Quiet and Modular

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koolpc

Weaksauce
Joined
May 24, 2006
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Guys, lots of posts in here so thought i would ask my own as so confused.

I am after a small, quiet and modular PSU. 500w would be ample. It will be going into an ITX case, I see people complaining about the sfx ones as being noisey?

So, i am after one that is super quiet Not fanless though! It must be modular. Ta
 
ATX: EVGA G2 550W with custom cable if size is a problem.

SFX-L: Fans are about the same if not close to spec. There aren't many options for an 120x15mm on the market and that's why there isn't much choice. Or alternatively, Silverstone is working on a 700w psu and they seem to be concerned about the fan complaints, but it'll cost you more. Maybe they'll have another revision to address the 500W model, but not likely.

However, you have to keep in mid that who have complaints tend to be more vocal in general, and sure they are valid and important. Hope it helps.
 
koolpc said:
Thanks. The mobo has a 4pin CPU power connection. That PSU has an 8 pin CPU cable which doesnt look like it can be split?
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This is a copy/paste from their manual ( go to downloads and see the pdf manual http://www.corsair.com/en-us/rmx-series-rm550x-550-watt-80-plus-gold-certified-fully-modular-psu ) :
EPS/ATX12V 8 pin (4+4) cable
Click to expand...
, so unless they have made a typing error, the CPU cable is 4+4, but you can also send a mail to Corsair to confirm this.;)
 
Sith'ari said:
Also check the Corsair RMx 550 ( http://www.corsair.com/en-us/rmx-series-rm550x-550-watt-80-plus-gold-certified-fully-modular-psu ).
Corsair has long tradition for building quiet PSUs.
Click to expand...

Speaking of Corsair, there is also the CX600M (yes; it is indeed the baby brother of the popular - at least on [H] - CX750M, and has the same cabling system). When the admittedly-"brand X" Diablotek EL600 finally croaked last week, I ordered a CX600M to replace it (Amazon.com FTW). It includes four cable modules, and I only needed three (and the only reason I need the third is to drive my window-fan - which requires a Molex; otherwise, I could have made do with just two).

Module #1 - SATA module
Module #2 - GPU Power Module #1 (two 6+2)
Module #3 - Molex module
Module #4 - GPU Power Module #2 (two 6+2)

Currently, all my SATA drives are of the platter sort - none are either optical or solid-state; as it is, I'll run out of SATA data inputs before I run out of SATA power inputs (even if I go with a BD optical drive, which is likely if I add an optical drive at all). I have a low opinion of multiple-GPU setups (way too persnickety to suit me); however, there are higher-end single-GPU SKUs that require multiple power-inputs that show up on the radar (ASUS STRIX GTX 970, for example).

Further, the CX600M is dead-silent in operation - my CASE fans are noisier!
 
The CX-M PSUs are horrible from a price/performance and price/quality standpoint though, at least the ones larger than 500 watts. The EVGA GS and G2 PSUs offer far better price/performance and price/quality most of the time, as do many XFX PSUs. Heck, even the RM PSUs typically have better value than CX.
 
Tsumi said:
The CX-M PSUs are horrible from a price/performance and price/quality standpoint though, at least the ones larger than 500 watts. The EVGA GS and G2 PSUs offer far better price/performance and price/quality most of the time, as do many XFX PSUs. Heck, even the RM PSUs typically have better value than CX.
Click to expand...

You may mean 750 watts or greater, as EVGA does not really push a 600W modular PSU. (I didn't know that Corsair had one until I tripped over it - almost literally - on Amazon.com), while they have two of them, they are $20USD MORE than the Corsair I bought (local retail vs. local retail), the difference is smaller (but still there) on Amazon.com.

I normally don't care FOR modular PSUs (remember, this IS my first such) - however, the CX600M (at least from MY experience so far) has no real minuses. It's dead-quiet, almost endlessly configurable (quite aside from the modularity - 24+8, 24+4, 20+4, and even straight 20-pin - neither of the 600W PSUs that preceded it could be used with a straight 20-pin (AT - not ATX) motherboard) and - just as important as the extremely configurable nature of the PSU itself, is that it need not be overkill.
 
koolpc said:
Thanks. The mobo has a 4pin CPU power connection. That PSU has an 8 pin CPU cable which doesn' look like it can be split?
Click to expand...

The 8-pin PSU cable CAN be split as it's the standard 4+4 design - split, it's ATX; unsplit, it's EPS. The shocker (with the CX-600M) was that it could be used as a straight 20-pin (AT - not ATX or EPS) PSU as well - how many otherwise modern PSUs can drop back that far? (The two previous - and admittedly brand X - 600W PSUs could NOT go back that far; they could go ATX, but not AT.)
 
