Hi all
I am building a htpc/general use computer and I am looking for sizing help an the power supply.
right now the build is
a-10 5700 cpu
asus F2A85-M PRO mb
WD 3tb red
kingston 120gb ssd
8gb ddr3 (samsung)
up to 4 case fans and a cpu fan
some sort of optical drive in the future (perhaps not)

I am thinking something it the 3-400w range should be more than enough right? I want to keep a little head room in case I add a discrete gpu in the future. (nothing to crazy)

this will be in the family space so I value a psu that will be on the quiet side.

Thanks!

Take a look at the SPCR review. 100W under heavy load. The Seasonic G 360 would fit well for HTPC use. Probably quiet enough if you put a 100W TDP graphics card in there (HD 7770/ GTX650 Ti). Anything more and the fan ramp up during gaming might be noticable. Less than 100W might be noticable if you cram the PC into an unventilated area.

The Seasonic G-360 is a great PSU. It's reasonable cheap, has great electrical performance, 5 years warranty, and it should be quiet enough for most people, save for a number of die-hard silent PC enthusiasts.

Have a look at the review that CA_steve linked to.

I was looking at that unit but it is OOS at my favorite retailers.

How does everyone feel about the pcp&c silencer mkiii 400w or the seasonic S12II 430w?

edit: scratch the seasonic. I prefer modular

Seasonic has the X400 which is modular and totally passive PSU, if you feel you need 400W. Another option could be to run a PicoPSU, not sure how much the A10 consumes, but probably something like 150XT should handle it.

I am really trying to avoid a fan less solution. With the small cases htpc's use I figure a fan in the psu should be there for safety.

If not the Seasonics then perhaps an old classic, the Nexus Value 430 W? Only 125 mm in depth (most small PSU's are 140 mm in depth) and extremely quiet. Once received the Editor's Choice award at SPCR but later degraded to being "recommended". Still good though.

If this system only peaks at 100W max, you will have no problems with an X-400 overheating. If you were going to box it in and ask it to supply 400W then yes you might, but not at 100W.

If you want a fan cooled, modular PSU and small size is an issue, Silverstone do a 450W modular, Gold rated SFX sized PSU:
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.p ... 42&area=en
No ideas on quietness and this might change your case options but could be worth considering.

I ended up getting the pc power and cooling silencer mk iii 400w. It was $39 after rebate and based on the seasonic s12II so I am comfortable that it should be a decent unit.

If it ends up being to noisy I will re-purpous it to another computer and order either the seasonic 360 or the fanless x400.

Thanks everyone for their help,

If you find the PSU too noisy, and you're up for it, you could try to swap the PSU fan with a quiet one. I did that with great success! My Corsair CX400W (originally reasonably quiet but still audible) is now completely inaudible.

So far the pcp&c psu has been fairly quiet. No complaints at this time.