Silent Running: Two Fanless Power Supplies And A Quiet One, Tested

[deanjo]

[citation][nom]freggo[/nom].No wonder people can no longer hear the difference between an MP3 and a CD recording.[/citation]

Sorry but noise pollution is not the cause of that, it is more likely that they are loosing their hearing from sticking MP3/CD earbuds or cans around their ears. The same products that they cannot hear a difference in is a direct result from the playback of the items they are trying to hear a difference in.

 

[BigBodZod]

[citation][nom]zeratul600[/nom]Why does americans are so picky about the noise rate??? i never stop to think about that! it has never become an obstacle to enjoy my pc experience[/citation]

I agree but most others do not see it that way, so many folks are about keeping the noise level down.

 

[WickedPigeon]

[citation][nom]hunter315[/nom]FUD!It is tested by TUV(german equivilant of UL) and cTUVus which is the Canadian and US branch of TUV, which are both on the OSHA list of Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories along with UL. It is far from a fire trap and has passed multiple testing labs around the world. Though thanks for posting that, now i just learned all about the testing labs here and around the world.[/citation]

I agree that that not all good products are UL certified, but all UL certified products are good. But, you are wrong about the different certifications - any your "just learned" information is incomplete.

UL standards are different than the others. UL certification is testing components and sub systems and is much more rigorous. TUV ISN'T EVEN CLOSE TO UL. I know I work with UL. The reason some companies use other certifiers is because of cost. But it's cost vs risk with your life as the bet. I would bet these products are fine, but you take a risk every time there isn't an UL stamp on a product.

Other standards may cost less, like TUV or ETL (intertk), but they are weaker in their standards. Even in Tom's earlier PSU reviews they say UL is the mark of excellence. I say don't take the risk - demand the UL mark. BTW - I wee my Asus has it.

 

[K2N hater]

Most readers of THG are rather young... After a few years of overclocking and perhaps some time in server rooms it's natural to detest noise.

 

[hunter315]

[citation][nom]WickedPigeon[/nom]I agree that that not all good products are UL certified, but all UL certified products are good. But, you are wrong about the different certifications - any your "just learned" information is incomplete. UL standards are different than the others. UL certification is testing components and sub systems and is much more rigorous. TUV ISN'T EVEN CLOSE TO UL. I know I work with UL. The reason some companies use other certifiers is because of cost. But it's cost vs risk with your life as the bet. I would bet these products are fine, but you take a risk every time there isn't an UL stamp on a product. Other standards may cost less, like TUV or ETL (intertk), but they are weaker in their standards. Even in Tom's earlier PSU reviews they say UL is the mark of excellence. I say don't take the risk - demand the UL mark. BTW - I wee my Asus has it.[/citation]

Can you provide a link which shows how UL is tougher in their standard than the other NRTLs? I'd like to see a link before i believe that, and demanding one thing is like saying intel is always better than AMD, it is simple ignorant brand loyalty that you need to be very careful of as it can make you ignorant to facts.

Of course companies choose who to certify with, they cannot justify getting it certified by 40 testing labs around the world, TUV is enough to declare it is safe to sell in the US so why waste money certifying an international product in a US only lab? I don't think you are correct that UL "is much more rigorous", if you provide a link i'll believe you, but it is also important to consider that PSUs either fail quietly, or catastrophically, i don't care who certified the PSU, any catastrophic failure is a fire hazard regardless of if it has UL approval. Lets consider this little guy with UL approval, he should be safe right?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152032
Wrong!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezk9OA7aKOE

Certifications can only account for standard usage, they cannot account for the random catastrophic failure so your odds are the same regardless of who you got it certified by.

 

[WickedPigeon]

[citation][nom]hunter315[/nom]Can you provide a link which shows how UL is tougher in their standard than the other NRTLs? I'd like to see a link before i believe that, and demanding one thing is like saying intel is always better than AMD, it is simple ignorant brand loyalty that you need to be very careful of as it can make you ignorant to facts.Of course companies choose who to certify with, they cannot justify getting it certified by 40 testing labs around the world, TUV is enough to declare it is safe to sell in the US so why waste money certifying an international product in a US only lab? I don't think you are correct that UL "is much more rigorous", if you provide a link i'll believe you, but it is also important to consider that PSUs either fail quietly, or catastrophically, i don't care who certified the PSU, any catastrophic failure is a fire hazard regardless of if it has UL approval. Lets consider this little guy with UL approval, he should be safe right?http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817152032Wrong!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezk9OA7aKOECertifications can only account for standard usage, they cannot account for the random catastrophic failure so your odds are the same regardless of who you got it certified by.[/citation]

