I've started to design my dream case, which would effectively be a FT-02 mini, able to cater for M/ATX systems (my desk can't accomodate a 24" deep computer). I am considering polycarbonate (Lexan or another commercial brand) for the side panels, as I recall reading polycarbonate has a superior soun...

Would it be OK, from a cooling perspective, to use this PSU (or any other Seasonic fanless one) in a case like the Lian Li PCQ08, which normally draws fresh air from a side intake, and exhausts it behind the case?

Folks from ocn.net that use this PSU found it quite noisy under load, so I assume it should be fine if your setup draws close to 225-250 W maximum, but would lok into something different if not.

I have an AX750 PSU in my system. I quite like it, I can't vouch for electronic noise but didn't hear any when setting up the sysyem with the side panel out. Within the closed case, any electronic noise it might make isn't audible. My setup draws about 350 W at full load (i5 2500K + GTX 560 ti), mus...

It looks like the case has a potential that can be unlocked some some modding. Drilling a hole through the front to allow the fan to draw fresh air should help.

They did a previous round of testing beginning of 2011: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/120mm-fan-roundup-1_20.html That 2011 roundup included the Nexus RealSilent (which did very well), along with some NoiseBlocker and Scythe models (no Noctua though). It's just a shame they didn't...

Great article Lawrence, thanks!
The Fractal Design Define R3 and the NZXT H2 still seem like the silent kings of ATX towers at the moment; I wonder how the R4 will fare, as some reviews on the web concluded it was a bit inferior noise-wise.

What's wrong with more (power) capacity? Are you worried about lower efficiency? Higher price? I've got a 80+ Gold 400W Be Quiet PSU. I'm mostly concerned about efficiency: what's the point of using a 500W 80+gold PSU, when typical load range (idle/internet surfing) is way below 100W, thus below th...

The best 120mm fans are better than the best 140mm fans. SPCR has had kind words about the Noctua 140mm fans (which can mount on either 120mm mounts or 140mm mounts) I suspect the the Noiseblocker 140mm are as good as the Noctua 140mm, but I have never done an A/B test on that. Interesting. Granted...

The title says it all: I'm looking for quiet 140 mm case fans that can provide a good airflow while staying nice and quiet. SPCR recommends fans up to 120 mm only. From an X-bit Labs article , I was thinking about : - Thermalright X-Silent 140 (I'm already using some, they're quite nice) - Thermalri...

You can pretty much do anything you want with this... and do it in a reproducible manner so you can test and retest different settings in an easily reproducible manner. 2x 12V 3PIN Connector 2x 10V 3PIN Connector 2x 3PIN 8V plug 2x 3PIN 6V plug 2x 3PIN 5V connector 2x 12V 4PIN Molex connectors or 2...

Thanks for the advice! I guess I'll do the NH-C14, as I'll be able to reuse the provided fans.

Hi all, I'm starting working on the quieting (not to say silencing right now) of my old rig, based on - Cooler Master Centurion 590 case - AMD Phenom X4 9950 CPU (140W TDP) - Sapphire HD 4850 Toxic video card (110W TDP) - Fortron Aurum 500W (installed this month) My goal is to make the system near-s...

Thank you for the analysis. It's good to have something to point to when people want advice on a new system and choose a 600W PSU for a system that's mostly the same as the i5 6870 combination from the article. Agreed. It's also showing that there's a definite lack of quiet, high-efficiency PSUs on...

I've fitted a Phobya G-silent 180 mm fan in my case (Fractal Design Arc Midi), along with 4 Thermalright X-silent 140 mm. I run the Phobya fan at full speed and the Thermalright ones at 750 RPM, the Phobya noise is drowned by the Thermalright so it is fairly quiet. However the few reviews I've seen ...

From the refresh of the Power Distribution in PCs article , it appears that a low-end computer needs at most 300 to 350W when running the load tests, and may less in "casual" use (net browsing, music listening, DVD viewing). I'm planning to upgrade my wife's computer doing the summer, so I'm startin...