Updated quiet Zalman-PSU: ZM300A-APF

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

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Ralf63
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Post by Ralf63 » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

Hmm - I posted this one in the wrong forum (general). Anyway here it is:
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<BR>Check it out: <!-- BBCode auto-link start --><a href="http://www.zalman.co.kr/english/product/zm300a-apf.htm" target="_blank">http://www.zalman.co.kr/english/product ... apf.htm</a><!-- BBCode auto-link end -->
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<BR>Has anyone bought it and installed it yet? If so, be sure to post a
<BR>mini-review about this new Zalman-PSU on this site.
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MorningMusume
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Post by MorningMusume » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

I ordered the new Zalman PSU from silicon acoustics and have it installed in my system. I think it's great except for one problem, the fan noise is annoying. I can hear this really soft clicking noise coming from the fan. I know it's the PSU fan because when I stop it with my finger, the noise goes away. Is this what's meant by "bearing chatter?" I have a WD 1200JB hard drive that's not in an enclosure, and I can still hear the PSU fan. Anyone else have this power supply and can comment on the fan noise?
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MikeC
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Post by MikeC » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

Could well be bearing chatter. The review sample didn't exhibit this, had virtually no bearing chatter at all. Are you sure it's not a wire inside that's somehow shifted and is rubbing against the fan blade?
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<br>Swapping the fan will require soldering, BTW; the leads on the sample are soldered to the PCB.
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Dru
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Post by Dru » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

Nice article! I just ordered 3 replacement parts for my PC to quiet the sucker down! =) It started to annoy me this past week (the computer noise).
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<br>I am replacing the 80mm case fans (Sunon) with 1 Antec (30dBA) and 1 Vantec Stealth (21dBA).
<br>The stock CPU fan for my retail AMD Athlon 1900+ (came with fan) makes SO much noise! Anyone else have this problem? It's a green fan with an AMD logo on it. I ordered a Thermaltake Volcano 6cu (31dBA) to replace it.
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<br>Lastly, I just ordered the Zalman ZM300A-APF to replace my Antec 300watt PS (the Antec PS is a little noisy).
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<br>The dBA values above are from each respective product data sheet. I'll post a follow-up when the products come within the next week.
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<br>Lastly, so the dBA results from the article represent the total sound from the computr as a whole? So, then it's difficult to isolate the PS noise?
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MikeC
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Post by MikeC » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

dBA results -- taken with the mic ~1" from the side of the PSU fan -- ie, not directly in the airflow path, which causes windnoise to exaggerate the readings. The rest of the system is so quiet it's just about inaudible, I doubt the dBA reading would go up by more than a dB (if that) because of other component noise. A lot of effort went into making the system super quiet so that the PSU would be the only significant noise maker. The changes in PSU noise recorded in the reviews are due solely to changes in PSU fan speed.
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<br>As mentioned in the article, you can't really compare this dBA to published ISO7779 stats (or any other noise readings) because it is non-standard. Most place the mic farther away -- anywhere from 30cm (?) to 1m. The closest comparision is storagereview.com's noise reviews for hard drives, which are measured with the same nearfield method. Their measurement of the 2-platter Seagate Barracuda 4 drive is 41.3 dBA, which gives you a rough comparision: the overall noise of a cuda drive is on par with a Zalman or Seasonic at idle or normal use, with the Seasonic being ever so quieter.
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Dru
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Post by Dru » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

Sorry for the cross-post but wrote up my personal experience in silencing my PC here:
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<br><!-- BBCode Start --><A HREF="http://www.silentpcreview.com/modules.p ... opic=129&0" TARGET="_blank">General Discussion :: Silencing my system journey</A><!-- BBCode End -->
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