Help Me Choose a Quiet PSU for my Lian Li PC-7F

zenzero-2001 · Post by **zenzero-2001** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 4:23 pm

Hi Everybody,

After my bad experiences with the Seasonic M12D, I am still undecided on what power supply to put in my Lian Li PC-7F case. I would like something quieter than the Enermax Modu82+. I have owned an Enermax Modu82+ previously and I found it to be pretty quiet, but not as quiet as I would like it. Mine sounded similar to this one on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbrulQNyUV0

I was thinking about the Silverstone Nightjar 450w, but I'm not sure about the amount of heat it would produce and how best to cool it. The problem with the PC-7F is that there is only one intake at the front. Therefore, it is not really feasible to make a chamber just for the PSU because then there would be no intake for the rest of the system.

When deciding on a PSU I need to consider quietness (this is the most important to me), cooling and cable management. I do not like having too many cables cluttering things up (it also affects air flow), so I prefer to have modular cables. Unfortunately, the cable management in the PC-7F is not great, unlike the Antec P182.

There seems to be three main kinds of PSU when it comes to cooling:

80mm fan straight through
120mm fan right angle
fanless

I believe the 80mm variety would be more efficient than the 120mm in my system because there is a straight path from the front intake to the PSU (I have removed the drive cage). A 120mm fan PSU could be mounted either fan down (there is a small gap between the bottom of the PSU and the bottom of the case) or fan up. In both situations, the intake is not ideal because of the small gap (when facing down) and the proximity to my sound card when facing up, and the hot graphics card above that).

From an engineering point of view, I like the Antec Signature 650w. Unfortunately, I have listened to the SPCR recording and I do not like the noise it makes even at the slowest speed. I'm sure that it would get on my nerves. I could replace the fan with a Nexus 80mm PWM case fan, but I'm not sure if it is compatible and it would also void the warranty.

From a sonic point of view, I like the Corsair HX520 and HX620. Despite appearing lower than the Enermax on the SPCR rating list, they sound quieter to me. Unfortunately, these have the 120mm fan.

Lastly, we have the Silverstone NightJar STNF 450w. This would obviously be silent and I would cool this with an under volted 140mm Yate Loon in the front intake. Unfortunately, this PSU is not modular, so it would make cable management more difficult. However, I could stow perhaps stow the unused cables in the spare 5.25" drive bays.

Well thanks for reading all of that, I seem to have waffled a bit.

Really, I'm just looking for some advice on which route to take. Is there anything that I have forgotten to consider? I am terrible at making decisions - I have changed my mind about which PSU to get half a dozen times over the past few days. It looks like my ideal PSU does not exist and that I will have to make a compromise somewhere, unless there is one out there I have not discovered!

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 6:53 pm

Please post the rest of your system specs so that we know exactly what help you need.

Initially however, this sounds like an ideal situation for a Scythe Kama Bay. This makes the duct idea feasible for your system if you want to go down that route, as it provides you with another intake vent.

Put the Kama Bay in the bottom 3 optical bays on your case. You could remove the fan that comes with it and just use it as an intake area if you don't need the fan, or just undervolt the fan to near-silence. This would give you the extra intake area that you need for the rest of your system.

Or just buy some modder's mesh and replace all of your unused optical bay drive covers with the mesh, to function as an intake only.

Then, buy a PSU with the 80mm pull through design - the Antec Signature and Neopower ranges from memory still use this design. If the included fan is still too loud, fan swap it for something like the Noctua NF-R8 80mm fan, which should be a little quieter. You can always connect the PSU fan to a motherboard header instead of the PSU, or to a fan controller, so that you can control it manually or through software like SpeedFan. If you go down the motherboard path, Noctua includes some resistors that lower the voltage to your fan anyway to slow it down.

Then build a duct to the front intake area for your PSU. Since your PSU would be an 80mm pull through design, you could just have an approx 80mm high duct. Cardboard would be fine (at least to start with), although it may not look too good if your case is the version that comes with a window.

This will separate your PSU in a similar manner as the P18x series cases from Antec, which should help keep the PSU fan speeds down.

You should also soft-mount any fans and hard drives in your case.

Since your case is aluminium, you might also need to mass load all the panels to stop any vibration noise. This isn't an area I know much about so do a forum search for this. Some people have reported good results from using adhesive vinyl floor tiles, from memory. Coupled with a layer of damping foam over the top, such as Acoustipack, you should then be well on the way to a quiet system, depending on what components you're using.

