Seasonic Tornado 300 A3 is THE powersupply

justlnluck · Post by **justlnluck** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 4:53 pm

I got my computer all setup last night and wow; double wow. Maybe I have lower expectations than some on this board, but IMO, this PSU is extremely quiet. When I turned it on for the first time, my ears were amazed by what they didn't hear. Even when I put my ear right up to the powersupply, I am still not quite sure if I am hearing its fan or the HSF on the processor.

Either way, it is VERY smooth sounding, and that is what I care about most. I can't stand hearing rattling, whining or intonations and avoid any components that make such noises. This PSU only produces a smooth, quiet hum that the ears quickly adapt to and forget about. I still haven't dared turning off the processor's fan, so it might be even quieter than I think.

Another feature I love: the PSU is no longer the warmest component in the case! This PSU doesn't produce any heat that I can tell. It feels like the same temp as the rest of the case...a luke warm. My Antec PSU always felt like the side of a toaster, it was that hot. I want to add that I currently have no case fans running, so the Tornado's fan is pulling ALL of the warm air out of the case by itself and doing a fine job. According to SiSoftware Sandra, my motherboard is @ 32C and A64 @ 34C. This is without the air conditioner running too! I am so amazed by this because my 1900+ XP processor was always @ 55 - 60C with Artic Silver 3 and stock cooling. This A64 processor is using the stock cooling WITH the generic thermal pad that came with it and yet it is at 34C after running for over 24 hours nonstop.

I haven't been able to check the RPMs on the PSU's fan yet. I'm not quite sure how. I plugged in the fan monitor wire, but don't know where to check. I ordered the Seasonic Tornado 300 from Silicon Acoustics for ~$71 including shipping and couldn't be more happy about my purchase.
If you have similar components to the ones in my sig, don't waste your money on the 400 model. The 300 gets the job done, and then some.

Oh yeah, and NO COIL WHINE! Yay!!

[/b]

wim · Post by **wim** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 7:04 pm

glad it worked out so well for you! this psu was not quiet enough for my ears in stock form (but i've 'fixed' it..)

that fan rpm cable: plug into a fan header on mobo and install this. probably it still won't count rpms yet (because the fan spins quite slow) but if you click configure -> advanced -> chip and find the FAN# divisor properties, up their values to 8.. well this worked for me. tell me what rpm you're getting?

justlnluck · Post by **justlnluck** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 8:07 pm

Thanks Wim. Speedfan lists two fans: Fan1 flips between 3924 and 4018rpm, and Fan2 stays at 750rpm. I am assuming that the ST's fan is at 750. What makes it confusing though is that SiSoftware Sandra lists these same numbers except it says that the CPU fan is the one running at 750. I wonder why it mixes up these values? Try Sandra and let me know if you get the same results.

I'm still trying to get used to how quiet the new computer is. When I walk into the room, I actually have to listen for it now! I am not only impressed with the Seasonic Tornado, but also the high quality HSF the A64 comes with. Together, they make a world of difference.

DavidSteiner · Post by **DavidSteiner** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 9:47 am

Glad your PSU worked out so well. I agree, there's nothing like a well sounding part: a part that cools but has no rattling or annoying noise (well adaptable).

m_yates · Post by **m_yates** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 12:55 pm

I LOVE my Seasonic Super Tornado 300!

The long warranty, high efficiency, and quality are great selling points...but the best is that it is QUIET

I also ordered mine from silicon acoustics: great service.

m_yates · Post by **m_yates** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 1:29 pm

I don't think there is anything on the box to identify it. Mine came shipped shrink wrapped as well and the box says atx v1.3, that doesn't have anything to do with Seasonics revision number. On the power supply itself, there is a sticker that shows revA3. You can see an image of it on the Seasonic review: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article166-page1.html (but of course you need to open the box to see that). The Silicon Acoustics web site states "revA3" on the super tornado product page, so you can be sure that if you order from them that is what you'll get. Maybe you could ask the store manager how long the supply has been in stock? If it was shipped to the store recently, it is probably what you want.

