Enermax modu82+ the noisiest component ?

appletree · Post by **appletree** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 4:59 am

Hi, I just finished new PC build and it looks like the modu82+ 525W is the only component I can here when the case is closed. My mobo is telling me that the PSU speed is ~530 RPM (when idle) I have the PC on my desk and I can still here it during day - even from 1m (though only barely). Is this normal ? According to SPCR I expected it would be almost inaudible that's why i picked it up and now i turns out that all my other fans are quiter.
I am using p182 case with NF-P12@600RPM as rear fan and NF-S12@500 RPM as top fan. Other than that I just use the AC Freezer 7 Pro @ 1000 RPM and even at this speed the 7 Pro is audible only when I put my ear close to it. (Btw I was quite surprised but at this setup the 7 Pro is able to keep my q9650 cool below 65C even at full load of all 4 cores at ~1000 RPM if without OC of course) Yeah and the VGA is fan-less.

So don't get me wrong, the modu82+ is still the quietest PSU I got at home (though other than that I have just some chep ones) but I am just wondering - is this the best in regards of PSU silence it can get without modding any retail PSU ? Or is it just sample variance ? Because I am a bit dissapointed from it, perhaps I expected too much ?

ntavlas · Post by **ntavlas** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:16 am

It doesn`t need to be a bad sample. You have some smooth fans in your pc and it`s normal that even a good ball bearing fan is more audible than they are.

edh · Post by **edh** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 12:16 pm

I would be disappointed if it's louder than fans that are spinning faster than it. What kind of load are you putting on it at idle? the base speed is nominally 450rpm so there must be a bit of heat there to run at 530rpm.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 1:18 pm

Hello,

From your description, it seems like you may have a (slightly) louder than normal unit. I think it uses a ball bearing fan (as many/most do) and these can be louder than sleeve bearing fans.

Here's what I would do: try to compare it to the recordings of the SPCR review, and then try to judge if the difference rises to the level of a defect? If you think it does, then it can't hurt to at least ask for an RMA. If they refuse, or if you decide that you are okay to void the warranty, you can either try to quiet the stock fan (with some oil in the bearings) or just replace it with a quieter fan.

appletree · Post by **appletree** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:13 pm

Thank you guys but seems like I have an update. It was not until I removed the Enermax PSU from case that I realized the main source of noise is coming from my harddrives instead of PSU itself - what a beginners mistake. Of course I know that spinning disks make noise but never thought it could be that loud (all my previous systems were too noisy to experience this effect) - I just got my self fooled that since I do not hear any seek noise then HDDs are probably OK (yeah and in P182 HDDs and PSU are placed close to each other). And now I see that with case opened my Noctua fan had to be run at about 1100 RPM just to match the noise coming from my spinning WD 500GB ! Luckily the Samsung F1 (1 TB version) is a little less noisy so now I am using just this one HDD which now turns out to be the noisiest component in my system.

I also tried to run modu82+ with all other fans / hdds disconnected and well - it's much better than with that WD 500GB spinning ! Still wasn't dead silent but much less audible from 1m distnace. Sound signature of the bearing is clearly less smooth (and louder) than on Noctua fans at comparable RPM.
(but I was using the PSU about 2 months in my old system before I built a new one. I was reading some users stating that their modu82+ unit got louder after few months of usage, hmm...)

Anyways - due to noise from my Samsung F1 it hardly qualifies as a reason for RMA, for now the noise level is acceptable to me, definitely a huge improvement over my previous system.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 4:49 pm

Hi,

You can try suspending the offending hard drive(s)?

incorrect · Post by **incorrect** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 9:13 pm

have you tried undervolting that quad cpu? the lower power consumption might even cut some rpms off the psu fan

niels007 · Post by **niels007** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 6:41 am

My pro82+ also runs at about 500rpm minimum, never the 450rpm they specify. I hear a very slight motor/bearing noise that would indeed be the loudest component when there is no HD activity..

That said though, if thats the loudest part of your system you should consider being done with the silencing and rejoining real life

appletree · Post by **appletree** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 5:19 am

NeilBlanchard wrote:Hi,

You can try suspending the offending hard drive(s)?

Hopefully we are not getting too much OT: I guess suspending can help reducing seek noise or noise related to vibrations, but can it actually help to reduce noise of spinning platers ? If so I might consider it.

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 5:54 am

Hi,

Yes, suspending the hard drives can reduce the idle whining, since it is not transmitted to the case through direct contact.

walle · Post by **walle** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 5:57 am

If youâ€™re truly anal or simply really bothered about the noise,

You couldâ€¦ modify your case as to accommodate two suspended Quiet Drives or Smart Drives.

nyu3 · Post by **nyu3** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 8:28 pm

Your Modu82+ may have a bad fan sample.

My Modu82 always had a scratchy sound and eventually developed a clicking sound too - both audible at 500rpm.

I replaced the fan with a Noctua P12 @ 700rpm, which is much quieter.

Terje · Post by **Terje** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:07 am

my Modu 82+ is very silent as well unless pushed up around 450W, then the fan start spinning faster. By no means noise, just a nice wooosh air sound then.

Totally acceptable since the only time the PC use that much power is when gaming with crossfire and then there is a fair amount of other noises from the speakers.