Enermax Reveals A Fanless 650W PSU

[RedundantInk]

The company's new PSU features fully modular cabling and a "silent" design.

Enermax Reveals A Fanless 650W PSU : Read more

 

[crapfacednoob]

Not going to tell us how it works?

 

[tmk221]

[citation][nom]crapfacednoob[/nom]Not going to tell us how it works?[/citation]

Passive cooling?

 

[makaveli316]

My psu has a fan (Corsair 650hx) and i never hear it.
I think my room noise is more loud than it.

With that in mind, what's the point of a fanless PSU?
Are there really people having sound issues with their psus?

 

[christop]

My fan on my psu is super quiet.

 

[annymmo]

Would like to see more psu designers design PSU that can adjust the fan speed.
Also don't use the fan if the thermal load is below a certain point.
Best of both.

 

[horaciopz]

Actually I'd rather have a semi-pasive PSU than a fully pasive one. Because when my machine is idle I cant hear anything, but when a summer day + a very demanding game + downloading or updating software = more heat than we would like, so there's when a fan can control temps and being almost inaudible.

Completely fanless PSU makes me think about how much the heat will degrade those parts over time (even if they are extremely high quality components too much heat will lower the lifespan of any of them) and worry about if for those people, like me, that live in a hot place (completely at the middle of the eath where we have 2 seasons, Hot and HOLYMOTHEROFGOD THE AIR BURNS ) these kind of PSU are actually relevant :/

 

[nukemaster]

[citation][nom]annymmo[/nom]Would like to see more psu designers design PSU that can adjust the fan speed.Also don't use the fan if the thermal load is below a certain point.Best of both.[/citation]
seasonic(for the semi passive part)

 

[sna]

[citation][nom]nukemaster[/nom]seasonic(for the semi passive part)[/citation]

Semi Passive has big problems , if your power usage is in the "critical" area where the PSU starts up the fan , it will switch on/off like crazy and very annoying.

I prefer it to be user controllable ... that is , if it happens , the user can turn off the semi passive controller.

 

[faster23rd]

Wonder how well it would do at the tropics where ambient temps get pretty toasty.

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]faster23rd[/nom]Wonder how well it would do at the tropics where ambient temps get pretty toasty.[/citation]

With such high efficiency (assuming real-world efficiency is as good as its certification claims) and what is probably a pretty good cooler for it to be passive, I doubt that even hot areas in the tropics would cause temp issues.

 

[virgult]

[citation][nom]makaveli316[/nom]what's the point of a fanless PSU?Are there really people having sound issues with their psus?[/citation]

When you're doing home recording, for example, you'll probably want to make sure that your PC's noise falls below the noise floor the room you're recording in. And since time in a proper recording studio nowadays is as expensive as a fanless build PLUS the audio equipment required for the task... you see, there is a point.

 

[rohitbaran]

[citation][nom]makaveli316[/nom]My psu has a fan (Corsair 650hx) and i never hear it.I think my room noise is more loud than it.With that in mind, what's the point of a fanless PSU?Are there really people having sound issues with their psus?[/citation]
This is more of a novelty item for the normal user. I don't know if there could actually be demand for a PSU with no fan.

 

[shikamaru31789]

My PSU's fan is so quiet I can't hear it over the other fans in my Computer. Seems pointless to me.

 

[ik242]

[citation][nom]makaveli316[/nom]My psu has a fan (Corsair 650hx) and i never hear it.I think my room noise is more loud than it.With that in mind, what's the point of a fanless PSU?Are there really people having sound issues with their psus?[/citation]

not all people have equal hearing. some can't even tell if they are listening to AM or FM radio or can't hear at all. people with hearing deficiency are often not even aware of their condition because they can hear conversation (most of it) but don't hear things above certain frequencies (12-12 kHz). noise is usually high frequency and in certain setting (urban for example) there is always some noise (traffic, etc.) which after while people tend to learn to ignore.
all fans make noise. the level of noise increases over time because of wear of the bearings etc. people that frequently upgrade PCs are less likely to experience "jet engine" noise. making fanless design means that:

- it will NEVER make noise (even in 10-15 years if you still use that machine)
- it will not collect dust
- this is clear benefit for certain applications such as recording (ever tried to record sound on a laptop using built in mic for example?)
- better efficiency means less heat developed (product runs cooler) and less energy is wasted

 

[virgult]

[citation][nom]shikamaru31789[/nom]My PSU's fan is so quiet I can't hear it over the other fans in my Computer. Seems pointless to me.[/citation]

In fact the idea is to use it in completely fanless builds or to have just one uber-silent fan (e.g. over the CPU).

 

[razor512]

fanless PSU's are generally crap. (while they are built quality, they not only require more case airflow), but they also require more positive air pressure)

When you go with a fanless PSU, you are essentially taking the 120MM fan from the PSU and moving it to one of the panels on the case where it is closer to the outside of th case and thus louder.

(with a quality PSU, you can get overall less noise by having it have it's own fan, and then having just 1 other fan in the case, then having to put 2 or more fans in the case to maintain the air pressure needed. (also when the PSU is placed inside of a case and the side panel closed, the PSU's fan noise is mostly contained, and thus it generates less noise outside of the case than having that same fan mounted on the front or side of the case).

 

[AM2A]

[citation][nom]virgult[/nom]In fact the idea is to use it in completely fanless builds or to have just one uber-silent fan (e.g. over the CPU).[/citation]
Exactly. Fans always make some amount of noise, you can even hear the air they move around when they spin up fast enough. If you start switching to passive (or "uber-silent") cooling, at some point the psu fan will become the loudest thing in the system.

 

[shafe88]

[citation][nom]annymmo[/nom]Would like to see more psu designers design PSU that can adjust the fan speed.Also don't use the fan if the thermal load is below a certain point.Best of both.[/citation]
simple fix, just buy a fan less PSU and attach an adjustable case fan problem solved.

 

[Spooderman]

[citation][nom]makaveli316[/nom]My psu has a fan (Corsair 650hx) and i never hear it.I think my room noise is more loud than it.With that in mind, what's the point of a fanless PSU?Are there really people having sound issues with their psus?[/citation]

The sound of my breathing is louder than my PSU fan. When I first installed it I had to check the bottom of my case to see if the fan was spinning. (Monitor not connected as that time)

 

[danwat1234]

Not going to show us any more pics or give us the model#? Quick Googling gives some good pics.

By the way, since tomshardware now has an automotive section, it would be awesome to see a thorough review of something like a high output alternator from a reputable company vs a cheapo rebuilt one? See how it handles high loads, how hot it gets and amps vs volts vs RPM tables? Doesn't seem like too much of a stretch from a computer power supply review.

 

[anxiousinfusion]

The last time I looked at fanless PSUs, the highest rated was only 500w and could be "overclocked" to 600w. I wonder how this one is for heat dissipation.

 

[Novuake]

[citation][nom]makaveli316[/nom]My psu has a fan (Corsair 650hx) and i never hear it.I think my room noise is more loud than it.With that in mind, what's the point of a fanless PSU?Are there really people having sound issues with their psus?[/citation]

yes there are. People that work in Sound capturing environments NEED a DEAD quiet PC.

 

[ram1009]

Premature failure guaranteed!!!

 

[redBom]

650W : coller, deeper, and most important forever "Greener"