SG03 + Nightjar?

Currently I'm running my SG03 with a Core i5 750 + H50 CPU cooler and a passively cooled GPU to minimize noise. However, there's some problems.

Mainly, the damn PSU is too loud, which kinda negates the purpose of the silent H50 (making it an annoyance since it's hard to fit and expensive). The PSU is a OCZ StealthXStream 600W thingamabob. It's basically similar to, say, Zalman ZM600-HP Silent. Except neither of them are silent.

So! I've been looking at silent PSUs. Problem is everyone has their own definition of "silent". Some think my PSU is silent, but to me it's anything but. Now this leads to a prime candidate that should be about as silent as it gets - the Silverstone Nightjar. It's passive, so it can't really make much noise

However, despite many reviews saying it can run rather cool even with not that much airflow around it, I must say I'm a bit skeptical as well as concerned. First I'm not 100% sure it'll fit correctly. According to the dimensions it probably should. But then there's also the weight - at 2.8kg it's not exactly featherweight when put into a small case such as the SG03.

Secondly there's the issue of whether or not it will in fact stay cool enough. I have both front fans as intake at the moment. Undervolted as it were, since it's indeed the idea to keep the machine quiet. But sadly it doesn't seem the airflow is all that good, as the passive GPU heats up quite nastily under a 3D load, up to unsafe temps even. This same GPU in the SG06 case was well within tolerable temps.

While I'm planning to replace the GPU eventually with something like a HD5850 (with silent aftermarket cooling most likely), it does leave the question whether or not the Nightjar, if even safely fittable, would be able to operate in this setup. It's worth pointing out that currently the wattage consumption of this system at desktop use is merely 75-90W, and even during gaming only 150W. But the new GPU will change that. I'm also thinking it might be possible to mod a silent fan, probably a 80mm one, to the "top" of the PSU, sort of where the PCI slot cooler would go. Might help things... or might not.

TL;DR: Anyone have any experiences with this case+PSU combo?

i would look at the nexus 430 watt powersupply if you want a very silent powersupply its even more quiet than my corsair powersupplys

Jen

Yeah, I've heard it's quite silent indeed. Mainly the problem with it is the low power efficiency I recall reading about some PSU, probably from Enermax, that had a fan-based cooling system that was passive up to about 150W or so, after which the fan starts spinning gradually. For some reason can't seem to find it again now though.

(EDIT: Actually the efficiency of the Nexus is higher than I remembered, but still lower than it could be - though at the price point not too bad I guess.)

Any of the Corsair HXes are pretty much silent.
Seasonic X750/X650 are passive until they overheat (then the fan turns on).

MJZ said:

Any of the Corsair HXes are pretty much silent.
Seasonic X750/X650 are passive until they overheat (then the fan turns on).

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From what I've gathered, the HX ones are basically on par with the Zalman and OCZ ones I mentioned as far as noise goes. Which simply isn't silent enough.

Seasonic X-650 would be nice probably, but I can't find any Seasonic resellers in Finland really. Dunno why, since they are unarguably a quality brand.

It really does suck that I can't hear PSUs for myself before making the purchase. Would make things oh so much easier.

Oh, and the main issue I have with the Nexus 430 that I forgot to mention. It's not modular. The OCZ I have in the case now isn't modular either, and good grief it's a mess with the cables!

As in any passive cooling system optimum placement is key. Believe that passive PSUs have a certain placement orientation for best cooling efficiency.

Of course. But obviously with SG03 there's not much to be done to improve things. The main option for the Nightjar - in case it couldn't run passively - would indeed be a silent fan installed above it.

Also, I read up on the Seasonic X-650 again. It's indeed the PSU I was referring to in my first reply. It would be quite close to optimal - very high efficiency, completely silent at least up to 150W (while my current configuration draws only 180W even at maximum load), and of course it's modular as well. But sadly there's indeed no Seasonic resellers here, so given the high price plus high postage cost from ordering from abroad, I'd be looking at a roughly 200€ price tag. Quite nasty. If only I could've afforded it when I ordered the rest of my computer (which was, indeed, mostly from abroad).

tvih said:

Of course. But obviously with SG03 there's not much to be done to improve things. The main option for the Nightjar - in case it couldn't run passively - would indeed be a silent fan installed above it.

Also, I read up on the Seasonic X-650 again. It's indeed the PSU I was referring to in my first reply. It would be quite close to optimal - very high efficiency, completely silent at least up to 150W (while my current configuration draws only 180W even at maximum load), and of course it's modular as well. But sadly there's indeed no Seasonic resellers here, so given the high price plus high postage cost from ordering from abroad, I'd be looking at a roughly 200€ price tag. Quite nasty. If only I could've afforded it when I ordered the rest of my computer (which was, indeed, mostly from abroad).

