Quiet PSUs

Matt · 16 Dec 2008 at 17:48

I need a quiet PSU since mine blew up in such a spectacular way earlier today!

What would you recommend? Power wise 400w is more than enough, and it needs to be really quiet as its for a media pc that sits under the TV.

I am looking for something under £50.

Thank you!

Malazan · 16 Dec 2008 at 17:58

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...ubcat=1088&name=Antec TruePower Trio 430W PSU

muckymick · 16 Dec 2008 at 18:02

i had an akasa 400w,very nice trouble free psu.

Grimley · 16 Dec 2008 at 19:12

I'd get this

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...=&name=Corsair VX 450W ATX PSU (CMPSU-450VXUK)

Matt · 16 Dec 2008 at 19:25

The options are:
- Zalman ZM500-HP Heatpipe Cooled 500W Modular PSU - £70
- 525W Enermax MODU82+ - £75
- Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 450W ATX2.2 Modular SLi Compliant PSU - £60
- Akasa Ultra Quiet 400W - £40

So which is the best value for money? I am going to assume they are all fairly quiet, so why should i pay £75 not £40?

pastymuncher · 16 Dec 2008 at 19:40

The Zalman or the Enermax. I have the 750w version of the Zalman and the 385w pro version of the Enermax. Both are superb psu's and both are very quiet. They each have a plus point though. The Zalman due to it's heatpipe cooling is practically silent. The Enermax is super efficient, up to 90% efficiency at 50% load with a low of 84% efficiency.

You pay for the quality. The psu is the single most important part of a pc.

Matt · 16 Dec 2008 at 19:48

Can the blue LEDs be turned off on the Zalman?

pastymuncher · 16 Dec 2008 at 19:53

No but it's not on the fan. It's inside the casing and is'nt that bright.

Matt · 16 Dec 2008 at 20:00

Ok then... that's a no to the Zalman

Is the Enermax worth £15 more than the BeQuiet?

pastymuncher · 16 Dec 2008 at 20:39

I certainly think so but as it's for a media pc do you really need 525w? I bet my 385w pro 82+ is powering a rig with more draw than yours. It's powering:-

E5200 @3.6Ghz.
4x1GB pc2-5300.
ATI HD3850 (overclocked).
Gigabyte P35 DS3R.
Seagate 7200.10 320GB sata hdd.
LG 22x Dual Layer DVDRW.
6x 120mm fans.
Neo Vortexx GPU cooler.
Zalman ZM-MFC2 multi function controller.
Audigy 2ZS soundcard.

The Zalman ZM-MFC2 gives real time power draw and the whole rig idles at 85w with a max draw of only 178w while gaming. I think you could save some money by going for the 425w Modu 82+ or even the 385w Pro 82+ if you don't mind having fixed cables.

shadowscotland · 16 Dec 2008 at 22:41

+1 for the 82+ range

GSDog · 16 Dec 2008 at 23:00

I have an Enermax Modu82+ and it is 100% silent. I can't hear it at all, and that's with extremely quiet case fans attached to a fan controller too.

Matt · 18 Dec 2008 at 17:58

Well the Enermax i bought doesnt fit my motherboard

This isn't going so well.

Matt · 18 Dec 2008 at 18:02

Can i get a converter so it fits my old motherboard?

Nullvoid · 18 Dec 2008 at 18:32

Matt said:
Can i get a converter so it fits my old motherboard?

Yes! You can get 20 <-> 24 pin converters and 4 <-> 8 pin converters depending on which you need.

pastymuncher · 18 Dec 2008 at 18:53

Matt said:
Well the Enermax i bought doesnt fit my motherboard

This isn't going so well.

In what way does'nt it fit? The 24pin plug should have a removeable 4 pin section to make it 20 pins. Same with the 8 pin connector as it is made up from 2x 4pin connectors.