SPCR

Are there anybody using tagan PSUs out there? are they quiet and stable?

http://www.hardwarezoom.com/viewcontent ... &PageNo=12
comparison with antec and tagan.

I've just finished building a box with the TG480. I must say that the quality of the PSU is exceptional - twisted wires, exceptional finishing and attention to details. Power rails are incredibly stable, too. HOWEVER, there is a mechanical noise that is quite bothersome. I've initially thought that in came from the fan(s), but the noise was still present after stopping the exhaust fan with a pencil. Some research yielded similar findings from PC Silencieux on the TG380:

http://www.pcsilencieux.com/article-37-5.html

There's an mp3 file on this excellent review (compliments to Kostik ) that pretty much explains the character of the noise.

In comparison with the Seasonic ST400, the TG480 also runs hotter, which may be a problem in cases with poor airflow. In the system that I built, the PSU's fan(s) didn't speed up so much as to be too loud under load, but then again, that mechanical noise is present all the time...

JavaLava,

does it sound like coil whine?

I've yet to hook up my Tagan myself.

halcyon,

The noise sounds as if the fan blades are hitting on something ever so lightly... but its not. I wouldn't characterize it as coil whine though.

Java,

thanks for the update.

If you do find the source for that noise and are able to diminish it, please report back.

I'll also tell you about my experience when I get the rest of my computer parts and hook that Tagan 480W up (yes, 480W, silly me).

regards,
halcyon

Tagan e-mailed me about this review, they would like to work with me on identifying what this noise is, and where it comes from. They have not noticed any noise in their lab, so it might be shipping-related. Many of my forumers have noticed the same thing, but not all of them.

The noise is just like JavaLava has described, it doesn't sound like any "electrical noise" we are used to hear (coil whine or buzz), but rather like a damaged fan or a hard drive seeking. But it is not related to any moving part, I have run the PSU open with both fans unplugged and the noise is still there.

It's not very loud, but it's a shame considering this PSU is one of the quietest I have ever reviewed appart from that. The TG380-E00 didn't have this problem, and it was *very* quiet.

Unfortuately, I did not have the system long enough to try to find a solution before it was sold. IMO there is probably no way to get rid of the noise. I'm in total agreement with Kostik; the noise isn't very loud, and the power supply is very quiet besides that.

Hopefully, Tagan could solve this noise issue with later revisions.

I just put in a Tagan 380 power supply in my system today and it is very quiet and the voltages are great 3.31 5.00 12.11 that is the best I have ever had on any power supply. I am not getting any of the ticking or whatever noise some are talking about. Now I need to quiet my video card and cpu fans down because the power supply is quiet. Also my case temps seem to be a bit lower. I have a vga silencer to put on my 9800 Pro but have been kind of afraid to install it as I am not sure if I will need to remove the shim on the chip, I don't want to ruin a new video card and I guess I need to put the fanmate on my Zalman 7000 and slow it down a bit.

I just got my Tagan 480 in today. Same story... it's extremely quiet. However, within 3 minutes of starting it up I began to hear the same bizarre noise coming from the exhaust. There's also an electrical buzz noticeable from the intake side. I'll be returning the PSU, but thought I'd give my initial reaction here.

One thing of note... the PSU was (before the noise) much quieter than my Seasonic Super Tornado 300... even before I had the fan replaced (which made the ST louder). The Tagan (sans noise) is easily the quietest PSU I've run across. With the noise it isn't loud, but annoying.

Emmett Lyman

cosmo3,

If your CPU and VGA fans are noisy, you most probably won't be able to hear the noise. But then again, you may have been lucky and got a unit that doesn't have the defect. In any case, when you have quiet down your system, please share your findings if the power supply has the mechanical noise.

BTW, you don't need to remove the shim on your 9800pro to install the VGA Silencer.

The Tagan unit is manufactured by Topower, which also manufactures Be Quiet v.1.3 PSUs.

Does anybody know if the noise present on Tagan PSU can also be heard on the Be Quiet brand PSUs?

If you have experiences, please report the model / revision of your Be Quiet PSU.

Kostik,

Have you heard from Tagan? I'm interested to know if they are resolving the problem. I haven't returned my 480w PSU yet, and the more i think about it the more I'd like to keep it. But it all hinges on whether or not they can fix the annoying noise. My PC is in my bedroom, and the tick would almost definitely keep me up at night!

Thanks,
Emmett Lyman

Kostik wrote:Tagan e-mailed me about this review, they would like to work with me on identifying what this noise is, and where it comes from. They have not noticed any noise in their lab, so it might be shipping-related. Many of my forumers have noticed the same thing, but not all of them.

The noise is just like JavaLava has described, it doesn't sound like any "electrical noise" we are used to hear (coil whine or buzz), but rather like a damaged fan or a hard drive seeking. But it is not related to any moving part, I have run the PSU open with both fans unplugged and the noise is still there.

It's not very loud, but it's a shame considering this PSU is one of the quietest I have ever reviewed appart from that. The TG380-E00 didn't have this problem, and it was *very* quiet.

Well, I decided to keep the Tagan long enough to run a few tests. First, I took my Seasonic Super Tornado 300 (refurbished with louder fan) out of my system and put it on the floor about a meter from the Tagan. I ran them both while listening back and forth for a few minutes. No doubt about it, the Seasonic was much louder. The only difference, of course, was that the ST has just one 120mm fan at the bottom (inside the case) while the Tagan has 2 80mm fans, one inside and one outside.

