Quietest, Reliable Power Supply - Help

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Toms_Newbie

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Feb 12, 2013
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Hi All,

I've been reading through various articles and websites (special thanks to Tom's Sticky Thread on this forum for PSU 😉 ). However, one thing I didn't see much discussion of (even on recommended sites like Hardware Secrets) was the Audio Noise Level for Power Supplies.

I'd like to build as quiet / silent a PC as possible, so I had 2 questions:

1. What are the Quietest, Reliable Power Supplies you'd recommend?

Just from product names, I'm guessing the "be quiet! Dark Power" PSUs and "Cooler Master Silent Pro series" are built with an emphasis on silence / how quiet they run?

Any other recommendations (especially keeping in mind reliability)?


2. Just to double-check (I ran the eXtreme Power Calculator, and the sticky calculations here at the top of this forum), I think I need a 650W PSU (needing 32.5 Amps on a 12V Rail?) for this setup:

* CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K processor @ 3.5 GHz
* Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LK
* Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl with Window
* CPU Fan: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2
* Solid State Drive: Samsung Electronics 840 Pro Series 2.5-Inch 256 GB SATA 6GB/s Solid State Drive MZ-7PD256BW
* Video Card: MSI Nvidia 660Ti PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16
* OS: Windows 7 64 Bit
* RAM: G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600


Thanks for the help and advice!
 
Solution
Rammy
If you are looking for quality and low volume and don't mind taking a hit in the cost department, have a look at the Seasonic X-series range. The lower wattage ones are entirely fanless, higher up the range they have a fan but it is only used under high loads and has control options.
http://www.seasonicusa.com/NEW_X-series_KM3_650-750-850.htm

For wattage you shouldn't need much more than 500W. Something like that Seasonic X-650 should actually be good for GTX660Sli if you want that facility.

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Hey you're going to hate me... I don't have any advice about your power supply question. Actually you have the EXACT computer I am interested in building! Just wondering if you play any games on it! And if yes - do you play BF3 & how does it run?
Overall what do you think of the setup? Is there anything else you might suggest to add?
Very sorry for this reply.... uh I'm just getting into building computers myself.
If you can help me that would be great!
Sam
 
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If you are looking for quality and low volume and don't mind taking a hit in the cost department, have a look at the Seasonic X-series range. The lower wattage ones are entirely fanless, higher up the range they have a fan but it is only used under high loads and has control options.
http://www.seasonicusa.com/NEW_X-series_KM3_650-750-850.htm

For wattage you shouldn't need much more than 500W. Something like that Seasonic X-650 should actually be good for GTX660Sli if you want that facility.

 
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Solution


Hi Rammy,

Thanks for the recommendation. :) I looked into this Seasonic X 650, and it got some great reviews (from respected places like Silent PC and Hardware Secrets).

But looking at NewEgg's customer reviews, there are quite a few reviews that claim there's Coil Whine (and it's really noticeable). 🙁

Hm. Any other recommendations for Quiet, Reliable PSUs?

Thanks!
 
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Yeah coil whine is always a concern and there's not a lot you can do. Even the best PSU in the world might have it, and much like issues like "dead pixels" the manufacturer doesn't necessarily consider it a fault.

In defence of the PSU I mentioned, it's been discontinued and reintroduced in the last year, so a lot of the reviews will be for the previous model number. I doubt there's a lot of difference between the two though.
 
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Hi iceclock,

I'm in the U.S. and budget isn't an issue. My core concerns is just for Quietest PSU delivering Reliable Power.

My system specs and wattage are listed in my original post, thanks.

I was really narrowing in on the Seasonic X650 until I read about NewEgg customers complaining about Coil Whine. But I think the more I read and understand, Coil Whine is a possibility in any PSU.

 
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Hi - Yes coil whine can occur in any unit. I'd suggest the x-650 anyway.
I have an x-650 and it is super quiet, no coil whine, fan only runs when needed
and it a very high quality fan. I think the coil whine issue is just a
numbers thing & the % to the total is pretty low.
 
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Hi Sam,

No worries. :) I'm actually in the process of putting together that PC now, so I can't tell you how it runs yet. I'll let you know when it's done. Thanks!
 
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Hi obsidian,

I don't have a target Decibel level, but essentially a "Quiet PC" build. Fan is OK, as long as it's not noticeable via general PC usage (emailing, surfing, etc.).

Fanless is tempting, but with the gaming / hardware needs, I don't think they make a PSU that provides enough power for me. That and I understand that fanless entails other issues (or more reliance on more Case Fans?).

So if you have recommendations for just quiet PSUs (ideally with no Coil Whine), please let me know. Thanks!
 
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You can definitely go fanless if your setup above is all you plan on using. Seasonic Platinum Fanless range goes up to 520W which is enough for pretty much any single GPU build. Even the 460W version would likely be sufficient for you.

A fanless PSU doesn't have any massive shortcomings (other than cost). They are usually more ventilated than a normal fan cooled one, but PSUs (despite generating a fair amount of heat) don't really need much cooling.
I looked at them myself for my small form factor build but decided I couldn't justify the cost. Also, I figured that unless you get to a point where all the components are passively cooled, you are always going to hear something. To me, spending silly money on a fanless PSU when you have a graphics card screaming away at full load didn't make a lot of sense.
 
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Hi All,

Thanks so much for all the suggestions and replies. Sorry for the delay; I just put my PC together and wanted to wait a day or two before giving feedback. 😉

I ended up getting the Seasonic X650 Gold Power Supply and I couldn't be happier. VERY quiet, and no coil whine.

This is by far the quietest PC I've ever owned. Thanks to all the veterans here at Tom's and Silent PC's Mike Chin for all the advice and help.

As an FYI, here's my new PC:

• CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K processor @ 3.5 GHz
• Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LK
• Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl
• CPU Fan & Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2
• Solid State Drive: Samsung Electronics 840 Pro Series 2.5-Inch 256 GB SATA 6GB/s Solid State Drive MZ-7PD256BW
• Video Card: MSI Nvidia 660Ti PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5
o Note: Core Clock of 1019MHz
• Windows 7 64 Bit Home Professional
• RAM: 16 GB of Kingston HyperX Blu RAM 1600 DDR 3
• Power Supply: Seasonic X 650 W GOLD Rated
• Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar BLACK 1 TB SATA III 7200 RPM with 64 MB Cache
• DVD Drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST 24x SATA DVD Writer


Thanks again everyone! 😀
 
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