What is the quietest psu you can buy?

Metalface Mark · 2 Feb 2006 at 23:30

Ive got a hiper 480w supposedly 14dba, but its the noisiest thing in my case. Whats the quietest psu i can get? I hear good things about the seasonic, but i wonder if it actually would be any quieter than the hiper ive got.

Are the passive psu's up to a reasonable standard ?

SpliffVortex · 2 Feb 2006 at 23:32

a 12 volt car batterie.? and you never have too worry about having enough amps in the 12 volt rail ! . open the PSU any 8th grader can and replace the fans = very simple and much cheaper than buying a brand new psu . fans are cheap!. actually i allready did but for a more CFM fan since the one it had did not move any air!.

Metalface Mark · 2 Feb 2006 at 23:40

I can use the psu ive got just now in my upcoming htpc build, so im not fussed about buying a new one.

Energize · 2 Feb 2006 at 23:43

You can buy fanless ones, after that theres tagen and akasa which are designed to run at 20db.

SpliffVortex · 2 Feb 2006 at 23:48

InwardSinging said:
I can use the psu ive got just now in my upcoming htpc build, so im not fussed about buying a new one.

Well in that case ! but replacing a 80mm fan inside of a PSU is no fuss at all.

Metalface Mark · 2 Feb 2006 at 23:53

SpliffVortex said:
Well in that case ! but replacing a 80mm fan inside of a PSU is no fuss at all.

I dont think changing the fan would make any difference, its 120mm and supposed to be 14dba.

Brum Man · 2 Feb 2006 at 23:57

SilenX, I had one and you literally could not hear it.

Ateapotist · 2 Feb 2006 at 23:59

the fan is the part that's making the noise, if the fan is noisy then you can replace it.

i'm not sure why you'd be happy using a noisy PSU in a HTPC, as I'd have thought you'd want it to be as silent as possible.

Metalface Mark · 3 Feb 2006 at 00:01

its not noisy by any means, its just not as quiet as i would like. Media centre would only be on while im watching a program, its not left on all the time, so the psu would be fine for that.

When i have the pc on the floor the noise dosent bother me, its only putting in on the desk where i really want to keep it that the noise bothers me.

Street · 3 Feb 2006 at 00:04

Ive just bought an Enermax Liberty... its a damn sight quieter than my last PSU! Not sure how it compares to yours though in terms of noise...

Energize · 3 Feb 2006 at 00:19

Silenx are also good ones but they dont tend to push as much air as others I hear, that may not be a problem though if you have good ventilation.

Brum Man · 3 Feb 2006 at 00:44

Yeh I agree with that comment, they don't push as much air as some of the other do, but then they have sacrificed the amount of air pushed for the noise level. But they never overheat, and the case that I had it in at the time I owned one was very poor for circulation, but the power supply never got more than warm.

TBH I wish that I didn't sell mine, but the down side to them is that they don't come with PCI Ecpress connecters etc. That was the only reason I got rid of mine when I got a DFI board and PCI card, just the lack of connectivity.

Metalface Mark · 3 Feb 2006 at 00:50

i think they do now, but only one on the 600w one. I was looking at the liberty, i just cant find out the noise level on it, i previously had a hyper 580 which was noisy, i think im just sensitive to noise, perhaps i should just cut my ears off.

kbc · 3 Feb 2006 at 01:00

InwardSinging said:
...perhaps i should just cut my ears off.

Wise choice in my opinion.

What is the complete spec of this system, are you absolutely convinced it's the PSU making all that noise?

Have a seasonic myself, the noise is drowned out by my 120 decibels graphics card.

SpliffVortex · 3 Feb 2006 at 05:40

Some PSU now come with 140mm fan . Aerocool’s new Streamliner Fan Type Case Fan

Fan Speed 1000 RPM

Noise Level 19 dBA

Air Flow 54.4 CFM

Bearing Type Sleeve

Voltage 12 V

Current 0.24 A

Power Consumption 2.88 W

Connector(s) 3-Pin Motherboard4-Pin Molex

Fan Dimensions 140 x 140 x 20 mm

SpliffVortex · 3 Feb 2006 at 05:45

Im not a big fan of Aerocool fans quality wise but since it only turns 1000 RPM it should last . finding a hole saw 140mm is not easy or cheap.

SpliffVortex · 3 Feb 2006 at 05:46

Sound Decibel Level Time Permitted
rustling leaves 20 dB no limit
whispering 25 dB no limit
library 30 dB no limit
refrigerator 45 dB no limit
average home 50 dB no limit
normal conversation 60 dB no limit
clothes dryer 60 dB no limit
washing machine 65 dB no limit
dishwasher 65 dB no limit
car 70 dB no limit
vacuum cleaner 70 dB no limit
mixer 70 dB no limit

chet84 · 3 Feb 2006 at 08:27

I had a Hiper 580W modular and that was really noisy compared to my X-Pro 400W - It has to be one of the quietest PSUs i've come across.

pcoltrane · 3 Feb 2006 at 08:50

Current quietest PSUs (exluding fanless ones) are the Antec Neo HE 480 or the Seasonic 430. Check out silentpcreview for reviews.

Marc

Admiral Huddy · 3 Feb 2006 at 08:53

Seasonic 600 for the win.. but I hate the cables.. Why they didn't make this modular i'll never know.