$100 for a quiet modular PSU?

[IeraseU]

So I recently upgraded my system and the old power supply I had works, but with the additional power requirements it's sort of on the edge and the fan is also very loud.

So what are your recommendations for a very quiet PSU with modular cabling for about $100. 650 watts is fine, but 750 would be nice for future proofing.

 

[lehtv]

Seasonic M12II 620W $90

Review: http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/05/18/seasonic_m12ii620_power_supply_review/9

Noise

[...] the M12II-620Bronze stuck to Seasonic's roots of being almost dead silent. In general, the M12II-620Bronze easily matches all other Seasonic units, save for the X-750, that we have seen to date in its perceived noise output. There was no time during our load testing or working with the unit that it became audible in our test environment. As such, with the M12II-620Bronze Seasonic continues to produce products that are certainly appropriate for quiet cooling environments.

/thread

 

[TemjinGold]

Out of curiosity, what did you upgrade to?

 

[IeraseU]

Out of curiosity, what did you upgrade to?

i5 2500k (OC), Z77, 16GB, 4 HDs, 1 SSD, 1 DVDRW, 560Ti

 

[TemjinGold]

You could probably get by with a nice 550w to be honest.

 

[IeraseU]

You could probably get by with a nice 550w to be honest.

I don't want to go that low. I have a 500W unit right now and if I overclock the system becomes unstable. I want to leave myself a little bit of a margin.

 

[TemjinGold]

What 500w do you have? Brand and model. Because it's unlikely to be a quality unit if you're getting unstable from it...

 

[IeraseU]

What 500w do you have? Brand and model. Because it's unlikely to be a quality unit if you're getting unstable from it...

It's a Thermaltake, not sure of the model. This was a carryover part from my last build several years ago. I prefer a little wiggle room so I don't have to stress if I want to upgrade vid cards down the road, so I want to go a bit above what the power calculators tell me.

 

[lehtv]

The power calculators tell you a bit above what you need.

Thermaltake PSUs aren't very good. A Seasonic 500W would be enough for the current system, but by all means by a 600W unit for a bit of wiggle room for future upgrades.

 

[IeraseU]

Seasonic M12II 620W $90

Review: http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/05/18/seasonic_m12ii620_power_supply_review/9



/thread

This just went on sale for $70 with free shipping from Newegg, which sealed the deal for me. Thank you for the help!

 

[lehtv]

Awesome, enjoy your new PSU!

 

[Fallengod]

Thats not a bad price for that. I always have trouble pulling the trigger on the Seasonic branded Seasonics though. You can find those Antec Neo Eco 620 Seasonic units often for $35-45AR, which is what I got mine for. I have trouble spending more for kind of the same thing.

 

[lehtv]

To be fair, Neo Eco has a lower efficiency rating, shorter warranty and doesn't include power cable. It's not just a meaningless difference in cost

 

[Upgrade_Itch]

To be fair, Neo Eco has a lower efficiency rating, shorter warranty and doesn't include power cable. It's not just a meaningless difference in cost

It also has a lot of IDE cables and not enough SATA.....also only ONE six+2 pin power connector (not two).

You get what you pay for.

 

[Fallengod]

Fair enough, but keep in mind, while it has a slightly lower efficiency rating on the box, that does not necessarily mean its a low efficiency rating. Id bet if you tested it, its in the bronze category just like the Seasonic. Just sayin. Warranty is worth something, but the other stuff is minor.

 

[lehtv]

I'm going to presume there's a difference in efficiency until proven otherwise... unfortunately, there are practically no Neo Eco reviews on the web

It wasn't my point though that a Seasonic for $70 is necessarily worth it over an equally powerful Neo Eco for $35-45AR. I just clarified that there are clear reasons for why it costs more.

 

[IeraseU]

Thats not a bad price for that. I always have trouble pulling the trigger on the Seasonic branded Seasonics though. You can find those Antec Neo Eco 620 Seasonic units often for $35-45AR, which is what I got mine for. I have trouble spending more for kind of the same thing.

Is this the Antec PSU you're referring to, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371031 ?

If so, the Seasonic is also semi-modular, which is something I wanted.

 

[Upgrade_Itch]

I just use JohnnyGuru as my power supply guide, best PSU reviews on the net. They take the units apart and examine solder points and individual parts in addition to extreme testing (hot and cold).

 

[Upgrade_Itch]

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Review_Cat&recatnum=13