best psu for under $75

[talz13]

I was looking at the fortron 300 or 350w (forget which one), and then i saw the post that said the superflower 550w was good, but it's considerably more than the fortron (about $79-99 where i found it).

i'd really like to find a nice quiet psu (that i wouldn't have to mod just for the specific reason of making it acceptably quiet) in the $40-50 range if possible.

[Ralf Hutter]

For under $75 I'd go with the Nexus 3000.

[RaNDoMMAI]

u can save 30 and get a CoolMAx tarus cx 400W one if u r worried about power

I dont like forton at all, unless u r gonna replace the fan

~RaNDoM

[Talz]

I've seen the Zalman 300 watt for around $60 a few places.

[zuperdee]

I have personally had good luck with the 12cm-fanned Coolmax Taurus PSU. You can find them pretty cheaply at NewEgg, AccuPC, and many other places.

I should also soon be receiving a Fortron FSP400-60PFN, which is what the Nexus NX-4000, the 14dB SilenX, and the Zalman ZM400A/B-APS are all based on. You can pick one up at EndPCNoise for just $59. It might especially be a good deal if you're prepared to swap the fan--methinks it could become like an instant Zalman if you just painted it black and gave it an NMB fan. (I think some of the units even ship with NMB fans, too.)

[Talz]

Be careful of OEM Fortrons. Fortron makes a LOT of psu's and while they will often share parts they will also often have a few differences beyond just the fan. There are some interesting units though at good prices, just don't be surprised if efficiency is a bit lower and heat is a bit higher.

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello:

Well, I'm running an Athlon 64 3000+ system on a 300watt Clever Power from NewEgg.com -- and it is wickedquiet!! Very, very quiet -- and I'm Folding with it.

It is the quietest PS I have heard, period.

My ear has to be *touching* the exhaust grill to even hear it -- and again that's at full load:

Athlon 64 3000+ w/ stock HS/fan at ~2400RPM (on Fanmate)
1GB Mushkin RAM
RAID 1 Samsung 160GB SATA drives
Samsung CD-RW
Iomega Zip 750
Mitsumi floppy/ memory card reader
Enermax 120mm @ ~4.2 volts
Globe 92mm intake @ 5v
Evercase 4252

The exhaust air is barely warm, and it has speeded up *slightly* now, but it is still much quieter than anything in the case. I peaked inside and if I had to guess, it has PFC; maybe even active PFC. There is a second (smaller) transformer and a HUGE toroidial choke -- a little over 1" in diameter, and it has quite large heatsinks. The insides are well packed with the four (!!) grounded/filtered AC plugs on the back take up the rear 3/4" under the 150mm radial fan.

The blades of the fan are shaped like airfoils and are quite long and slim. The fan's motor/bub is maybe 7/8" in diameter, only, so the blades are almost 2" long!

I think this one deserves a spot in out SPRC recommended PS, a couple of notches above the Fortron, at least. And for the price (at NewEgg.com) it is a *steal*.

[RaNDoMMAI]

Hi NeilBlanchard

is this the one u r talkng about?

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDe ... 001&depa=1

I dont see it moving much air. whats up with the four power things on the back?

and 73% effcieny? thats awesome.

~RaNDoM

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello:

Hi NeilBlanchard

is this the one u r talkng about?

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDe ... 001&depa=1

I dont see it moving much air. whats up with the four power things on the back?

and 73% effcieny? thats awesome.

~RaNDoM

Yes that is the one -- it definitely is not moving as much air as a Fortron 120mm, but I'd say its's on par with many 80mm fanned units.

The four plugs are "convenience" plugs, that are surge filtered, and available to plug other things into...hence some of the "clever" part.

I started another thread for this unit, BTW.