Three PSUs

[imported_mbentz16]

First off, the PSU will beed to be able to run a midrange A64 processor, one HDD, two optical drives, a floppy, and my 6800GT. I've got my choices narrowed down to three, and I'm looking to spend around $80 on a good PSU... now for the lineup:

OCZ PowerStream 420W
COOLMAX Black 550W 14cm Silent Cooling
SilverStone Tech. 460W Super Silent

Also, the PSU needs to be as queit as possible. My Thermaltake 420W is a beast... I can't hear my seven case fans over it. Out of those three, what would you get? Also, if you have any other suggestions, be my guest.

 

[Mik3y]

if you want a good psu, get an antec, fortron, enermax, and pc power and cooling. these are among the best psu's you can get. you can get a n antec 430W or even a 480W for $80 and under. just shop at newegg.com.

 

[Yourself]

Look into the Enermax Noisetaker series. Here is a good review over at SilentPC!!

 

[imported_mbentz16]

Why I wont get Fortron: 18A on the +12V rail. Same for Antec... in the same price range, you get less amps. Enermax seems to be decent, but the two that I looked at had no reviews, so I cant tell if it's even quiet. PCP&C I couldnt even find.

Look into the Enermax Noisetaker series. Here is a good review over at SilentPC!!

Subjectively, the Enermax NoiseTaker 475 is very quiet from idle all the to 200W output: There was no change in noise from 65W load to 200W. But between 200W and 250W output, there is a major step in fan speed and noise, and hits 32dBA at 250W. All the noise levels at the 250W mark and beyond are too high to be of real interest to PC Silencers.

32dBA? Out of the question unfortunately.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

My enermax has 36 amps on all rails. It has an adjustable fan that is mildly audiable at max setting; I haven't checked to see if it is silent at the lower settings. Granted I have a 550W one. I think MSI says you should have atleast 20 amps on the 12v maybe it was 24 amps I can't recall perfectly.

 

[Kaiser__Sose]

Originally posted by: Mik3y
if you want a good psu, get an antec, fortron, enermax, and pc power and cooling. these are among the best psu's you can get. you can get a n antec 430W or even a 480W for $80 and under. just shop at newegg.com.

 

[Lyfer]

Originally posted by: mbentz16
Why I wont get Fortron: 18A on the +12V rail. Same for Antec... in the same price range, you get less amps. Enermax seems to be decent, but the two that I looked at had no reviews, so I cant tell if it's even quiet. PCP&C I couldnt even find.

Look into the Enermax Noisetaker series. Here is a good review over at SilentPC!!

Subjectively, the Enermax NoiseTaker 475 is very quiet from idle all the to 200W output: There was no change in noise from 65W load to 200W. But between 200W and 250W output, there is a major step in fan speed and noise, and hits 32dBA at 250W. All the noise levels at the 250W mark and beyond are too high to be of real interest to PC Silencers.

32dBA? Out of the question unfortunately.

Why I would get a Fortron: Price. If a PSU that has 18A on the 12V can do the same job as a more expensive PSU, get the cheaper one. Just get a quality PSU that will DO the job, unless you plan on doin running 8 HD's and using 6800GT's in SLI mode, 18A-24A is perfectly fine. Heck all everyone really need is a Fortron/Antec 350W PSU, these PSU's should be able to handle most anything you throw at it. Bottom line: save your $$$$, and just dont buy an el cheapo brand.

 

[tynopik]

if you want a quiet power supply, why not go with the one silentpcreview recommends, the Seasonic Super Silencer series

 

[Mik3y]

mbentz, how quiet of a psu are you looking for anyways? coolmax has a fanless one, but it gets hot and isnt very powerful. then again, it costs like $140 or sumthing. 32db is whisper quiet. dont forget taht it'll be inside your case and is barely audible. the average system has a sound of about 40db. some are louder, some are quieter.