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Or you'll get an X650 like I did (X750) that has coil whine with any load (like scrolling through websites) that is louder and more annoying than a wind tunnel of fans.

Looking at some Newegg reviews, some guy went through 3 of the X750s and returned them all for the same reason.

Yeah, I've heard of those issues as well, which makes ordering from abroad all the more risky and complicated. Although I'm not sure any "local" - Finnish - retailers would accept coil whine as a basis for a refund/replacement anyway, since retailers aren't very customer service-oriented like that around here.

But then, coil whine can happen with other PSUs too... sigh. The Nexus 430 would cost 70€ and would be slightly noisier at lower loads compared to the Seasonic, but more silent when nearing 400W. Not sure how much wattage exactly my system spiced up with a HD5850 would consume at maximum, I assume maybe 350W. But seriously, non-modular cables are such a drag...

I'm starting to think I should've just stuck with the SG06+E5200 setup I originally bought The PSU was quite a bit more silent than this one, and of course the darn thing was way smaller. Not to mention the whole setup was oh so much cheaper.

EDIT: Pff, I actually forgot the Nightjar isn't modular either. Given the larger size of it combined with it still having cables, the case could get really cramped, I reckon... Even the OCZ is kind of pushing at the H50's tubes more than I'd like.

EDIT2: To give some idea about the current noise. I can hear the PSU noise from practically across my apartment - some 7-8 meters away at least. Compare this, for example, to most of the computers at the uni where I study where the computers may be running but with display in power saving mode, and I have a hard time telling if the damn things are on even when sitting right next to them, they're that quiet. And they're C2D machines with a discrete graphics card.

Hi, I am building a system based on the same case and cooler (SG03/04 + H50).
I was also looking at a PSU for it powerful enough for i7 920 [email protected]+ & 2x260GTX. So I was hesitating between the Corsair HX650 or HX750. However reading your last post, I am concerned that they might be too big: Your OCZ (is it this one) is 14cm whereas the HX650 is 15cm and the HX750 is 18cm!
Do you think they will fit? Would it be too much to ask for a few pics of your case to see how the H50 tubes are close to the PSU?

Thanks in advance.

Jacques

Somebody here at HF shoehorned a 1000w unit into a SG03. I forget who it was now. They posted a pic so we know it can be done.

My pick would be an Enermax Modu82+ 525W or the Nexus 5300. Problem with the Nexus is that it's not modular. The Enermax is really quiet. Passively cooled is silly. You want actively cooled with low airflow and a good fan. That's all. And if you want a 5850 in your box I doubt you will be able to achieve passive cooling, so fans will be required (not a bad thing) but then your noise floor will be a bit higher. Just check spcr for a good PSU recommendation. There is even a Modu87+ Gold that just came out. Price might be very high though.

jacmorel said:

Hi, I am building a system based on the same case and cooler (SG03/04 + H50).
I was also looking at a PSU for it powerful enough for i7 920 [email protected]+ & 2x260GTX. So I was hesitating between the Corsair HX650 or HX750. However reading your last post, I am concerned that they might be too big: Your OCZ (is it this one) is 14cm whereas the HX650 is 15cm and the HX750 is 18cm!
Do you think they will fit? Would it be too much to ask for a few pics of your case to see how the H50 tubes are close to the PSU?

Thanks in advance.

Jacques

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prior to my upgrade i had the same setup with i7 and 2x GTX260, i was using a M12 700W in that build

SG03 can fit really long PSU without issues as there is nothing that is limiting the length of it

IMO i'd recommend the seasonic X-750 because its 100% modular for easy cable management and also it runs passive at low load

Well, I just received the Nexus 430 today. Chose it for budget reasons - less than half the price of most other solutions, and sadly my budget is pretty limited indeed right now.

It's more silent than the OCZ I had, for sure. But I still wouldn't call it silent. SPCR review stated they couldn't even hear it running from a meter away in a completely silent environment. Well, my apartment isn't completely silent, yet I can still hear it from the next room... so much for trusting any reviews And for those who say the HX520 etc are silent - and I've seen many say this - I could point out that if you trust SPCR, the Nexus is 11dBA@1m up to 150W and even at max load "only" 19dBA@1m, while the HX520 is 22dBA@1m at minimum load, and 43dBA@1m at maximum load.

Noise aside though, the Nexus was a surprisingly nice fit for the SG03 case. It's so short that it didn't even reach the upper bracket thingie. So I removed the bracket. And this allowed me to easily tuck all the unused cables to the space between the PSU and the top of the case, something I couldn't do with the OCZ. End result? The horrible cable mess was reduced to a quite a clean interior and noticeably lowered internal temperatures all around! Basically as good as having a modular PSU, because the modular ones are larger and thus trickier in other ways.

Which brings me to jackmorel's post and Skott's reply.

