Good Quiet Power Supply

[Guest]

Just got a new PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 350, and it works great, but I do a lot of writing and this thing is too darn loud for me to focus. I'm thinking of grabbing a Silencer 275, but the idea of dropping below the 300W level kinda spooks me. My power-drawing specs:

TBird 1Ghz
DVD Drive
7200RPM DeskStar
GeForce GTS w/ fan
Chassis, CPU, and Chipset fans
SBLive!
Ethernet Card
Floppy

Will a 275 suffice? Moreover, at 34dB, will it really be all that quieter than my current 48dB power supply? Those decibel ratings don't sound very different to me. My current PS sounds like a jet engine, while the Silencer line is supposed to be "difficult to hear".

Chase DuBois
<A HREF="http://www.cablesense.com/" target="_new">CableSense.com</A>

 

[ejsmith2]

The most important thing to remember is every PSU is just as quiet as the next one, whether it's a 250watt or a 431 watt. It's the lousy fans that make noise. The actual transformers hum a little, but if you're hearing that you should be asleep (430am).

You can swap out fans as you please, and even wire a el-cheepo thermal diode on it if you want. Or just cross it with 7v or 5v.

 

[Guest]

Yeah, but I'm not much into thermal diodes, so I'm really looking to return what I've got and get something else. Anyone have a second opinion on the issue? I find it hard to believe that PC Power and Cooling could claim 90% less noise if it wasn't at least noticeably and distinctly quieter.

Chase DuBois
<A HREF="http://www.cablesense.com/" target="_new">CableSense.com</A>

 

[yoda271828]

With each increase of 10db the sound volume roughly doubles. Since the Silencer is 14db less it should be less than half the noise.

I have an Enermax 431W-FC and it is very quiet. The FC (fan control) option slows down the fans when the case is cool to reduce the noise. I highly recommend Enermax power supplies. I think they're about the same price as the lower watt 'PC Power & Cooling' units. I paid $89 for my 431W-FC and $65 for my girlfriend's 350W-FC.

 

[ejsmith2]

I have no idea if there's a better quality power supply than the Enermax line. You'll do good with any of them, but you'll pay for it too =)

 

[Guest]

Another vote for Enermax. I think they make a 350 watt too if you are trying to keep the price down.


- Every private citizen has a public responsibility

 

[Guest]

Thanks for all the input. I decided to purchase an Enermax Whisper 350 for just $69....which is about $10 less than the Silencer 275. It also has 30K hrs. more expected liftime. I can't wait for it to arrive.

Chase DuBois
<A HREF="http://www.cablesense.com/" target="_new">CableSense.com</A>