PSU fan speed question

[DidelisDiskas]

I have a 500w chieftech 80 bronze psu that i'm using with my x4 860k + rx470 (both at stock) on linux at the moment. My question is, is it normal for such a psu to be louder than both the cpu and gpu together while running a benchmark like ungine valley, or playing graphically intensive games? Although the fan is pretty big, it revs up to pretty high rpm's, where it overpowers the sound of the gpu and cpu fans.

 

[Valantar]

How old is the PSU? Is the fan making "normal" fan noises, or does it make grinding/whining noises indicative of the fan wearing out? How old is the PSU? And what exact model is it? If it's a cheapo, badly constructed PSU, the fan can easily make a racket without even providing adequate cooling. This is a great example of that. Although I'm not saying your PSU is as horrendously bad as that one, don't mistake a large fan for a well-designed cooling system.

 

[DidelisDiskas]

It's a 60+ euro (at least that's what i paid for it), 1 year old psu. I don't have the box at hand, but i'm pretty sure it's this model:

http://www.chieftec.eu/en/psus/new-a-135-serie/aps-500sb.html

The noise it makes is normal fan noise, but the thing is spinning so fast that it becomes like an air ship when i stress the system a bit. This is probably my first gpu that has a tdp of over 110w, so maybe i'm just not used to it, but it is strange to me that the fan on the psu is louder than the cpu and the gpu when i stress the system. It also gets pretty warm.

 

[UsandThem]

Chieftec aren't known for making the best quality PSUs. They use several different OEMs to supply them, and the rank from very bad to decent. Since they aren't one of the more popular brands, they don't get reviewed very often, and it's tough to say which OEM actually produced it.

Odds are you are pushing that unit to the brink of its capacity, and it's having to run the fan full bore to keep itself from imploding.

 

[DidelisDiskas]

Hm, well there is this article that goes a little bit more in depth (though it's the 550w model):

http://ru.gecid.com/power/chieftec_aps-550sb/?s=all

My Russian is not very good and i don't know alot about psu's, but from what i gather, the review says it's a moderate psu. There are some diagrams, so maybe someone who understands them would comment on those?

Though i guess this could be my answer:

• предустановленный вентилятор не справляется с охлаждением компонентов при больших продолжительных нагрузках;

It says that the fan cannot handle cooling the components very well on heavy, long sustained loads (i have no idea if my use case is a heavy load though).

 

[UsandThem]

It's tough to say without a hardware site I am familiar with testing it and opening it up.

There's are some PSUs that when a site like JonnyGuru.com tests them, they struggle to even provide the full load they claim to be able to.

On the spec sheet from the first link you provided, it states it comes with a 140mm fan. That is a good size fan and it should have no problems cooling a 500w PSU. However, it comes down to the build quality, heatsinks, components, and capacitors used in the unit. The unit only has a 2-year warranty, so I'm sure it uses pretty basic components.

Chieftec just doesn't get reviewed very often.

 

[UsandThem]

I know this is not your PSU, but here is a review of a 500w Coolmax PSU - One that comes only with a 2 year warranty like yours does:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=379

But like I stated before, since there aren't any sites I am familiar with actually testing your unit, it's only my 'gut' feeling why your fan is cranking up so high when a large load is placed on it.

 

[DidelisDiskas]

Crap, so i got suckered in spending 60 euro for a trash psu when i could have gotten a Seasonic S12II-520 520W 80 Plus Bronze for the same price (although, is that a decent psu?).

 

[UsandThem]

Crap, so i got suckered in spending 60 euro for a trash psu when i could have gotten a PSU Seasonic S12II-520 520W 80 Plus Bronze for the same price (although, is that a decent psu?).

Like choosing between a Ford Pinto and a Honda Accord. The Seasonic is a very solid unit.

Before buying any PSU in the future, it's a good idea to stay with Seasonic, EVGA, Corsair, and FSP (there are others like some Antec and Thermaltake units, but just trying to keep it simple). However, very few companies acutally build their own units (like Seasonic), so it's always best to read a review on specific units and make sure it came from a good OEM, and that it's a good unit to buy.