to QT-02300 is one such example of two identical PSUs. Find 'em cheap at a website like http://www.newegg.com Save around 40%.

Any questions? You can email me at [email protected]

I also want to add my vote for the Q-Tech. I'm very satisfied with this product

Customer comments at newEgg all run along the lines of "my diesel truck makes less noise."

You can find other pictures of the Enhance 0730 online, and they all have the sheet aluminum grille we all know causes major noise. As for the fan... I don't have much hope.

Just a warning.

Im using the Q-Tech unit, and i have to say it is much quieter than standard PSUs. However, it is the loudest thing in my case (1x40Gb cuda 4, 2x 12dB papsts + 2x 19dB papsts all at 7V), i think i am going to have to put a papst in there.

Overall i am very happy with this PSU, and i would be happier putting a slower fan in this PSU cos it already has large heatsinks compared to a generic PSU. It is also a high quality PSU, providing good voltages on all lines.

which psu is the most quiet? The seasonic, the Qtech or the zalman?

I hope the zalman because here in Belgium, seasonic en Qtech aren't avaible in the pc-shops...and the zalman costs almost 90euro = 90 dollar

QTechnology PSU's are not the same as Enhance PSU's

The Qtechnology PSU's have a diffrent circuit board and different fans then the Enhance PSU's. This was done to create a silent product line and therefor a different brand was created.

So they are not the same!!

Michael vand er Jagt
www.silentpc.nl

Spike wrote:which psu is the most quiet? The seasonic, the Qtech or the zalman?

I hope the zalman because here in Belgium, seasonic en Qtech aren't avaible in the pc-shops...and the zalman costs almost 90euro = 90 dollar

From personal experience I can say the Seasonic stays quieter longer than the Zalman. Zalman's fan spins up too fast and stays there. Seasonic stays quiet, even in my system w/ Athlon XP 2200+, 1GB PC3200 DDR SDRAM, 3 x 80 GB Barracuda IV's, etc. And judging from Mike's posts, I think he feels the Seasonic has a slight edge over its competitors.