Is it possible that you have a different version of the 120mm Fortron PSU The one I have is a FSP350-60PN and it certainly does not push "a ton of air". The fan spins down after the initial power up, so there is some sort of speed control circuit inside.

Also, 60PN series have about the biggest heat sinks around. You are definitely talking about a different model.

The question arises though, which model? Looking at Fortron Sourge model catalog, I can only find one model (60PN) that has 120mm fan.

Are you sure the 'loud' model you are referring to has a 120mm fan and looks like this:

http://english.aopen.com.tw/products/po ... 0-60PN.htm

regards,
Halcyon

Damn, another PSU I have to mod myself to get it silent.

Thanks for the heads up.

regards,
Halcyon

Has anybody modded their new 120mm fan Fortron/Sparkle/Aopen to use either a low RPM fan or lower voltage for the fan?

I should be getting my 300W version next week and will probably MOD it if it's EMI performance is any better than my current Enermax.

regards,
Halcyon

The general consensus here is that the fan runs at about 5v when it "spins down". How much lower voltage can you get?? The only mod I can think of that would be any good on this PSU is to decouple the fan (and possibly replacing the fan).

On the other hand, you can look at it this way: What's to stop any reseller from opening up a Fortron, putting a quiet low flow fan in there and selling it?

I for one, am more comfortable buying an officially backed Fortron PSU, where I know the air flow is sufficient. And it's half the price

Yep, I know that's what the others do That's why I'm a tad skeptical. I could put a 80mm 12 dBA papst in a Fortron and have the same thing, but I'm not confident that the PSU was designed for such low air flow. I mean, there is a reason for heat sinks and fans in them.

But, keep in mind, that's just my personal opinion, and I haven't even done any research on Silenx, Verax, Nexus, Zalman, PC Power and Cooling, to see if the PSU components runs hotter, or if they've posted any research testing data, etc..
I could be dead wrong.
Maybe they run just as cool as the 120mm fan version.
Maybe they've done extensive testing like the Fortron company.
Maybe under load the little quiet fans have the ability to spin up and cool things down.
Maybe the PSU components aren't stressed any more than the cool breeze blowing 120mm fan version. hehe

I ordered the Aopen 350 Watt one. But the idiots send me the wrong PSU all together. I got a Fotron FS350-60BTN which is equipt with a 80 mm fan

So i wasn't to happy. I have to send it back now. Hopefully they will send me the correct one.

Where did you order from?

I see now that it was a perspective issue. I don't have any experience with the various "quiet" brand PSU (well other than a "quiet" Antec - which wasn't quiet at all). Also the sounds of the rest of my system components are mixing with the PSU noise so it's hard to distinguish at this point. Still I do think it's a great price for the amount of silence you get.

Has anybody in Canada found a good (hopefully Canadian) source for the 60PN Fortron/Sparkle/Aopen/Powerman PSUs? Aopen should be a good bet, but I haven't had any luck yet.

None of the sites in the US that have them are very Canada-friendly. Newegg won't ship here, and xpdirect wants prepayment via snailmail moneyorder and adds a hefty shipping charge.

What happens if you drive a van full of these over the border? Would you have to pay taxes or something?

A store in the Netherlands (thats in Europe for the geo-n00bs )

They removed it from their website altogether. It is going to be hard to get one i guess

Maybe i can get a Aopen one through a collegue.

I'll keep you posted...

If I were to buy a bunch for personal use and bring them across, 15% sales tax would be added, plus the applicable duties for bringing a non-American made item across the border.

For business use or resale, I would be refunded my 15% from the gov't or, possibly, not have to pay it at all if I presented my farm card. If memory serves, use of a broker is mandatory after I think the $1200 US pricepoint. Duty (probably 2% or so) would also be applied if they weren't made in the US.

Generally, there are no duties on any PC components imported to Canada. Only GST applies for biz, and also Provincial sales tax for individual purchase. It is GST that is refundable, I don't believe sales tax ever is, it is collected and kept on every transaction . (Certainly true with car sales/purchases). I had no idea sales tax was as high as 15% anywhere in Canada! In BC, it's 7.5%. HIghest is Prince Edward Isle at 10%. Where are you?! Broker use is always optional, in my experience.

I'm in New Brunswick where the HST is 15% (PST 8%, GST 7%). My business is farming, so everything used for and by the business is tax free. I might have some trouble convincing the gov't that power supplies were a farming item if I resold them, though... Honest, I just scattered a few around and look what happened!

Most of my customs experience is with exporting to the US, though, so my import knowledge isn't exactly extensive. The last large item I imported, though, was food-grade conveyor belting about 5 years ago and it had to be brokered (or I could've travelled to the border and completed the paperwork myself, which wasn't worth my effort and expense at the time).

Wow, almost 4000 reads to this post
Just wanted to let you all know, coolcases.com now has the 350W model in stock thanks to us
http://www.coolcases.com

Got my 350 from xpdirect today. In a word: wow! After the initial spinup of the fan I had to put my hand in the path of the moving air to tell it was on. And this is while it was sitting in front of me on my desk! Plugged into my 8RDA with a Thermalright 800U and a 7 volted NMB 4710 series fan you can't hear a darn thing. Of course, once I connect my drives it's another story...

Don't worry, with a normal computer set up, the fan won't get any faster. The 350W model seems to handle the load with ease.

Good idea:
Someone at Overclockers forum mentioned that we should all encourage Newegg.com to carry the 350W model. Go to http://www.newegg.com and click on the "Your Ideas" link at the bottom left and fill out the small form.

Is the side fan for sucking air in from the bottom or blowing out at the top??

The 120mm fan sucks air into the PSU and blows out the back of the PSU. In other words, it draws air from the interior of the case, and blows it out the rear.
Look at this pic:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/files/images/katana//final.jpg
The PSU works best with positive air pressure.

I can attest to the fact, that it works best with positive air pressure.

I just got my FPS300-60PN(PF) under AOpen (same Fortron PSU rebranded).

It's not particularly silent. My modeified (single 92mm fan) Enermax EG465AX was significantly more silent than this baby at stock voltage/speed. Then again, FSP300-60PN pushes significantly more air and stays cooler.

I think I need to add a potentionmeter to the fan to control it's speed as at default speed it is way too loud for my very silent environment.

Not a bad psu imho, but definitely not silent in stock form (unless you have a semi-noisy computer/environement, in which case it might feel like silent).

regards,
halcyon

If anyone is interested in England, you can buy FSP300-60PN, FSP350-60PN and Aurora 300 from www.theoverclockingstore.co.uk.

I've updated the original post with this:

Newegg has the 300W version

XPDirect carries the 350W version
Coolcases.com is also carrying the 350W version.

Note: The PF versions are much louder than the non PF versions. If looking for a quiet PSU, Do Not order the FSP300-60PN(PF) or FSP350-60PN(PF) versions.