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PSU - stumped

C

callmesteve

Senior member
I need to get a QUIET PSU. I currently have a ThermalTake 480W.... and its loud as hell.

I've heard good things about PC Power and Cooling but I don't want to pay too much.

Seasonics and Fortron.... well are they quiet? Never bought one of those before.

I just need it to be ... well not silent but close to it. Any suggestions?
 
I just posted this in another thread.

Get the Fortron here at NewEgg for 92$. Basically, Fortron makes the PSU's for PC P&C, you just pay more for the PC P&C name. This one is 500w, 30Amp 12V rails (2x15A) and anythign else you want. Also the 120mm fan on it is very quiet and still provides attequate cooling
 
Hrm I was looking in on the Seasonic at newegg right now but then AMDZen just caught my attention, the decibel levels seem lower on the Fortron. The 500W is tempting compared to the 400 Seasonic I was just looking at, but silentpcreview has the Seasonic on the recommended PSU list. Grr... when did buying PSU's get so hard?

On a second note, how are the OCZ's?
 
OCZ's are also good PSU's. I don't know about their noise levels though.

Don't stress too much, and start worrying or anything. If you buy an OCZ, Fortron, Seasonic, or whatever. They're all good PSU's, and your chances of having a problem with any of them will be about the same. Translation: You probably won't have a problem with any of them. The modstream is cool because it has its own cable management, if that is something that interests you. I've owned and build lots of computers with Fortron PSU's, and can vouch for them personally. I also have current machines that are running a Vantec Stealth (very quiet) and an Antec from back in the day. I've also never had any problems with those two brands. The Vantec Stealth is no longer being made though, you may be able to find it, but it would probably be used.

Like I said, you can't go wrong with any of them. I love how so many people tout the PC Power and Cooling PSU's. AS they should, they are awesome and well known for quality. But the fact is, Forton is the exact same thing. And for an unbelievable price. I think American's (more so then just people in general) pay too much attention to price. "You get what you pay for" is a very good rule to follow, but its not always true. And so people are always willing to pay more because they think they're getting something special. Alienware is another prime example, or the Escalade's premium over the GMC Yukon.

Is Seasonic an Awesome PSU? Yes, it rocks it, but is it better then the lower priced Fortron? No, its not. By paying more, in this case, your not getting more.
 
Is Seasonic an Awesome PSU? Yes, it rocks it, but is it better then the lower priced Fortron? No, its not. By paying more, in this case, your not getting more.
Click to expand...

SPCR reviews:

Fortron

The Fortron Source Power Blue Storm AX500-A is a great improvement over the last Fortron PSU that we reviewed. Efficiency is definitely this power supply's greatest strength. Noise levels between the Blue Storm and the FSP350-60PN Aurora measured within two dBA, but the Blue Storm is quieter subjectively.

In a wider comparison with power supplies from other acoustics-focused manufacturers, the Blue Storm fares less well. There are units with quieter fans and fan controllers that output less voltage to a higher power output level, although few of them will beat the Blue Storm in efficiency. Kudos to Fortron for using a sleeve-bearing fan instead of a ball-bearing model, which would have been noiser. Still, this sleeve bearing fan was not really quiet enough to push the Blue Storm into the top ranks of quiet PSUs.

...

Overall, the Blue Storm is a well-rounded power supply that suits many applications. Its flat efficiency curve makes it suitable for use in both high and low power applications. Although the noise it produces at higher output levels would be unacceptable to a hardcore silencing enthusiast, it is likely that in a high powered system there would be other, greater sources of noise.
Click to expand...

Seasonic Super Silencer/Tornado

The Revision A3 versions of the Seasonic Super series PSUs are more than a fix of the fan controllers. They are serious improvements on products that ? without the fan controller flaws ? were already excellent.

...

The Yate Loon fan in combination with the new fan controller circuit makes for a real and audible reduction in the noise of the Super Tornado, which is especially nice at higher power output. At the 300W output, it is probably the quietest of all the PSUs tested thus far.

...

Revision A3 has brought the Seasonic Super series back to the top of SPCR's Recommended PSUs. Nicely done!
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Seasonic S12

For most of the range in which this power supply is likely to be used, efficiency remained between 79~83%. In this realistic power draw range of <250W this power supply is about the best we've measured.

In actual use inside a typical modern PC, we expect this PSU to rarely ramp up even to 25 dBA/1m. Extended high loads are required for the temps to rise high enough to cause further ramping up of the fan.

In summary, the S12-430 is the quietest fan-cooled PSU we have tested to date, by a small margin. It is also quite powerful enough for most systems, and very efficient.
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Frankly, it's pretty tough to get a good review from SPCR, so the Fortron they tested was obviously no slouch. But they definitely saw a difference between it and the Seasonic units. Whether the difference is worth the price discrepancy is another matter entirely, but the Seasonic PSUs were definitely quieter.

I agree with your comments on PCP&C -- they don't seem to be particularly quiet or efficient, and while their voltage regulation is excellent, many other brands are just as good.
 
I've never heard of a truly quiet fan-cooled PSU until I bought Seasonics.

For those on a crusade to quiet their computers without having to give up airflow, the Seasonic should be the first item on their purchase list. Simple as that.
 
Really, nothing comes close to a Seasonic when it comes to noise.

My S12 fan is hardly even spinning. Because of its 80+% efficiency, very little heat is being generated. As a result, the fan doesn't even need to spin at any significant RPM.
 
Originally posted by: Coolin
Really, nothing comes close to a Seasonic when it comes to noise.

My S12 fan is hardly even spinning. Because of its 80+% efficiency, very little heat is being generated. As a result, the fan doesn't even need to spin at any significant RPM.
Click to expand...
Agreed... Unless I'm running a cool-running system like a Pentium-M or Athlon Mobile Barton, it is NOT a good idea to use a fanless PSU. You end up adding more fans anyway for ventilation to keep a hot-running CPU like a P4 cool.

Might as well just get everything in one package-- A fan-cooled Seasonic PSU that also happens to be quiet.
 
Originally posted by: callmesteve
I need to get a QUIET PSU. I currently have a ThermalTake 480W.... and its loud as hell.

I've heard good things about PC Power and Cooling but I don't want to pay too much.

Seasonics and Fortron.... well are they quiet? Never bought one of those before.

I just need it to be ... well not silent but close to it. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I literally cannot hear my Seasonic Supertornado unless I put my ear up against it.
 
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
The Zalmans I have are near-silent, but only 400 watts.
Click to expand...

"Only"? Only?

Sheesh, for a forum full of hippies who whine about SUVs and "gas guzzlers" so much, you'd think they'd conserve a little power. Unless you're running an SLI setup, multidrive RAID, or SMP, you'd be hard pressed to overrun the limits of a good 300W supply. 😛

IMO, if you're aiming for silence, get a Silverstone. But be warned - silencing one component will bring out the others. And then you'll want to quiet that. And then the next. And the next. 😀

- M4H
 
I do. I promote them as much as possible. They rock! Hell, I wanted a S12-600 so bad, and the retailers in the states weren't stocking them soon enough for my tastes, so I ordered one from Canada! I like it better than my $240 PCP&C Tubo-Cool 510 SLI!
 
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