Antec Phantom: How is it?

T

Thin Man

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So I plan on investing in an Antec Phantom for my dad's computer. He's a musician and has a pseudo-recording studio in his room here. His computer is in the same room as he records everything digitally. I'm doing everything I can to make his setup as quiet as possible and the time has come for the PSU.

The only non-fan PSU appears to be the Antec Phantom. I don't need the 500W, it's not a big stresser. The bigger question is if this thing will crap out. I haven't been able to find reviews and was wondering if there was a consensus about it.
 
No. It has Fuhjyyu capacitors. Given that it doesn't have an activly spinning fan, plus a complete rats nest, I wouldn't give it more than a few months.

I recommend a Seasonic or Corsair. They aren't as quiet, but they cool themselves off better, and given some minor modifications, they will be even quieter. Namely, unscrewing the grille on the fan.

Since you're going for silence, I recommend an Antec P180. Go with a big passive heatsink like a Scythe Ninja, and use low speed fans instead of the stock tri-cool's. Don't use the upper front fan, nor the lower middle. Don't screw the drives all the way tightly; only do it enough that they don't move. Buy some accoustimat or similar, and block all the airvents where you do not want air to exit.
 
davidhammock200 said:
Please prove some of this. :rolleyes:

Links please.
Click to expand...

It's a CWT build and as most of us know CWT uses Fuhjyyu caps in all their Antec units. If you can't believe it look at this pic here, aren't those Fuhjyyu's I see on the secondary side...fuck me, yes they are. As to the fan not spinning, it does not spin until the internals of the unit hit a preset point which is user selectable. I believe it's 40, 47.5, or 55 degrees C which is a tad warmer (55C) than I'd like to keep my PSU at. For clarification the stock setting on the switch is at the middle temp but that's still high.
 
davidhammock200 said:
Please prove some of this. :rolleyes:

Links please.
Click to expand...

antecphantominnenb5grer3.jpg


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click

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fanswitchnx0.jpg

"How to set the fan operating mode
"....Before you set this switch, take a moment to think about how you usually use your computer.

"Position 1: "High Performance" mode.... We recommend this mode if you're a gamer or high-performance-oriented user, and you care more about ultra-fast performance than the noise level generated by your computer.

"Position 2: "Quiet Computing" mode.... We recommend this mode if you'd prefer a balance between high-performance computing and quiet computing.

"Position 3: "Quiet Computing" mode.... We recommend this mode if you're determined to have the quietest power supply possible. (Obviously, we don't recommend this setting for overclockers or gamers.)"
Click to expand...
At the "3" setting where all the tests were conducted, the fan is supposed to turn on when the internal temperature reaches 55°C. We didn't have access to the internal thermistor; our standard temperature probes were used to determine the trigger temperature.
Click to expand...
 
The Phantom is indeed a CWT build using Fuhjyyu caps, though they do use Panasonic in the more important areas of the unit. However, heat will kill a Fuhjyyu faster than anything - since these have no fan, you couldn't pay me enough to run one. Well, maybe you could but I'd recap it first ;)

The 500W Phantom is almost laughable to me... in fanless operation it can't power much more than the 350W (if that much) and in fanned mode it's louder than the competition costing far less money.

My suggestions would be to look at the Silverstone Nightjar (Etasis built) or FSP Zen instead if you really want fanless. Seasonic is about the best option for quiet fanned units.
 
Purportedly, the only really decent fanless power supply on the market today are the Fortron Zen units - check out the reviews at SilentPCreview.
 
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