Best PSU for Power & Quietness

[NietzscheRCN]

I need a psu for my new system, but it has to be quiet. I looked into fanless psu's but do not think they provide enough power for my system. I have been looking into antec neopower and ocz modstream because they use 120 mm fans. Any advise on whats best.

 

[imported_KFC]

How about this NB-Fortron



Not sure where you can find it so i posted review..

 

[imverygifted]

the modstream for me is nice and quiet, its currently the PSU in my main computer. zalman makes a line of noiseless power supplies, i havn't heard much about them though. also enermax makes the noisetaker and whisper lines which are supposed to be quiet.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: NietzscheRCN
I need a psu for my new system, but it has to be quiet. I looked into fanless psu's but do not think they provide enough power for my system. I have been looking into antec neopower and ocz modstream because they use 120 mm fans. Any advise on whats best.

IMO the best modular PSU is the modstream. However none of the modulars are as quiet as you are led to believe. Although pretty quiet the Modstream uses a High speed Yate-loon fan. So it is quiet but emits a buzz. Still quieter than the Neopower and the Ultra though.

I would get, if you want a quiet PSU, a Seasonic Super Tornado 400Watt. THey are proven to sustain more than 400Watts.

-Kevin

 

[Operandi]

The best is without a doubt Seasonic, both the Silencer and Tornado are powerful and very very quiet, the new S12 series looks great too.

The Neo Power is good as well, better then the Modstream. Other good choices would be Tagan, Zalman, and Nexus.

 

[wisdomtooth]

I second the Seasonic Super Tornado. Very quiet yet holds voltages steady.

 

[wylecoyote]

Antec is about to release a 500w Phantom. Totally silent. Looks bad-ass too... supposedly, it'll be the most efficent PSU on the market.

 

[NietzscheRCN]

Thanks to all who have replied so far. The fortron and zalman will be a little to under powered. The zalman is also a little louder than I would have liked. In the case of the antec and ocz I would be changing out the fans anyway so if the stocker makes to much noise no big deal. I never heard of seasonic before, but after checking them out I will definitly look into their new S12 500 psu. The phantom 500 is awesome but won't make it to market for a few months probably. I would also be a hefty price tag. Probably the best bet for quietness though.

 

[Chang10is]

Originally posted by: Operandi
The best is without a doubt Seasonic, both the Silencer and Tornado are powerful and very very quiet, the new S12 series looks great too.

The Neo Power is good as well, better then the Modstream. Other good choices would be Tagan, Zalman, and Nexus.

It's funny that the Tornado would be quiet. The name suggests that it was designed for maximum air flow, which would make a noisy power supply. It seems like a good number of people like Seasonic, but how quiet exactly are their power supplies (silent, almost silent, etc.)? Would anybody be able to guess the approximate noise rating in decibels?

BTW, does anybody know anything about modding power supplies to make them quieter? I have an old Sparkle 350W PSU that is really loud, and I was thinking about the possibility of replacing the fan inside. How dangerous/risky is this? And how difficult would it be to do it? I'll probably put up a post about this today... just want to go back home and get the model number of the unit before I start a new thread.

 

[imported_KFC]

NB-Fortron's are 15-20dB and that's silent..

 

[Gamingphreek]

Seasonic is as quiet as you get.

I would put the Modstream in a tie with the Neopower.

If you mod it you void the warranty. Also if you open it just dont touch any of the capacitors. I would recommend reading up on this before you do it. Also some times the fans are soldered on to the circuit board so you have to cut the wires and reconnect. Just get a new one if you dont have any experience doing this.

-Kevin

 

[CraigRT]

I have a Modstream 450W now, and it's pretty quiet. No louder or quieter it seems than my Ultra X-connect of past, but it's a sweet PSU for sure.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Chang10is

Originally posted by: Operandi
The best is without a doubt Seasonic, both the Silencer and Tornado are powerful and very very quiet, the new S12 series looks great too.

The Neo Power is good as well, better then the Modstream. Other good choices would be Tagan, Zalman, and Nexus.

It's funny that the Tornado would be quiet. The name suggests that it was designed for maximum air flow, which would make a noisy power supply. It seems like a good number of people like Seasonic, but how quiet exactly are their power supplies (silent, almost silent, etc.)? Would anybody be able to guess the approximate noise rating in decibels?

BTW, does anybody know anything about modding power supplies to make them quieter? I have an old Sparkle 350W PSU that is really loud, and I was thinking about the possibility of replacing the fan inside. How dangerous/risky is this? And how difficult would it be to do it? I'll probably put up a post about this today... just want to go back home and get the model number of the unit before I start a new thread.

The Seasonic's are about as quiet as anything you'll find; marginally better then other quiet PSU's Zalman, Tagan ect. You can check out SPCR's reviews, they come in the low 20 dBA's, basically much quieter then any other fan in you'll likely have in your system.

You can change the fan in your PSU but it will void your warranty and you have to be careful where you stick your hands. If you do decide to swap fans make sure to get one with a similar CFM rating.

 

[slpaulson]

I pretty much can't hear my Enermax Noisetaker. The fans run for a couple minutes after I shut down my computer, and I still can't hear it running. I do have my case under my desk though, so that may help.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Originally posted by: CraigRT
I have a Modstream 450W now, and it's pretty quiet. No louder or quieter it seems than my Ultra X-connect of past, but it's a sweet PSU for sure.

I'm thinking about getting an OCZ Modstream 450W to replace my 2 week old X-Connect 500W. Why did you switch?

 

[Engineer]

SilentPCReview power supply reviews.

SilentPCReview recommended power supply units.

 

[yezhou]

Originally posted by: cRazYdood
I pretty much can't hear my Enermax Noisetaker. The fans run for a couple minutes after I shut down my computer, and I still can't hear it running. I do have my case under my desk though, so that may help.

Yup same here, these things are really quiet. :thumbsup: