Seasonic Prime Ultra - Bad Fan and Bequiet Straight Power 11

[swamp]

I am trying to buy a new psu 650W - 750W but not having any luck. My first was the new Seasonic Prime Ultra Titanium 750W which is very nicely made but the new FDB fan was noisy. A constant clicking / ratcheting noise since I wanted to run it in normal mode, not hybrid. So after an RMA I got a new Bequiet Straight Power 11. This was DOA, well crackling and sparking noises.

So considering I have bought 2 premium psu's both seem to have issues regarding quality. I have read on the German forums that the new FDB fan in the seasonic prime ultra is not that good and lets down what is a nice product so did not want to risk buying another if the FDB fan noise is common.

So I am at a loss what to try for a 3rd attempt. I don't want a passive psu or one that cannot be switched out of passive mode but my PC is an audio workstation so I need something quiet.

Now looking at the EVGA 650w P2 but really cautious now at what I buy as price is no guarantee of quality control it seems. Bequiet dark power pro ? or chance another Seasonic.

Suggestions.

[Abula]

Well you already tested two of the best PSU in the market, I own two seasonic titanium and both are flawless but I run them hybrid always, not sure why you don't like it.

Now with bequiet probably was bad luck I would exchange it, but if you are not interested I would go with Corsair rm750x, for a more budget friendly PSU, if you still willing to go with a higher end psu I would try EVGA SuperNOVA 750 T2 750W 80 Plus Titanium.

[swamp]

I am not against the idea of a switch on the psu that works in hybrid mode but I like the idea of some control and a fan test. This put me off the Corsair RMx line since it is passive up to a certain load with no way to test the fan. Also the RMi series with internal usb connection and fan on option controlled by software is just too gimmicky for me. What next from Corsair, multi colour led lights on the psu. Put a simple fan test / hybrid mode on/off on the rmx line Corsair.

Since my case has 2 x 600 rpm fans, 1 on the cpu and 1 on the gpu which is a passive r9 270, I was trying to find a psu with equal low noise fan that can at least exhaust warm air if its passive mode resulted in heat build up when gaming as my psu is top mounted. It is an old but expensive Tia Chi case https://goo.gl/images/o3RHkb ... Hence the seasonic 1st choice with the hybrid switch but the clicky fan was audible when idle at 20-30 cm so would only get worse under load.

The Bequiet fan was dead silent when the thing managed to power up on a tester for a few seconds. I'll check out the EVGA line I guess then. Thx.

[Luke M]

It's only a sample of one, but I'm happy with my Seasonic Focus Plus. It uses a 120mm fan. When I toggle the fanless button, I can't hear any difference. I don't know what the minimum fan speed is, but the air flow is very low; I can barely feel it.

Anyway, if I had got unlucky with the fan, I would just run it in fanless mode. Not worth the trouble of replacing it.

[swamp]

In the end I bought another Bequiet Straight power 11 and it is one of the quietest power supplies I have had. Even if the seasonic did not have the bearing rumble / clicking it still would be louder than the bequiet but not by much, just the horrid fan they use in the top tier units is an odd choice. The seasonic was better build quality. Maybe I just got unlucky.

[lb_felipe]

What is the exact version of Straight Power 11 you bought?

[swamp]

The Bequiet Straight Power 11 650W version but I am sure the higher wattage ones use the same fan model.

[lb_felipe]

The Bequiet Straight Power 11 650W version but I am sure the higher wattage ones use the same fan model.

Yes. They use the same model but into a different version.

450W (BN280): 1200 rpm
550W (BN281): 1500 rpm
650W (BN282): 1500 rpm
750W (BN283): 1800 rpm
850W (BN284): 2100 rpm
1000W (BN285): 2600 rpm

These may give you an idea about noise of Straight Power 11:

https://www.cybenetics.com/index.php?op ... 22&volts=1

550W: https://www.cybenetics.com/code/pdf.php?id=6Gh and (I dunno why) https://www.cybenetics.com/code/pdf.php?id=hko
850W: https://www.cybenetics.com/code/pdf.php?id=Z9c
1000W: https://www.cybenetics.com/code/pdf.php?id=Ynn