Basically, you can fit quite large PSUs into the case. I mean, normally there's a lot of empty space in the direction where the larger PSUs "grow" compared to smaller ones. So that in itself isn't a problem. However, combine the large PSU with the H50, and you might get into trouble. 15cm still would be doable, but I imagine 18cm would be quite nasty. I was a bit uncomfortable how even the 14cm PSU twisted the H50's tubes. Now with the Nexus it fits rather comfily. Although once I get the new GPU at some point in the future, I think the tubes will press against the card's back the way it's fitted now, and I can't really see how to fit it any better. Well, hopefully it won't be a problem. Oh, and the reason it doesn't press against the current graphics card is that the card is installed on the lower PCIe slot because it can't fit on the higher (faster) one when using the SG03 case, because the passive cooler intersects with the PSU if you try.

@NichoTL, the aim wasn't fully passive. While that would be optimal as far as reducing noise goes, it just not feasible in a machine as powerful as this. The passive PSU would simply have been cooled by the airflow provided by the front fans, without the need of an extra fan.

The 5850 won't be passive either, but I'm hoping I can get a silent enough variation either out of the box at some point, or that failing, as an aftermarket option. Might take a while 'til I can get my hands on one due to said budget restraints though. Playing mostly older games currently however, and even the never ones that I do play - Batman: Arkham Asylum for example - work nice enough even with this lowly HD 4670 for the time being.

Anyway, I suppose the machine is as silent as I can expect to get it. Only noise-making parts when the machine is idle are the three Nexus 120mm fans, which have the reputation of being some of the most silent fans there are. So there's not much else I can do. But even then many prebuilt computers, like those at my university, manage to be more silent somehow... sigh. I suppose I'll just have to live with it

tvih said:

But even then many prebuilt computers, like those at my university, manage to be more silent somehow... sigh. I suppose I'll just have to live with it

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I find this very VERY hard to believe. Surely conditions (ambient noise, computer position) aren't comparable.

It's true there's more air conditioning noise etc at uni (otherwise, many of the classrooms with PCs are quite silent), but honestly, while sitting next to those computers - the same distance from the case as at home - I cannot hear if the things are running or not. Yet, even with my kitchen's freezer making annoyingly loud noise (and this would be loud by anyone's standards, not just mine) at home, I can hear my computer humming from the living room, which is "between" my room and the kitchen. That's about 4 meters away.

In class you just won't notice, there are more people always making some noise and more PCs etc.

It's true even at times when the building is basically empty (ie. outside of regular class hours) with just one computer running. So it's only air conditioning and the computer. I mean, it's quiet enough for me to hear my netbook's (Samsung NC10) fan running when it's on. And this netbook, unless overheating, sure is a heck of a lot more silent than my desktop. I'd rate the uni computers as nearly as silent at idle as this netbook with regular fan running speed.

Well, anyway, nothing to be done about the noise anymore, so how it compares isn't really relevant, it's not like I can change the system at this point. Nor do I believe there would even be any point to that anymore. Now I just wish I could get Windows fixed again (it imploded while trying to get sleep mode to work). Funnily enough Win7 DVD doesn't seem to want to boot (previously installed from a USB stick) and USB installation loads up the installation desktop but doesn't advance further... go figure. And here I was, supposed to fine-tune a web site at last moment before a presentation that is in two hours...

But where is that noise coming from? I mean I have a Nexus fan and if you run it at anything but full speed it is silent. You have to stick your ear very close to hear the whoosh.

The H50 pump?

It's fan noise. I know it doesn't make sense, since the case fans should be silent (especially since they're undervolted to 7v - the one which the H50 is attached to - and 5v), and the PSU uses a basically identical fan as well, with 370RPM being the default speed up to 150W load meaning it should be even more silent than the case fans. Somehow even at low speeds the fans must be causing enough turbulence or something to be so audible. If I take a case fan and keep it outside the case, it's indeed dead silent. But now with the new PSU there's very little cabling etc to cause turbulence either. I'm all out of ideas, really.

tvih said:

It's fan noise. I know it doesn't make sense, since the case fans should be silent (especially since they're undervolted to 7v - the one which the H50 is attached to - and 5v), and the PSU uses a basically identical fan as well, with 370RPM being the default speed up to 150W load meaning it should be even more silent than the case fans. Somehow even at low speeds the fans must be causing enough turbulence or something to be so audible. If I take a case fan and keep it outside the case, it's indeed dead silent. But now with the new PSU there's very little cabling etc to cause turbulence either. I'm all out of ideas, really.

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You using soft mounts for the fans?

Yup.

Could it be that the case is resonating or something?

I don't think so. The sound isn't of that sort, it's just airflow/fan rotation hum. I guess I should probably try and disconnect the front fans for a moment to see how much sound the PSU alone makes. My original plan for the system involved connecting the front fans to my Scythe Kama Panel 2's fan speed controllers, but sadly for whatever reason I can't get the controllers to work.