Ryankirsch13 said:
Corsair does not manufacture power supplies. They don't manufacture much of anything they sell. They, as fair as I know, are all made by Channel well. The CX series are not a high quality power supply. They are designed as budget and entry level performance PSU's
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Of course Corsair doesn't manufacture PSUs.
As you said it's a CWT design, but Corsair supervises the project and gives directives in order to get the PSU as they want it.
Check the chart here: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/RM1000x/11.html
Most of Corsair's PSUs are in top of the chart, some of them of them are made by CWT ( RMi 750, HXi 1000), some are made by Chicony ( RM750, RM 850 ), some are made by Flextronics (AXi 1500), and some are even made by Great Wall :eek: ( CS 650 M). All of these, regardless of their build quality or their performance, they are at the top of the chart for lower noise.
So, It's obvious from this chart that Corsair, regardless the OEM she uses, emphasises mostly on noise. That's why i said at my previous post that "Corsair has long tradition for building quiet PSUs"
 
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PGHammer said:
You may mean 750 watts or greater, as EVGA does not really push a 600W modular PSU. (I didn't know that Corsair had one until I tripped over it - almost literally - on Amazon.com), while they have two of them, they are $20USD MORE than the Corsair I bought (local retail vs. local retail), the difference is smaller (but still there) on Amazon.com.

I normally don't care FOR modular PSUs (remember, this IS my first such) - however, the CX600M (at least from MY experience so far) has no real minuses. It's dead-quiet, almost endlessly configurable (quite aside from the modularity - 24+8, 24+4, 20+4, and even straight 20-pin - neither of the 600W PSUs that preceded it could be used with a straight 20-pin (AT - not ATX) motherboard) and - just as important as the extremely configurable nature of the PSU itself, is that it need not be overkill.
Click to expand...

The EVGA 550 GS is currently $50 on Newegg after rebate, while the CX600M is $45 after rebate. While the CX600M is marketed as 600 watts, it really only has 550 watts on the 12v rail. The GS is gold as opposed to bronze for the CX, and many of the improvements are things that an end user generally isn't able to see. And the GS is Seasonic made.

The XFX TS 550 is currently $25 AR on Newegg, and that PSU is also Seasonic made, just lacks modularity. The XFX TS 650G is $45 AR, gold certified but lacks modularity. The CX-M series is just there to take money from the uninformed using the Corsair name.
 
Tsumi said:
The EVGA 550 GS is currently $50 on Newegg after rebate, while the CX600M is $45 after rebate. While the CX600M is marketed as 600 watts, it really only has 550 watts on the 12v rail. The GS is gold as opposed to bronze for the CX, and many of the improvements are things that an end user generally isn't able to see. And the GS is Seasonic made.

The XFX TS 550 is currently $25 AR on Newegg, and that PSU is also Seasonic made, just lacks modularity. The XFX TS 650G is $45 AR, gold certified but lacks modularity. The CX-M series is just there to take money from the uninformed using the Corsair name.
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I have nothing against Newegg - however, they aren't always the best on price, and Amazon (Prime in particular) has them thoroughly waxed when it comes to shipping costs (Mom is an Amazon Prime member, and - at HER insistence - handles my purchases from Amazon via her Prime account whenever they have the better price. I agree - with three caveats:

1. Amazon must be - at worst - the fulfiller. (Reputation, reputation, reputation! We got burned once by a seller that sold counterfeit goods - never again.)

2. Where they ARE NOT the best on price, more often than not, a local source usually is; it's up to me to discover when that is the case, and show it to Mom. (My "local source" is typically MicroCenter - however, depending on the item, sometimes, it IS Best Buy.)

3. Amazon does not charge a restocking fee - Newegg often does.
 
Amazon can be good on price but for me i am wary of if the item is genuine or not
 
koolpc said:
Amazon can be good on price but for me i am wary of if the item is genuine or not
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That is why I have insisted on Amazon being the fulfiller at minimum, and preferably the seller as well (ships from and sold by Amazon.com) - that gets rid of the "genuine goods" worry - the same would be true of Newegg, of course.
 
I bought an SFX silverstone 600w psu for an itx build in a Raidmax atomic. I highly recommend it,and all the reviews point towards longevity and power efficiency. I do, however, recommend that you make make your own cables to decrease the size of them based on your needs. My 24pin was wayyy more than I needed in this small case.
 
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