There isn't any link that will give you your answer. As I said - I work in this field, with UL, and there is a difference - and the UL makes the difference. BTW - UL is a global billion $ company not just a US certifier but rather a global certifier. And who wrote the standards for Power Supplies? Not TUV they are using UL's standards to certify against. The 19 NRTLs in the US are using UL standards. Almost all of the worldwide NTRLs are using UL of CSA standards. (I wonder why?)

You are defending manufactures that are cutting corners to save a buck or two. Why do you think they choose TUV over UL when UL wrote the standard? It's the wild west out in China right now, and there are a lot of risks in using non-UL certified products.

Now you should feel free to use higher risk components to save a buck - so when it blows up or burns down your house, you can use that buck to get a cup of coffee. When it comes to electrical safety, there isn't anyone as strong as UL in the standards market. For me - I will only use UL certified PSUs.

 

[Caffeinecarl]

[citation][nom]zeratul600[/nom]Why does americans are so picky about the noise rate??? i never stop to think about that! it has never become an obstacle to enjoy my pc experience[/citation]
We aren't the only ones who want a fanless PC not just because of the noise thing, but because without fans, there's less air current to draw dust into the case to make it dirty. Do you ever look inside your PC and notice that you can see trails of dust from exactly where the air is moving? Do you ever stop to think that if the dust hadn't settled on your parts it could even make the cooling system better if you do use fans?

Oh, and your grammar sucks!

 

[chugginmilk]

Sounds pretty cool! (and quiet)

 

[Guest]

Fan noise has never been a issue for me. I think the most complaints about noise come from gamers who have a need for more fans and cooling. But certainly these PSU's would not satisfy them. I have built PC systems before with no fans using low powered CPU's and limited power consumption. But the kicker is that it produces much less heat to begin with. When you look at the likes of a Mac Mini or a laptop. The fan noise is limited because of the fans design and the heat produced by the components. In the end if it produces heat and you cannot get rid of it. The lifespan of that component will be shorter.

 

[gm0n3y]

I can see why having a quiet PC is important if you are buying a small / thin HTPC case. But if you have the space for a larger case you can get one that will easily muffle the vast majority of the noise. I've been running my old gaming machine in my living room for the past year or 2 and sitting 6' away even with no other noise in the room I can't hear it.

 

[eddieroolz]

I have the enthusiast brother of the X-460, the X-850. It's a great PSU that feels premium, boasts 80PLUS Gold and a near-silent fan. I'm very happy.

 

[Tuishimi]

[citation][nom]belardo[/nom]Do you think it is possible to use 2 low-noise PSUs to power components on the same motherboard?[/citation]

I had the same thought!

 

[ceh4702]

Heat still has to go somewhere? I would not bottom mount a power supply like this.

 

[melvin wells]

It's also notable that none of these are designed to sustain more than 500 W of output. Higher-wattage power supplies generate more heat under load, even if they're very efficient.

http://www.inkcarts.com

 

[eadthem]

High ripple on the 12V rail, Same reason i retired my silverstone 450W 4 years ago.

SeaSonic runs every computer my family owns(minus laptops), there cheepist model runs my servers and router, same clean rails as there S12II and X650, as well as my computers at work. Not 1 failure in the 4 years I've used them.

 

[eadthem]

[citation][nom]hunter315[/nom]FUD!It is tested by TUV(german equivilant of UL) and cTUVus which is the Canadian and US branch of TUV, which are both on the OSHA list of Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories along with UL. It is far from a fire trap and has passed multiple testing labs around the world. Though thanks for posting that, now i just learned all about the testing labs here and around the world.[/citation]
UL is great but there not perfect, Ive seen UL and RU(UL registered parts) marks on the sides of power supply's made by powmax and DEER, the company famous for jumping and removing every safety device devised from there cheep over rated power supply's.

If it really matters, Pop the case open and inspect it your self. Many dangerous situations, or flat defects are easy to spot visually. (Do not attempt without a minimum 2 year electronics degree or equivalent experience.)

 

[Guest]

seasonic only .. be quiet is a useless...