XFX PSU is too loud

[loudasspsu]

I'll make this quick.

Hardware:
Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P
AMD FX 6300
Sapphire R9 280X Vapor-X

The PSU is an XFX TS. I think it's the 650W version, but I'm not 100% sure.

Anyway, whenever I play games on medium to high graphics settings (aka whenever my GPU is under load), the PSU fan starts going crazy and turns loud as heck.

I've gathered that my GPU is pretty demanding in terms of how much power it uses, so I figured that for some reason this power supply can't really handle the R9 280X under load (although it should definitely be fine in terms of wattage).

I'm now looking for a PSU that is guaranteed to behave properly with the specific GPU that I have, I don't want to get a new one and then run into the same problem again.

 

[Eximo]

Well, determining the PSU size is a good idea.

So you should have a 95W CPU, and a 250W GPU. So probably around 400-450W total system consumption under a full load, depending on the rest of your hardware.

If that is truly a 650W, then you are sitting at around 60% usage, which is just about right.

What is the ambient temperature? Is the PSU getting sufficient airflow? Is the fan working properly?

If you want a replacement PSU and you want it to be very quiet. The usual solution is to go big and high efficiency.

So something like a 750W Gold rated supply or higher would put it well under 50% usage. I recommend this one, the fan won't even run under 40% load. https://pcpartpicker.com/product/64cMnQ/seasonic-focus-plus-gold-750w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-750fx

Or for a little more, platinum:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dCs8TW/seasonic-focus-plus-platinum-750w-80-platinum-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-750px

 

[loudasspsu]

Well, determining the PSU size is a good idea.

So you should have a 95W CPU, and a 250W GPU. So probably around 400-450W total system consumption under a full load, depending on the rest of your hardware.

If that is truly a 650W, then you are sitting at around 60% usage, which is just about right.

What is the ambient temperature? Is the PSU getting sufficient airflow? Is the fan working properly?

If you want a replacement PSU and you want it to be very quiet. The usual solution is to go big and high efficiency.

So something like a 750W Gold rated supply or higher would put it well under 50% usage. I recommend this one, the fan won't even run under 40% load. https://pcpartpicker.com/product/64cMnQ/seasonic-focus-plus-gold-750w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-750fx

Or for a little more, platinum:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dCs8TW/seasonic-focus-plus-platinum-750w-80-platinum-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-750px

That is honestly a little too expensive for me right now. Do I really need 750W for this build? Was hoping the problem was related to this specific PSU and not the wattage.

 

[Eximo]

Well, any PSU higher quality then the one you have (also made by Seasonic, but to XFX specs, if I recall) will be about that expensive. Bbetween $90-110. Just the basic cost of parts and assembly, all you are really seeing is the cost difference between the components used. Most PSU lines share a common design and they just switch out capacitors and regulators for ones that can handle more power.

Like I said, temperature is what is going to make the fan spin in the PSU. If you don't have a warranty still, you can consider getting a quieter fan and putting it in there. Assuming you are comfortable taking apart a power supply.

You do have a big GPU power wise. Your other option would be to try for a new GPU, but you already knew that and it would be even more expensive.

You could always shop around for used power supplies. From what I have seen, younger people tend to buy hugely oversized power supplies and towers (bigger is better). When they do their first rebuild they often downsize to Mini-ITX or Micro ATX and have this huge power supply laying around.