Antec Phantom 500 modified fan?

[jaugie]

I’m just starting to put together a future PC system.
I’m starting with the power supply, I’m looking at the Antec Phantom 500, which is available for purchase now.
I really like the 88-90% efficiency rating from the review at: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article241-page5.html.
What I don’t like is the fan noise that it does have, 24 to 37 dBA. I’ve listen to some sound samples, it’s a little too loud, not a silent power supply when the fan is running.
I was wondering if it would work to remove the fan and replace it with a Silenx iXtrema 92mm Fan (I like the Silenx 92mm better than the Silenx 80mm, I own both and the 80mm does have some noise, while the 92mm is silent and moves 36 CFM’s of air, I can only hear it with my ear right up next to the fan).
The back of the Antec Phantom 500 easily snaps apart as shown here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article241-page4.html
It also looks like the Antec uses a standard fan plug connector. I have a full tower case with plenty of room above the power supply to leave the 92mm fan stick out above the end of the power supply. I would only need to remove a small portion of the top of the supply where the fan would need to protrude upwards. I would permanently remove the plastic end cap.
With the Silenx, then this supply would be truly silent, and supply plenty of cooling at 36 CFM’s, I could even use the lowest setting on the Antec Phantom 500, so the fan would run more often then and keep things cooler yet.

My future system would consist of the following main components:
2 GB of DDR ram
AMD Athlon X2 4400+ , maybe 4800+ (up to 110watts)
Nforce4 Ultra motherboard
Nvidia 6800Ultra Video (up to 75 watts)
DVD-Rom drive
DVD 16X +-R/RW burner
2 SATA-II Hard Drives.

Before I purchase, just wanted any opinions on the Antec Phantom power supply mod, should this work?
I just think the very silent nature of the Silenx 92mm (14 dBA), along with 90% efficiency would be a great power supply.
Thanks.

 

[_Korruption_]

While a good idea in theory, I just think you're making the wrong choice with the SilenX fans. They're way too expensive, and I know for a fact that they deflate their fan's dBA ratings, almost similar to what Thermaltake does with their fans. I sampled one of their slowest 80mm fans, rated at like 11dBA or something like that, and it definitely didn't sound like 11dBA.

What I had in mind, however, is maybe two Nexus/Yate Loon fans, in a push-pull setup. Undervolt them heavily so that you won't hear them, but have one on each end moving air through the heatsinks and out the back. Should be cheaper and you won't be supporting SilenX (if you read some articles over at SPCR, SilenX has a tainted reputation thanks to some sketchy marketing tactics on the forums). Do keep in mind that with more airflow, you're naturally going to get more noise, perhaps not from the bearings, but just from the air turbulence itself.

 

[Ice Czar]

and a cut and paste

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

boning up on Fans might be helpful as well
its not just the airflow that is important, but the static pressure
a supply with a greater resistance will benefit from a higher static pressure



Air Flow Vs. Pressure Characteristics
Parallel & Series Operation
Stall of Axial Flow Fans

Basic Fan Laws
How to measure Airflow vs Pressure
How to Achieve Low Noise
Accoustic Noise
EMI
Introduction: Forced Convection Cooling
How to select the right fan or blower
Step 1: The Total Cooling Requirements
Step 2: Total System Resistance / System Characteristic Curve
Step 3: System Operating Point

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

there are three basic components to any thermal solution:
the heat transfer interface
(in this case the heatsink\waterblock total area)

the heat transfer medium's volume\pressure to time
(in this case for airflow, with additional variables like airflow resistance
w\ water flowrate and additional variables like turbulence, jet impingement)

and the temperature differential
(where using a cooler fluid air or water has a huge impact)

a real good computer oriented guide to thermodynamics
General Heat Transfer Guide

Heat transfer is all about temperature differentials. Conduction through materials and convection away from surfaces is proportional to the temperature differential that exists. Basically the thermal resistance of a given solution changes with the temperature differential, which is why thermal solutions are rated in °C/W which leaves that variable ambient open but gives you a formula

The heat transfer through the wall follows a simple equation:
Q=k/L(T1-T2)

We can draw some interesting conclusions from this equation. First, heat transfer is proportional to the temperature difference on the object. If the temperature differential doubles, the heat transferred doubles. Second, the conduction coefficient "k" is proportional to heat transfer. If the conduction coefficient doubles, the heat transfer doubles Alternatively, for the same differential temperature, twice as much heat may be transferred. The final observation is "L". As thickness increases, heat transfer decreases. Alternatively, to maintain the same heat transfer through a material twice as thick requires twice the temperature differential.

while that addresses conductance, there is a corrallary for convection (transfer from the heatsink to a fluid (air\water\ect)
its known as Newton's Law of Cooling

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if your modding, secure the PSU (and the HSF) some fresh cool air
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=898247
especially in a temperature controlled fan
here is a great thread about ducting for a PSU
> http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=8450
and some thermodynamics\aerodynamics infor
Lee Garbutt did a push>pull fan mod on a Turbo Cool 425
http://www.leesspace.com/quiet_psu.htm

 

[jaugie]

I ordered a couple of fans,
a Nexus 92mm and a Nexus 120mm (D12SL-12), I'm going to compare these two fans to the Silenx 92mm.
I may go with a Seasonic S12-430, and replace the 120mm fan with the Nexus 120mm.
I'm looking to build a very quiet system without using water cooling.
I'll probably use a after market VGA silent cooler, and thermalright XP-120 with a Nexus 120mm, etc.
Thanks you the suggestions.

 

[ImJacksAmygdala]

If you can hold off on getting the case for about 2 weeks you could get the Antec P180 case that has a seperate duct for the PSU that has a 120mm fan in the duct. I plan on getting the P180 and the Phantom 500 and using some quiet 120mm Nexus fans. That should keep the PSU cool enough that the fan won't even come on. The PSU should be capable of powering the Geforce7 7800 GTX in SLI from what I have found so far.

 

[_Korruption_]

I wouldn't bet on two weeks... it has been delayed time and time again from what I've seen.