Agent420 · Post by **Agent420** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 7:30 am

Should say All In One - BTX,SATA & PCI Express ready. I just got the Rev3 V2 and replaced the fan with a Panaflo M. The rev3 V1 sucked very bad, it said Rev3 SATA ready. Dont buy that version!!!!. I had to RMA the old rev and had Sea Sonic send me the new revision. Again, Should say All In One,if it doesnt your gona hate it cuz its horrible. Even the newest revision comes with the worst fan Ive tested(Super Red = Super buzz) The PSU gets pretty warm compared to my Antec PSU with the mega fan. I left the computer on overnight doing nothing, when I woke up the PSY was the only hot component in the system, dont think I ever noticed the antec hot unless it was under load for a while.
Anyhow the Panaflo fan isnt silent either,it makes more of a click sound inside the PSU than I ever remember hearing when it was outside of the PSU on a fanmate. Is that normal?

m_yates · Post by **m_yates** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 9:48 am

The newest version doesn't have the super red fan:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article166-page1.html

The review states the fan is the same as the Nexus 3500 fan, but the Sesonic has smarter control. In my experience, the PSU is great. I was using a 300 W Silenx and THAT PSU is hot. The Seasonic is cool in comparison. The above review also shows the Seasonic has excellent efficiency over the whole range of power, so it will generate less heat. My Silenx burned out in 3 or 4 months. They were quick to send a warranty replacement, but I'm afraid to use it, so I have an unopened 300 W Silenx PSU sitting on the shelf. The Seasonic is a greater quality in my opinion and just as quiet or quieter.

Agent420 · Post by **Agent420** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 2:25 pm

My PSU is much newer than that review.Seeing how Seasonic just sent me their newest PSU last week as my replacement to the worst sounding PSU of all time (SS 460 Rev3 V2) and it works alot better than their old revision I just owned. So Im assuming BTX and PCI Express(All in One) arent the old version. If you got one without BTX and PCI Express its older than mine. Mine would be the newest revision and the fan controller works, the old controller didnt.Anyhow,if yours isnt All In One,its old. The PSU in the review with the extra circuit board I dont think was even sold,it was a revision they had to come up with when they found out their PSU wasnt anywhere near quiet. The new revision isnt anywhere near quiet unless the Super Red fan is removed, however it starts up at 1200rpm. Wonder if there will be another revision before any vendors have the latest rev3's.....

Agent420 · Post by **Agent420** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 8:48 pm

I own a Nexus 120mm bright orange fan and I didnt think it was quieter at 5 V than the rest of the 120mm fans I had when at 5V. Does that thing click at all in the PSU? I may be interested in another fan swap just 2 see if I can find a quieter fan. Im gona be building a mobile box and the psu is gona be out of the computer, or Im gona chop out an intake vent for the PSU.So I may install my SilenX 80mm thermistor fan in the Seasonic,or the Antec fan in my old PSU,that never clicked but Im not sure it will start at 5V yet.

Megamorph · Post by **Megamorph** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 10:18 pm

OMG! This thing sounds like a TORNADO!

Today, I purchased the 300W Super Tornado after reading the reviews on this site. I was in the market for a quiet PSU...too bad I still am. This thing is horrible. It is extremely noisy.

According to the sticker on the box, I have v.1.3

Which one should I get now? I need something QUIET!

Straker · Post by **Straker** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 1:16 am

ouch. read like... five or six posts up.

RaNDoMMAI · Post by **RaNDoMMAI** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 5:49 am

Megamorph wrote:OMG! This thing sounds like a TORNADO!

Today, I purchased the 300W Super Tornado after reading the reviews on this site. I was in the market for a quiet PSU...too bad I still am. This thing is horrible. It is extremely noisy.

According to the sticker on the box, I have v.1.3

Which one should I get now? I need something QUIET!