One thing to note is that the annoying clicking/buzz has vanished. I don't know how or why, but it just isn't there anymore.

I decided to put the Tagan into my system and try it out. The noise level stayed about the same, indicating that the PSU is not my loudest source of noise. It's worth noting that my system is very quiet, so it's remarkable that this 80mm externally facing fan is not the loudest component. Putting my ear next to the PSU, I can clearly hear that the Tagan is quieter than the ST. I'm sorry that I don't have any tools or utilities to do a better job than this, but I do what I can

I've decided to hold onto the Tagan (at least until the return policy expires). It will allow me to further tweak the rest of my system fans to achieve the lowest level of noise I can. Additionally, it has 28A on the 12V rail while the ST only has 18. I don't think this is important now, but it will help to "future-proof" my system for the time being. I've also got more confidence in this than the ST. After the fiasco with their fans, I'm not convinced that I want one of those in my system.

Mike C- If you can get hold of a Tagan, I'd suggest putting it to the test. I'm happy with mine!

Hope this helps,
Emmett Lyman

ejl10 wrote:One thing to note is that the annoying clicking/buzz has vanished.

Very interesting! Too bad I didn't have mine long enough to witness the "break-in" period. How long did you use the Tagan before the noise disappeared?

Well it's good to know that you're happy with the Tagan!

When I first received the PSU I plugged it right in and began testing it. After about 3 minutes I started to hear the clicking/buzzing. I left it running for another 10 minutes or so, and the sound didn't go away. I also tried cycling it on and off to no avail. So I boxed it up again and it sat for a few days. Next time I pulled it out, it started up silently and has stayed that way ever since. I can't explain it, but I know better than to look this gift horse in the mouth!

Emmett Lyman

hohoho i thought this thread was dead. ok i am going to get my 3700BQE on monday, so which is better the Tagan 380W or the Fortron 350 W PSU (blue)? the noise is only found in the 480 W models? Thanks for responding!

http://www.pcreview.co.uk/article-4121-2.php
is this kit any good? i saw it selling at local stores

Cyberpukish wrote:the noise is only found in the 480 W models?

Actually, reviews have indicated that the noise is found on both the TG480-U01 and the TG380-U01.

However, according to Kostik, the TG380-E00 doesn't exhibit the noise. Too bad it's for the European market only.

IMHO, the Seasonic Super Silencer 400 would be a better choice.

apprently its sold here in singapore.

Wow, Cyberpukish, you're my neighbor!

Michael Gan of NetWin Systems in Singapore, who is the distributor of Tagan, did mention to me that he carries the entire line. But I guess I must have wrongly assumed that it doesn't include the E-line; specifically the TG380-E00.

BTW, which store in Singapore has the 3700BQE?

yo! yep u r right netwin holds the 330 380 and 380 models. quite a few retailers have those in stock. if u want the BQE go to www.corbell.com.sg They bring the casings into the singapore... unfortunately, no fan is included only the smart power 350W bundles with it. I am now looking for panaflo 120mm fans they are hard to find here

hmmm maybe they dun have the eline i think i might have mixed up with the other one....
http://www.hardwarezoom.com/viewcontent ... &PageNo=12
they only hold the U one.
i will go recon for more info within next week as my casing is coming in two days come

Cyberpukish wrote:I am now looking for panaflo 120mm fans they are hard to find here

I wish I could help you with the panaflos, but I could only get the 80/92mm fans.

If you've got the budget, the best 120mm fan would be the Papst 4412F2/GL. I've bought more than a half dozen and they are consistantly very quiet. Hook one up to a Fanmate and bring it down to about 1100rpm and it's inaudible. At 1100rpm in a Sonata, it is quieter than the Sonata fan and CPU temp is 1-2 degrees cooler.

hmm yeah i saw the papst review .. i am getting all tingly inside.. filling with excitement. so next week i will be hunting for the tagan psu (lets hope it doesnt buzz!) and 2 nice 120 mm papst fans! i be using some padding on the panels to make the noise even lesser. wat do u rec. for a 3.5 inch bay fan controller? Thermaltake?

I think I share the same opinion as many SPCR readers regarding Thermaltake products: STAY AWAY!!!

Be very careful as to which fan controller you use, as most are PWM controllers which are very noisy. Since you're using the BQE and there are 4 5.25" drive bays, why not use one of them for your fan controller with the Zalman MFC1?

BTW, hope you get a good Tagan!

the problem is that i have... 1 dvd burner 1 cd burner 1 SB audigy front mount drive and another SB Live front mount drive. i dun use a floppy.. so which 3.5 controller is good?

Well, MikeC recently gave a positive review of a 3.5" bay controller:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article133-page1.html
Not sure if you can get it in S'pore though...

thanks! dun think they have it here... guess i have to look around...

Well my Tagan 380 is still very quiet afer a week or so. I did put in the VGA Cooler and changed my heatsink around and have a quiet fan on it still no Power Supply ticking. I noticed one members was OK after reinstalling his. I wonder if it is a vibration problem for some of you. The Tagan is just a bit longerr than some power suplies. I have the Vantec silencer gasket on mine and rubber washers on the mounting screws. I also have a Fortron 350 in my wifes computer and the Tagan is quieter.