If you did want to use a fanless PSU like the one you suggested, building a duct and combining it with a Kama Bay for an intake for the rest of your case could also work. Just make sure you have some sort of airflow in the duct - eg if you are still using the front fan that comes with your case - to help with cooling the fanless PSU, as the duct would prevent the normal convection cooling of your PSU.

Hope some of these random thoughts help!

zenzero-2001 · Post by **zenzero-2001** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 3:26 am

Thanks JamieG, your comments are helpful and will give me something more to think about!

My specs are:

Asus P5Q-E Motherboard
E8400 Core 2 Duo passively cooled with Thermalright HR-01 Plus
Sythe Kama PWM 120mm fan as the case fan, but connected to the CPU fan header
xpertVision 9600GT passively cooled with an accelero S1 rev.2
Western Digital Green Power hard disk
Pioneer optical drive

jamesbundy · Post by **jamesbundy** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 6:40 am

It looks like you have a very quiet setup that is not really very power hungry

. Have you considered a Nexus Value 430?

It would remain effectively silent even when your cpu and gpu are loaded full tilt. I have one in an A05B case and I'm very pleased with it (also coming from a Modu82+ btw). It's also quite a bit cheaper than the alternatives already mentioned. Just no modular cabling.

zenzero-2001 · Post by **zenzero-2001** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 11:28 am

Thanks for the comments James. If I decide to go for a 120mm PSU, I'd probably choose a Corsair HX520 (modular) over the Nexus Value (non-modular).

Yes my system is quite frugal, despite having a 9600GT in it. I measure 100 watts at idle and less than 150 watts when playing Quake Wars Enemy Territory.

I think that I have decided on an Antec Earthwatts 430w (also non-modular). I have spent a few hours (!) scouring the Internet for an 80mm PSU with modular cables. They no longer exist! The only ones I could find were discontinued models (e.g. Antec NeoHE, OCZ Modstream) and the Antec Signature - but the Signature does not count because most of the cables (and their are a lot of them) are not modular. The Earthwatts actually has less non-modular cables than the Signature!

I have a spare 80mm Acoustifan that I could put into the Earthwatts, would this be a good choice? Or should I look at putting something different in, such as a Scythe?

Cheers.

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 5:24 pm

Antec Neopower 650W Modular PSU @ Â£85.21inc vat at EBuyer. Seems to feature the 80mm pull through design. Make sure you buy the non-'Blue' version though.

(Massive overkill for the wattage needs of your system, but I couldn't see a lower power model listed).

Re the Earthwatts 430W (which is probably a more sensible choice) what speed is the Acoustifan you've got? Since PSU fans typically run on lower voltage, you need a reasonably high rpm fan for a fan swap to still move some air at low voltage. That's why I recommended the Noctua 80mm fan below.

At your load of approx 150W, the SPCR review of the Earthwatts 430W suggests that your fan will run about 4.3V and 22dBA.

Make sure whatever 80mm fan you choose can start at this voltage, if you're connecting it to the PSU. SPCR hasn't reviewed the 80mm Noctua, but the 120mm versions have a reasonably low starting voltage so you should be ok there.

Alternatively, look at just controlling your PSU fan via the motherboard, and you can use any quiet fan you wish.

zenzero-2001 · Post by **zenzero-2001** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 10:51 am

That was a good find JamieG.

I did not look in eBuyer, it's not a place I'm normally buy from. I notice they have it Amazon as well. I will probably get the NeoPower and a Scythe or Noctua fan to go with it.

Dante80 · Post by **Dante80** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 10:15 pm

zenzero-2001, I have the same case, and a similar system. This is what I did...^^

1> Removed the HDD cage, so that the airflow from the 140 intake is not restricted

2> Bought

Code: Select all

www(dot)performance-pcs(dot)com/catalog/index(dot)php?main_page=product_info&cPath=257&products_id=23025

(sorry bout that, cant post links) ,and used it to mount my single HDD. Mounted a s-flex @600rpm there too.

3> Bought the nightjar 450 for power.

The case now has positive pressure, thus enabling air to go through the psu and out from the case. I taped the pci bracket openings (as well as the openings just right from them, and made a rudimentary air duct linking my HR-01+ (with a E8400 beneath it) to the exhaust s-flex @800.

All is well now, the temps are decent and the case is effectively silent @1m in my room... the rig uses 3 fans, all case. 2 for intake (s-flex@600 lian li @600) and 1 for exhaust (s-flex @800)

P5Q deluxe
E8400 + HR-01+
1 scorpio blue drive
4670 fanless (with accelero s2)

zenzero-2001 · Post by **zenzero-2001** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 11:14 am

Hi Dante80

Thanks for the info on what you did, very interesting. I did notice that Lian Li made accessories for there cases, but I thought it was just for their higher end stuff.

