1U PSU or PicoPSU that is quiet/silent/fanless

[idea]

I am planning out building a MicroATX or Mini-ITX system that fits in a 1U Chassis. It should be silent or near silent (15dBA). And YES, I understand the challenge with building anything silent when it comes to rackmountable equipment. That's what makes it fun for me. I have to put this thing in my bedroom and still be able to sleep at night.

Option #1- Ideally, I'd like to fit a 1U PSU in there but I'm not sure if I can find one that is quiet enough. I found this one 300W Ultra Quiet 80 PLUS FlexATX PSU for C1/C2-RACK Chassis (mini-itx.com) but I have nothing else to compare it to and don't know if it fits in anything besides mini-itx.com's rackmount chassis.

Option #2- Dare I say it, but there is an option of buying a regular 1U PSU and hacking it up to replace the stock fan with a quieter PWM replacement [link]

Option #3- PicoPSU. I don't know much about them, however I do know that they require an external power supply brick, which I'd rather not deal. I'm trying to rack up this equipment nicely inside a cabinet and don't want power bricks hanging all over the place.

This PSU will be used in a diskless 1U system. I am still deciding between two builds:

1. MicroATX system based on Supermicro X9SCM paired with a Xeon E3-1265L (45w TDP)
2. MiniITX system based on Supermicro X9SPV-LN4F-3QE paired with a Core i7 Mobile (35w TDP)
   
3. Either system will have no HD or SSD, other than a USB thumb drive which will boot VMware ESX

 

[Machupo]

System specs? How much wattage do you need?

Picos will get you up to about 160w, then you will have to go with a discrete PSU -- you could try the Alienware X51 330w psu (again, with a brick) if you really wanted to, but it's a fair bit more expensive (and requires good ventilation).

1U (Flex-ATX) PSUs tend to be rather noisy due to the small fan (hence, high rpm, which = hair dryer).

 

[idea]

System specs? How much wattage do you need?

Picos will get you up to about 160w, then you will have to go with a discrete PSU -- you could try the Alienware X51 330w psu (again, with a brick) if you really wanted to, but it's a fair bit more expensive (and requires good ventilation).

1U (Flex-ATX) PSUs tend to be rather noisy due to the small fan (hence, high rpm, which = hair dryer).

No more than 200W. I will include the system specs in the first post.

The 1U PSU I linked in the first post claims to be "Ultra Quiet," and I believe them.

 

[loneindustries]

The PicoPSU or other DC-DC converters are the easiest way to get a silent system in my experience. If you don't like the external power brick, you may be able to put it inside the case (considering you're building a wide rack case)?

You also might be able to find a open case power supply that doesn't require an external power brick (like they use in the Mac Mini for example).

 

[idea]

The PicoPSU or other DC-DC converters are the easiest way to get a silent system in my experience. If you don't like the external power brick, you may be able to put it inside the case (considering you're building a wide rack case)?

You also might be able to find a open case power supply that doesn't require an external power brick (like they use in the Mac Mini for example).

Can you tell me more about "open case power supplies?" It's not a googleable term

 

[idea]

The PicoPSU or other DC-DC converters are the easiest way to get a silent system in my experience. If you don't like the external power brick, you may be able to put it inside the case (considering you're building a wide rack case)?

You also might be able to find a open case power supply that doesn't require an external power brick (like they use in the Mac Mini for example).

Can the system in my first post (mATX X9SCM with E3-1265L) be powered by a 150W PicoPSU with 8.5A 12v power adapter?

I'm looking at PicoPSU kits. The PicoPSU itself of course will fit within 1U, and it seems that I can place up to a 8.5A (102W) 12v AC/DC power adapter inside the case within the space where the ATX PSU would have gone.

picoPSU-150-XT with 102 power kit
This kit's power adapter has the dimensions 2.37" x 1.38" x 6.74", the 1.38 height fits within the 1.75" 1U standard

picoPSU-150-XT with 150W Adapter Power Kit
This kit's power adapter has the dimensions 6.6 x 1.8 x 3.4 inches, and 1.8" height is taller than 1.75 1U standard.