Suggestion for Silent PSU

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

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therock003
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Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by therock003 » Sun Dec 12, 2010 8:13 am

I'm building a Server-Downloader PC, and i want it to be as quiet and energy efficient as possible. At the begininng I thought i should just grab the PSU from my OLD PC, an TAGAN 530 easyconnect, just to shave a few euros, but then i said, since everything is going to be new why should this be any different.

What i'm looking for as i said is.
-Extremely silent
-Energy efficient offering some proections
-Easy cable installation
-And not so many watts since i wont need them, and i need it to be budget.

Which one would you guys recommend?

jhhoffma
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by jhhoffma » Sun Dec 12, 2010 10:48 am

Please post your hardware details so we know what you need to power.

therock003
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by therock003 » Sun Dec 12, 2010 10:56 am

Sure that should be an AM3 Mobo with Athlon 64 II x4 640, with 2x 2GB dd3 sticks, and a passive 5770 radeon card. I dont believe i forgot anything. I wont be overcklocking or doing anything heavy duty. I think even the lowest wattage should be fine.

Even my overclock 920 with nvidia gtx275 and 12gb ram doesnt go well above 290 according to my wattage meter!

alain
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Location: Aartselaar,Vlaanderen (Europe)

Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by alain » Sun Dec 12, 2010 1:05 pm

As you're talking euro's, maybe take a look at "be quiet".

therock003
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by therock003 » Sun Dec 12, 2010 1:14 pm

Never heard of this brand before. In the beginning i was even considering, you telling me to be quiet. Good thing you put those quotations marks :lol:

Parappaman
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by Parappaman » Mon Dec 13, 2010 12:38 am

They're good quality, just be sure to get one of the new E8 series as they're tuned for extreme silence rather than just being quiet like the old E7. Many wattages and fixed/modular cabling models to consider, I'd go for the 400w one with fixed cables as it's plenty power and still relatively cheap.

alain
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by alain » Mon Dec 13, 2010 8:18 am

Parappaman wrote:They're good quality, just be sure to get one of the new E8 series as they're tuned for extreme silence rather than just being quiet like the old E7. Many wattages and fixed/modular cabling models to consider, I'd go for the 400w one with fixed cables as it's plenty power and still relatively cheap.
Oh well, I have a E7 and I find it quiet. I do suppose the E7 isn't available any more, so normally I expect the E8 as the one you can order.

Parappaman
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by Parappaman » Mon Dec 13, 2010 8:23 am

alain wrote:
Parappaman wrote:They're good quality, just be sure to get one of the new E8 series as they're tuned for extreme silence rather than just being quiet like the old E7. Many wattages and fixed/modular cabling models to consider, I'd go for the 400w one with fixed cables as it's plenty power and still relatively cheap.
Oh well, I have a E7 and I find it quiet. I do suppose the E7 isn't available any more, so normally I expect the E8 as the one you can order.
Me too, and their fan is rated for 2000 RPM (or 2500 on the higher wattage ones) while the new ones all use a 1450 RPM fan spinning at the same voltage, which means a much lower rotating speed. But they are in fact all good!

therock003
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by therock003 » Mon Dec 13, 2010 9:10 am

Guys thank you for your input but it's all coming down to Seasonic Fanless and Enermax modu87+ 500w. Which one would you choose? Is Enermax quality wise as good as Seasonic? Cause i keep getting referred to SS X400.

Which one guys?

Parappaman
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by Parappaman » Mon Dec 13, 2010 1:14 pm

Whoa, and you said you would want to be budget! :mrgreen:
Get the Seasonic, passive FTW. If you can find it for less, get the X-560. The Enermax is a good but overpriced unit, that's why you keep getting recommendations for the Seasonic.

therock003
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by therock003 » Mon Dec 13, 2010 2:22 pm

How can it be overpriced? I can find it for less than the X-400!

Quality wise which one is better?

BTW how about the X-460? Is it as good and energy efficient as the X-400? I cant seem to find any review or comparisons? It's the same functionallity and performance providing an additional 60 Watts?

sub
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by sub » Tue Dec 14, 2010 10:19 am

here a review of the 460w


Can't help you with your choice, I can decide myself x-400 fanless or x-650, same price, same components.

yuu
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by yuu » Tue Dec 14, 2010 5:19 pm

Same buzz. it is absolutely unacceptable for fanless PSU to produce any kind of noise = FAIL.

At least X-560 does for sure.

NeilBlanchard
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by NeilBlanchard » Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:19 pm

When the fan is there, it probably masks the low level noises? Is your system fanless?

dkslim
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by dkslim » Thu Dec 16, 2010 4:52 am

People have to stop recommending Seasonics, they all buzz audibly, even the fanless ones.

And no, the fan noise does not mask the buzzing.

I have a cheap Vantec power supply that buzzes less than the Seasonics 3x its price. Unacceptable.

NeilBlanchard
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by NeilBlanchard » Thu Dec 16, 2010 5:15 am

Please realize that many of us have used Seasonic PSU's for years and have not experienced this. It probably is an interaction with one or more component in your system? Or, it maybe an interaction with another electrical device in your location; or a large electrical user nearby, even.

yuu
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by yuu » Sun Dec 19, 2010 8:07 am

Some guy attached the X560 to 3 different systems in different households, same sound in idle even. Could be the 220V maybe.
Another problem is voltage regulation on low power loads 12,78V idle, the 5.0v was 5.03 though. The seasonic is just bad whereas it is supposed to excel.
Also PF is strangely low, barely 75% at 50W, 90% at 150W and they stated 99%.

Despite all that i will be buying X-660 for the sandybridge ~the same price as 460FL, i hope it is 100% not what i heard of X-560.
My video card only produces buzz loaded with f@h and the psu currently(VX450/ss400) does the same in perfect unison, so i won't do that kind of workload.

jhhoffma
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Re: Suggestion for Silent PSU

Post by jhhoffma » Sun Dec 19, 2010 10:29 am

Honestly, your whole post is filled with badger words...

"Some guy"??? Who, where?

You don't mention where those numbers you listed came from or how they were measured. SPCRs numbers are much different on their X-650, and we know the type of measuring equipment they use.

That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if, like you said, the 220V created some different noise factors, of which buzzing would be the most likely.

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