Aibohphobia
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2013
- Messages
- 1,340
By the way, why not add an Eco mode akin to EVGA's G2 in a future revision?
Seasonic has a patent on toggleable semi-fanless mode so they'd have to license it.
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By the way, why not add an Eco mode akin to EVGA's G2 in a future revision?
I forgot to ask in all that excitement, is the Titan X overclocked?It would run that setup fine. I am using the SX500 to run
4790K @ 4.7 @ 1.19v
Titan X
16GB DDR @ 1.5V
1x SM951 SSD and 3x SATA SSD
Asus Impact VII
Not impressed with the noise when the fan starts spinning though. All the money I invested in silent fans totally wasted once it spins up. I will be looking for quieter alternatives once they are available next year.
I forgot to ask in all that excitement, is the Titan X overclocked?
Seasonic has a patent on toggleable semi-fanless mode so they'd have to license it.
Are the 500 really that bad regarding noise?
I have read reviews saying the fan hardly comes on! I guess it must be pot luck?
So the High Power SFX-L500GD stock fan was louder and Silverstone involvement resulted in a quieter fan which Sirfa than decided to offer to other partners? Was the ribbon cable Silverstone input as well?
By the way, why not add an Eco mode akin to EVGA's G2 in a future revision? Could you guys add a high density sleeve to the main ribbon cable for your next projects?
I have read reviews saying the fan hardly comes on! I guess it must be pot luck?
SX500-LG's fan control is temperature based (component temperature) so there are multiple factors that may affect it. It doesn't matter what you are doing and for how long, it all comes down to how hot the component in the SX500-LG is running. So it's very possible that one system could be running at 20% loading for 15 minutes in a cooler room with the PSU fan still off while another system idles at 10% load for 5 minutes in a hotter room turning the fan on.
If I have understood all of the information on the "noise issue" for this PSU thus far then everything is related to a small edge condition.
The fan turns on and off based on a temperature curve and nothing else.
Therefore if your components are sitting right at that temperature crossover point you may get "chatter" in the relay which powers the fan, resulting in rapid on/off switching.
Likewise if the temperature is very transient the fan will quickly cool the components sufficiently as to turn off.... pushing you into that same chatter trap.
So the noise people are hearing is the repeated on/off for the fan circuitry. I suspect that *any* semi-fanless device will have an identical issue here as any discerning user can hear the subtle click of a fan spinning up for the first time. It's just physics, the coefficient of static friction is invariable higher than the coefficient of kinetic friction and the transition between the two is audible.
Then this exact same problem affects all semi-fanless PSUs and all semi-fanless GPUs as well. The only way I can think of the resolve this is to to have the fan spinning on super low speeds at all times, such that the "on click" is only experienced one time as system start.
The other solution is adding hysteresis: a combination of having the fan startup threshold temperature above the fan shutdown threshold temperature (e.g. fan will start once t=50°C, but will only shut down if the temperature drops below t=40°C), and once the fan is on and the desired 'shut-off' temperature reached, the fan will be held on at a low speed for a further preset period (e.g. 1 minute) before it shuts off. This further lowers the temperature below the startup threshold. Combined, these reduce the frequency at which the fan will start and stop, and avoids the PSU sitting at the fan on/off temperature as a steady state.Then this exact same problem affects all semi-fanless PSUs and all semi-fanless GPUs as well. The only way I can think of the resolve this is to to have the fan spinning on super low speeds at all times, such that the "on click" is only experienced one time as system start.
The other solution is adding hysteresis: a combination of having the fan startup threshold temperature above the fan shutdown threshold temperature (e.g. fan will start once t=50°C, but will only shut down if the temperature drops below t=40°C), and once the fan is on and the desired 'shut-off' temperature reached, the fan will be held on at a low speed for a further preset period (e.g. 1 minute) before it shuts off. This further lowers the temperature below the startup threshold. Combined, these reduce the frequency at which the fan will start and stop, and avoids the PSU sitting at the fan on/off temperature as a steady state.
No, it is a very VERY simple mechanism: a thermistor is attached to one of the heatsinks and the change in resistance changes the fan voltage though a voltage divider. That's it.From what I can tell this psu has that. Reports I've seen say the fan turns on then never fully turns off.
So the noise may be a relay.
No, it is a very VERY simple mechanism: a thermistor is attached to one of the heatsinks and the change in resistance changes the fan voltage though a voltage divider. That's it.
The fan stays on for some users because their ambient temperature is high enough (or something is blocking sufficient intake air) for the heatsink to never cool down enough for the fan voltage to drop below the operating voltage even in idle.
It is*, hence why adding Hysteresis would reduce the on/off cycle frequency.If so then the clicking is either the boundary condition I described or bad thermistors.
It is*, hence why adding Hysteresis would reduce the on/off cycle frequency.
*There are also reports of a clicking noise from the fan during normal operation. This would be 'regular' fan noise due to fan bearings rather than the fan turning on/off.
I wish i had paid more attention to this thread before I got my SX500-LG, i probably would have went with a different case and an atx power supply. While i would not call the fan loud, it is probably the most annoying sound out of any of my computers. I find it extremely irritating at times, and once it spins up it never seems to stop.
Just an update for my SX500-LG. I notice my fan goes on and off very often. Sometimes it goes on/off within a few seconds. Is this normal?
On the plus side, I barely hear the ticking when the fan starts. Maybe I'm just getting used to it but I haven't heard it in awhile.
Mine is always on even during idle. I thought this psu is semi fanless? I even have the psu sitting outside the case right now.
If your fan is always on, you're one of the luckier people that got this unit.
I posted this on overclock.net but will post this here to as I am having an issue with my SilverStone 500W SFX-L
OK I just stressed my i7-5820k STOCK with Intel Burn test for 9 minutes, then this sound started and kept getting louder and LOUDER! The PSU is fine at no load and it's a Silverstone 500W SFX-L
Here is a video of the sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4Gr1gAjNxg
Happens after 9~minutes each time in Intel Burn Test. Pretty sure its the PSU.
I am returning it to Amazon and getting a replacement to see if another one makes the same issue.
Maybe a QC issue? I seen another review on Amazon which sounds like my same issue:
As others have warned... be sure to check this power supply in operation when you receive it, or as soon as you can before the return period expires. When it's in quiet / silent mode, the fan does not spin and is silent... but... once the fan turns on the noise is unacceptable. As others have reported it makes a rattling or clicking sound. When looking at the fan when its running the fan blade appears to have a slight wobble! After it runs for a while the sound fades down to a more tolerable level but you can still hear it from 5ft away. This is not acceptable for something advertised as "Silent Operation"
I switched the orientation of the power supply so the fan is facing up toward the sky pulling air in when its under load, and the noise is gone. running intel burn test for 30+mins and fan is spinning with no horrible sounds!