I decided to buy the Scythe Kama Bay and the Scythe Quiet Drive. I bought a Yate Loon 140mm fan to replace the Lian Li one and a Noctua 80mm fan to replace the PSU fan in the Antec NeoPower PSU. I decided not to go for the Silverstone Nightjar because I would like to avoid the messy cabling.

The Antec NeoPower arrived today and it is currently powering my computer. It is very quiet even without the fan swap, but I will do the swap anyway to get that extra quietness. I am much happier with this PSU than the Seasonic M12D. The rest of the stuff should arrive tomorrow or Friday.

I was also thinking to go for a positive pressure setup. My room gets quite dusty, so it would be a good idea. The fan in the Scythe Kama Bay combined with the 140mm Yate Loon should give a higher CFM that the 80mm PSU and 120mm case exhaust fans. This will hopefully result in positive pressure. I will tape some of the extraneous exit holes, but I will keep those around the graphics card.

Dante80 · Post by **Dante80** » Wed Jun 17, 2009 11:02 pm

Sounds nice, hope it works well for you...^^

A question. Can you plz compare for me the stock lili 140 to the low yate loon? I'm thinking of changing mine too, provided that there is an actual difference in noise character @400-600rpm...

About taping, remember to cover the place beside the pci brackets (leave some coverage for the GPU if you like), as well as the rims between the 5 1/4 bays. With the cage in, you only have to cover from inside the (empty?) bay above. The results are not as negligible as they seem, at least in my case...

zenzero-2001 · Post by **zenzero-2001** » Sat Jun 20, 2009 7:03 am

Well, I have been trying to take the Antec NeoPower apart so I can replace the fan. But, I am not having any success undoing the screws - frankly, I have made a bit of a mess of it. I don't think I have never seen such poor quality screws before.

I have tried various screwdrivers, but the screws just won't budge. All I have succeeded in accomplishing is mutilating their heads. I believe they were pozidrive size 01, but not anymore!

Does anybody have any ideas or recommendations for removing the screws without damaging the PSU? Or am I stuffed? Cheers.

zenzero-2001 · Post by **zenzero-2001** » Sun Jun 21, 2009 6:47 am

OK, I have done some research and the screws are actually Phillips head not pozidrive. Fortunately, I have been using Phillips head screwdrivers.

I managed to get one of the screws out with a Phillips head No. 2 driver, I had to press down really hard. The remaining 3 screws are a lost cause, I believe. It does not matter how hard I press down, the driver just rotates and chews up the screw even more. Hopeless! If I press down any harder the screwdriver would poke through to Australia!

I think I will stick this PSU in my Mother's computer and take my Enermax Modu82+ back. I will research performing a fan swap on that, I will probably have to power the fan from an external header because of the Enermax's bi-voltage controller thingy. Nothing is ever easy.

Dante80, I will get back to you on the Yate Loon, when I get that far.

zenzero-2001 · Post by **zenzero-2001** » Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:29 am

Ha! I bought some quality screwdrivers with laser tips. The screws came out easily despite being chewed.

Now, I need to figure out how to open the case.

zenzero-2001 · Post by **zenzero-2001** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:58 pm

Hi, I have finished the fan swap on the PSU and all is well. I can't hear it

Dante80, I listened to the stock Lian Li 140mm fan and compared it to the Yate Loon 140mm. I'm not sure about the voltages, I used a Zalman fanmate. Basically, there are both very quiet when under volted. The main difference is that the Yate Loon is smoother. The Lian Li fan has a slight tick (only really audible close up), whereas the Yate Loon is very smooth. The Yate Loon does not start at 5v, but does start at a smidgen above that.

One fan I am disappointed with is the one in the Scythe Kama Bay, it is not quiet. It has an unpleasant sound signature even at low voltages. I am going to swap it out for the Lian Li 120mm fan that came with the case.

zenzero-2001

Dante80 · Post by **Dante80** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 10:28 pm

zenzero-2001 wrote:Dante80, I listened to the stock Lian Li 140mm fan and compared it to the Yate Loon 140mm. I'm not sure about the voltages, I used a Zalman fanmate. Basically, there are both very quiet when under volted. The main difference is that the Yate Loon is smoother. The Lian Li fan has a slight tick (only really audible close up), whereas the Yate Loon is very smooth. The Yate Loon does not start at 5v, but does start at a smidgen above that.

Thanks man, I appreciate it...