• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Looking For PSU Recommendations

P

P4rD0nM3

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 5, 2007
Messages
1,544
Hello, I have a 500w Antec PSU in my computer right now that I use for graphics work and to play old games. One of my old computers keep on restarting and crashing and have narrowed it down to it's sucky oem power supply (250w). I'm planning on putting this 500w in the old computer and opting to buy a quiet power supply (Above 500w) if possible. Are there any suggestions?

* Ultra Quiet (The Antec 500w is too loud for me).
* Must be 500w+.
* Modular IF POSSIBLE.
* Doesn't have to be SLI capable (I only have one 8800gts).
* No silly neon or girly colours. BLACK or the usual gray colour. But I prefer black.

Do you guys think that the 500w transfer will benefit my old computer?

Oh my case is ATX (I think) and my motherboard is MicroATX.
 
What Antec is it? A Smart Power?

Because if it's a True Power or Neo and you think it's too loud, then the only thing that's going to make you happy is a passivly cooled or water cooled PSU.
 
Darn it, the term 'quiet' is really subjective. I've heard Seasonic S/M series and the Corsair HX series are quiet.

I couldn't find a review of the Antec Basiq (Since basically it's just a 'normal' PSU?) so no hardware site has reviewed it. T_T Wish there was a review so I can at least have an idea how much db my Antec produces versus the M12 and the HX520.

Any ideas? Just a rough guess.

I mean as you can see from my hardware, I don't need a PSU above 750w (I think).
 
The Antec Basiq is about the loudest Antec you could buy.
 
Approximately how many dbs does it produce? Yes, it's loud. Hehehe. But I was under the impression that 500w+ and above with 1 or more fans will sound the same.
 
P4rD0nM3 said:
Approximately how many dbs does it produce? Yes, it's loud. Hehehe. But I was under the impression that 500w+ and above with 1 or more fans will sound the same.
Click to expand...

No way.

First off, you have an 80MM fan. That's going to be louder than a 120MM or larger because it has to spin faster to move the same amount of air.

Second, the Basiq isn't as efficient as other units, meaning more of it's converted power is wasted as heat. It needs to move more air to get rid of that heat.

Third, different PSU's have different designs. The layout on the PCB will dictate how air is moved through the inside of the housing. A nice wide open design will allow for better airflow than something jam packed with components, so it's safe to say that a densly populated design is bound to be louder.

Finally, you simply can not generalize. You can't say this fan is quieter than that fan or this PSU runs cooler than this PSU because it's not like an Nvidia video card where every one basis their product on the same reference design. Everyone has their own PCB design for power supplies and the finished product can be very, very different from one unit to the next.

In your list, I will say the ZeroDBA is the quietest. The Seasonic second. The Enermax is the least.
 
Things that I learned today.

* The larger the fan, the quieter it will be?
* PCB design...T_T
 
P4rD0nM3 said:
Things that I learned today.

* The larger the fan, the quieter it will be?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily so. But usually true. Look, the bigger the blades on a fan, the more air it can push at any give RPM. Soooo....smaller fans need more RPMs to push the same amount of air. That increases noise. Of course, if you have a 80mm fan that spins 1600rpm and a 120mm fan that spins on 1600rpm, the noise level might be the same, just a different pitch.
 
P4rD0nM3 said:
How does that Corsair fair with the other PSU's in my list? Good? :confused:
Click to expand...

Corsair >>> ****

The Corsair has 40A on the 12v rail. It really even only has one rail. They're made by Seasonic, the S12 500W is close, but the Corsair still has more amps. Search around the forums, the 520/640HX are the best for the price.
 
Is it quiter than the M12? or Zero? Someone is suggesting the Zero as the most quiet PSU in my choices.
 
That was the Corsair Fan Boy post of the day. :D

The Corsair is quieter than the M12 at higher loads because the 40MM fan at the front of the M12 can get loud when it kicks into high gear.

The ZeroDBA is still quieter. It's fan usually doesn't spin at all and is barely audible when it does spin.
 
jonnyGURU said:
That was the Corsair Fan Boy post of the day. :D

The Corsair is quieter than the M12 at higher loads because the 40MM fan at the front of the M12 can get loud when it kicks into high gear.

The ZeroDBA is still quieter. It's fan usually doesn't spin at all and is barely audible when it does spin.
Click to expand...

Haha yes.
 
So ZeroDBA FTW!?

How about fanless PSUs?

This is how my case looks like.

83-107-359-08.jpg
 
Yeah, any other thoughts?

Looks like I won't be going with the Zalman because it has leds in it, unless someone here can tell me how to disable those lights (I seriously hate glowy stuff).

ZeroDBA is too shiny for me.

That leaves me with the Corsair 520 or 620.

I've seen 140mm fans too, are those quieter than their 120 counterparts?
 
P4rD0nM3 said:
What about this one? Antec Phantom 500w

Ugh, not sleeved and it's not even modular.
Click to expand...

Phatom
CWT Built
with Fuhjyyu
Fan that kicks in at high heat (50c I think), that stays off otherwise

You'd be lucky to get 6 months out of it.

The ZeroDBA really is the quietest. No matter how slow a fan is spinning, it'll still be louder than a fan that doesn't spin.

As for 140's, it really depends on the psu.
 
Bbq said:
Phatom
CWT Built
with Fuhjyyu
Fan that kicks in at high heat (50c I think), that stays off otherwise

You'd be lucky to get 6 months out of it.

The ZeroDBA really is the quietest. No matter how slow a fan is spinning, it'll still be louder than a fan that doesn't spin.

As for 140's, it really depends on the psu.
Click to expand...

I know this is probably a dumb question, but how do you know if a PSU is ZeroDBA?
 
i have the enermax noisetaker II and, although its not modular, i love it...its quiet for me and hasnt caused any problems so far...i would def. recommend it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top