edh wrote:Yes, but single braided cables would be tidier, regardless of if they're custom made or not. Unifying everything together in bundles that go to the same location is obvious. The only reason ever to separate things is if they are going to different locations or are likely to interfere with each other, for example separating mains electricity from signal cables in trunking.
Oic. Yep, single braided definitely creates the illusion that there are more cables than there really are. To the untrained eye, this can actually be impressive as spectators are awed by the multitude of cables and ponder how complex it must be to assemble such a puzzle. I suppose the preference of single braided vs. loose is subjective. I will say that with my build, the 24-pin cable does require single braiding to a degree because of the 2-pin appendage that must branch off to power the infrared sensor (which is the initial reason I why I chose custom cabling).
edh wrote:Check on 80plus and see if you can find a modular PSU that matches a non-modular PSU exactly for efficiency. There is always a difference and adding connections and cable length effects this by adding resistance.
Ah, if the lack of PSU efficiency is what you were referring to in regards to resistance, then perhaps that's because you haven't seen my list of components yet. This is a conservative build in regards to both energy and heat by utilizing strategic components such as the 3770S, Radeon HD 7750, 2 DIMMs of 1600 MHz memory, and SSDs that only pull 0.46W each at idle and 2.11W while active. System should idle @ 50W and at full load shouldn't exceed 200W, yet the PSU is capable of 600W. If there are any measurable performance consequences that a user of this build could perceive from the extra 1.5' (0.45 meters) of power cabling, please explain.
This Kingwin PSU claims 92+ efficiency at 50% load.
Efficiency: On 20% / 50% / 100% loading, with 90% / 92% / 89% Efficiency
If PSU efficiency is the goal (which it's not), then I would downgrade to a modern and comparable Platinum rated 300W silent PSU to achieve 50% load in order to gain that 2% of approximate efficiency. Regardless, I don't think that such a component exists.
edh wrote:Why not just custom mount the PSU in the case so that it is adequately cooled?
Eh? Wouldn't installing the PSU into the case reduce cooling efficiency of both the case, it's internal components, and the PSU? This is a fanless system after all, so I don't see how it could possibly lower the temps of the other components of the case by having this major heat source present. Conversely, the ambient air temperature within the case should be higher than outside the case, which should contribute to higher temperatures for the PSU. In fact, I intentionally added that extra 1.5' to the power cabling so that the PSU could be placed a solid 1.25' or greater from the case, an alternative of placing the PSU on top of the case (my goal is lower temps of all components, including the PSU). Besides, mounting this particular PSU within the case (should this even be possible) would require some heavy duty double sided tape, an inadequate substitute for thermal paste in regards to heat transfer. Think of baby pandas snuggling. Their primary reason for snuggling is for the synergy of heat conservation. Pull these heat sources apart and their body temperatures drop; same basic principle should apply to these components, should it not? Please correct me if I'm wrong in this assumption!
With time, perhaps a low profile, totally silent 300W+ PSU of Platinum efficiency with low to no heat dissipation and a small footprint will be available on the market. Until then, this is the best solution that I'm aware of.
edh wrote:Or buy a Seasonic in the first place? The Silverstone is a little long in the tooth now for efficiency.
I tried THREE (3) Seasonic fanless/silent PSUs and they all exhibited identical buzzing. I swapped the Seasonics a quite few times, yet I couldn’t perceive a difference in the decibel nor pitch of the buzzing between their fanless models. Even Seasonic themselves said the buzzing sound was normal and that exchanging would be fruitless. Either I purchased 3 brand new but defective Seasonic PSUs, or the manufacturer knows what they are talking about when they say the buzzing sound is normal. I suspect that all Seasonic fanless PSUs exhibit this buzzing. However, this is a seriously MAJOR factor to consider, something that should not affect everyone… with my fanless/silent build, the PSU resides over a foot OUTSIDE the case which means that there is zero sound buffering but this allows for unrestricted/full ventilation of the PSU (resulting in lower temps for the case, its components, and the PSU). For others, having the PSU within a closed case may very well alleviate any humming sound (coil whine) that a normal human ear could detect. 10 feet away, I could still hear it, but again, it was not inside a case and yes, my room is rather silent.
The KingWin Stryker 500 only makes a clicking sound when you turn it on and off. Since I'm not doing any critical thinking/work like typing forum posts when the system is booting or shutting off, this single and subtle click is a nonissue. Now it does have faint coil whine but it’s truly only audible when your ear is mere inches away and directly above the PSU. This KingWin is completely inaudible from a few feet away (my ears will be about 7' away) and I'm extremely pleased to have found this silent solution. Coincidentally, the heatsink color and design of the KingWin is a perfect match for the TNN-500AF.
edh wrote:Audiophiles are also notorisously not interested in efficiency, they'll happily burn down the rainforests and kick baby pandas to death to get anecdotally better sound quality. Hence why valves are still seen in some quipment. I've done a lot of troubleshooting work with ECG equipment and everything audiophiles complain about is minor and quite frankly irrelevant.
haha, I don't consider myself a computer expert or an audiophile, but an enthusiast of both. Click to view my
non-silent and rather inefficient ht project: