Noise factor: Rosewill Capstone vs. Fortress

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photoelectric

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I am looking to get one of these power supplies and cannot decide if the Fortress is worth the extra expense over Capstone (I could really use a modular PSU, but could make do with a regular--just barely).

I'm really concerned with the noise factor, as my case is small, and it's on my desk near me, so I can hear everything quite well. My current SFX power supply turned out to be really noisy, so I am looking to replace it with something 80+ gold/platinum for under $100 with good quality.

Rosewill Fortress 450 Watt platinum is going for $80 on NewEgg at the moment, and the Capstone equivalent (gold) is $60. Obviously the Fortress one is more efficient, but the Capstone is slightly shorter (a plus) and cheaper - but is it louder?
 
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Rosewill/FORTRESS-550W/5.html

In this TechPowerup review they say that in a worst case scenario (probably 100% load) the Fortress is almost inaudible. So that's pretty good for putting out 550 watts.

I couldn't find any concrete information on the Capstone series but honestly I think they will both have excellent acoustics. The Capstone is made by SuperFlower and it's an excellent platform. I'm pretty sure that the fan turns off completely at low loads.

BTW you will never save $20 by getting a PSU that is a few percentage points more efficient. I would personally value saving the $20 more than getting Platinum efficiency.

The NZXT Hale90 series uses the same platform as the Capstone. Look at HardOCP's noise impressions here, it seems to be a very quiet platform. http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/12/13/nzxt_hale90_750w_power_supply_review/6
 
I was thinking that the platinum rating is nice, but of course, not hugely different from good efficiency of the Capstone line. Mostly though, Fortress is newer and has a 7-year warranty, and I thought perhaps has improved upon the Capstone line. Very very few reviews of the Fortress series are available, sadly.
 
If you REALLY will keep the power supply and use it for 7 years then feel free to spend the extra $20. You might actually save $20 after 7 years and you will pump a little less heat into the room so it's not a bad investment for $3 per year.
 
Both are solid choices, I'd go with the Capstone though. More proven platform and cheaper.
 
Thanks a lot for your replies. I'm trying to find a good quiet well-rated PSU on a budget ASAP, so information is greatly appreciated!
 
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