 

[Cerb]

If 32dBA is too loud, your only option above 300 watts is to go fanless, or to modify the PSU once you get it with an undervolted panaflo or papst.

If you are looking into the $80 or so price range, I'd have to go with Enermax. They don't pull the most power, but are solid PSUs, and AT's review showed that their extra shielding and whatnot is not marketting of a placebo effect (check the interference test of the round-up.
linkie
Then you have Tom's reviews, which show that the Fortrons are in fact conservatively rated like no other, safely pulling as much as 30% over the rated load.

The Fortron 300w is extremely quiet. Until you start really pulling a load, the fan's clicking is louder than the rest of it, and even when it speeds up, it is inaudible inside the case. The 400w is supposedly as quiet. Enermaxes I have not heard so far, as I haven't used any except in a server room (2 full racks) or on the workbench (window AC unit and five open PCs nearby).

 

[trexpesto]

My non-noisetaker emax says it has 33 awwwwwsome amps and is pretty durn quiet. I have recently seen positve reports of tagan PSUs.

 

[Zepper]

With that system, you will probably never hit 200Watts output on the DC side. You could go with the 400W Silverstone with Active PFC and save a little money. IAC, I'd vote for Sliverstone (actually made by Enhance - very good PSUs). Don't know much about the others.
.bh.

:moon:

 

[Arcanedeath]

Of the listed PSU's I'd go w/ the Silverstone, it's got Dual 12V rails and a 120mm fan + I've also heard good things about it.

 

[sao123]

Go Check your power requirements
Then take the rating you recieve and divide by .70 for efficiency rating and then multiply by .90 for heavy load factor, that is the wattage of the power supply you should buy.

I suggest depending on your needs... Antec has great power supplies, especially the, 430Truepower, the 480w True Blue, or the 550w TrueControl.
OCZ has a new line of powersupplies, also in the 430 - 520 range that are supposed to be excellent.

As for where to get them, Xoxide.com has the best selection and very good prices, or ZipZoomFly.com has free 2 day shipping on most everything.

Edit:
Also, be sure you are not buying a falsely rated power supply...heres how to double check...

To keep this as simple as possible, what determines the quality of your Power Supply (PSU) is its continuous maximum output. Even though the PSU might be advertised as a 430 watt, in most cases this is not its actual true output in a real world situation. To check your PSU you need to do the following:

Look for the label that is attached to your Power Supply
Write down the following information from that label
12V - _ _ amps
5V - _ _ amps
3.3V - _ _ amps
What does the above have to do with Watts? Volts x Amps = Watts

Once you have the information, you need to complete some basic calculations listed below:

3.3V x _ _ amps = _ _ Watts
5.0V x _ _ amps = _ _ _ Watts
12.0V x _ _ amps = _ _ _ Watts

Now all three totaled comes to _ _ _ Watts (which might = your advertised Watts). What most people do not know is that with the majority of Power Supplies, you cannot have the maximum of the 3.3V rail and 5.0V rail Amps listed above flowing at same time. Only 2/3 can be used in an accurate calculation. So in reality you will be reduced to:

{Combined 3.3V & 5.0V} _ _W + _ _ _W x 2/3 = _ _ _ watts
Now add in the 12v = _ _ _ watts
Adding these all together now gives you _ _ _ Watts
So your Power Supply should really be rated as a _ _ _ Watt Power Supply

 

[JBT]

Originally posted by: tynopik
if you want a quiet power supply, why not go with the one silentpcreview recommends, the Seasonic Super Silencer series

I've got a 460 watt version of the Supersilencer. it is DEAD silent. I LOVE this PSU. I got mine here Though they don't seem to have the 460 in stock right now just the 400.

 

[Slaimus]

The SilverStone is one of the most efficieny PSs on the market. It will save you money on electricity down the road.

 

[CraigRT]

out of those 3, I'd go with the OCZ... great reviews and lots of power output on that badboy.