High wattage vs. lower wattage!

[Harry_Wild]

I was wonder if a higher wattage power supply would make more noise then a lower wattage one. For example 600w vs. 300w.

But the fan blades in the power supplies have been engineered more for quietness since I purchased my last PC back in 2006 so that the reason for my question. Back in 2006; bigger means more noise overall and factor of 2 or 3 times that of a lower wattage PS!

 

[Bearmann]

It would depend on the specific PSU and the load that it is under. The higher wattage unit is usually built to dissipate more heat, so at low wattage it's just cruising. Some units don't start the fan until a certain load is reached, so they may be essentially fanless at a low load. Efficiency is usually maximized when a PSU is running about 50% of it maximal load and usually poor at less than 20% of it maximal load. The higher the efficiency (e.g. Platinum), the lower the heat output and the less need for the cooling fan. There is also coil whine which is related to specific models.

 

[Harry_Wild]

It would depend on the specific PSU and the load that it is under. The higher wattage unit is usually built to dissipate more heat, so at low wattage it's just cruising. Some units don't start the fan until a certain load is reached, so they may be essentially fanless at a low load. Efficiency is usually maximized when a PSU is running about 50% of it maximal load and usually poor at less than 20% of it maximal load. The higher the efficiency (e.g. Platinum), the lower the heat output and the less need for the cooling fan. There is also coil whine which is related to specific models.

Hi Barry,

Thanks for the reply.

So are you saying that if you have a larger power supply in your PC; and don't have a lot of wattage needed; for example 500W and you only running on 150 watts average and peak at say 200; you basically have a very silent, low fan condition?

 

[Bearmann]

I would say that you have the potential for a very silent , low fan condition. It really depends on the specific unit and what the aim of the manufacturer was, and how close they came to achieving or exceeding it. If you have a 800 watt unit that doesn't start the fan until it hits a 25% load, yes, it's probably going to be quiet at 150 watts because the fan isn't running. You're best bet is to read rigorous reviews of the specific unit, e.g. those at JonnyGURU.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Thanks again Barry!

Found a new technology website for me to explore - JonnyGURU.com

 

[Bearmann]

You're very welcome. Of course, that's in addition to the reviews here at Anandtech. If you're a silent PC fan, you should really be spending some time at silentpcreview.com.

 

[MongGrel]

Things have changed a lot over the years, many even higher output CPU's used to use small fans that would scream.

Have been using one of these 850 old trucks in an Antec 1200 for a long time now that was designed for the case then, I'm sure are many quite ones out there.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=142

It's just an old thing I've been using awhile myself, there are good new reviews here of course.