You guys should just get the seasonic 80mm fan PSU and not the 120mm. i really dont think bottom feeders are good at all. And if you dont like the noise from the 80mm fan, you can always change it for a panaflo L1A.

~RaNDoM

Megamorph · Post by **Megamorph** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 6:31 am

This morning the house was totally silent (except for my PC). I was home alone and had the central A/C turned off, so that wasn't a distraction. HOLY COW! You could hear this PSU from 30ft away in another room! It is humorous that anyone would use the word "silent" in the same sentence with this beast.

It's weird though b/c I don't think Seasonic markets this unit as "quiet." I think this may be a mistake on the part of silentpcreview.com. After all, Seasonic has appropriately named this unit "Super Tornado." Not exactly what a company would name a truly quiet PSU.

unregistered · Post by **unregistered** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 7:12 am

Megamorph, I suggest you visit http://www.seasonic.com/usa/rma.jsp
I had the same problem, RMA'ed it, the next one was really quiet but failed after ~30min. Rma'd again and am now happy. They are definitely have quality issues but their customer service is very good.

bobov · Post by **bobov** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 7:25 am

My ST400 is very quiet, the fan rpm is ~750rpm at idle and ~980rpm at full load.

justlnluck · Post by **justlnluck** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 3:25 pm

Megamorph, there is a good chance that your PSU is defective. Does yours say Rev3 on it? v1.3 does not refer to the revision number. My Seasonic Tornado is so quiet, I can't even tell that the computer is turned on unless I sit down and listen carefully. Make sure no other fans are producing the noise. I only have the processor's fan, video card's fan, and the PSU fan running to make my PC as quiet as possible.

unregistered · Post by **unregistered** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 11:45 pm

Well my rev3 has developed a hum. It is a real high pitched, kind of like a ringing in your ear combined with a typical cheap transformer hum. This has been quite an ordeal. I regret buying this seasonic more than I can tell you. I would not recommend seasonic to anyone, even someone that I don't like. Buying a seasonic is like rolling dice, I have crapped out three times now. ANYTHING is better than a SEASONIC!

Jagasian · Post by **Jagasian** » Fri Aug 06, 2004 10:28 pm

Has anyone else noticed a degradation in the performance or quietness of their rev3? I am going to buy a power supply within the next week. I don't want to buy a lemon. I want high efficiency and low noise... but I also need reliability.

msm_zgok · Post by **msm_zgok** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 12:18 am

Jagasian wrote:Has anyone else noticed a degradation in the performance or quietness of their rev3?

Can anyone else confirm this? I have a ST 300w rev3 coming through UPS. Hope I get a one in excellent condition.

Post by **MikeC** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 12:32 am

I have had an original (review sample) ST300 running a P4-2.5 rig 24/7 for folding @ home for at least a year. Perfectly quiet, inaudible from 2~3 feet. Never a hiccup.

Ditto a silencer400 rev1 on an XP2500 system for the same purpose; this one is also a file server. No problems whatsoever.

justlnluck · Post by **justlnluck** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 6:44 am

My ST300 is still going strong. Ultra quiet--and what I love most about it--COLD TO THE TOUCH. My room doesn't heat up anymore like it used to. The old Antec True330 was always toaster oven hot even when the computer was at idle. This Seasonic PSU only gets warmed by the other components in the case which isn't much because the Athlon64 runs COLD in comparison to my AthlonXP. I remember that my AthlonXP ran consistantly at 55C with a side intake fan and an rear out take fan. The Athlon64 still runs at ~30C without any case fans. I read that the SiS chipset might have something to do with this as it generates less heat than Via and Nvidia alternatives.

Jagasian · Post by **Jagasian** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 7:00 am

I am going to build a cheap Linux server with three large ATA100 harddrives and a Via EPIA 5000 motherboard. I hope this PSU can handle round-the-clock operation as the server is used to stream audio and video content to wireless laptops and XBOXs throughout my house.

Post by **MikeC** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 8:32 am

Jagasian wrote:I am going to build a cheap Linux server with three large ATA100 harddrives and a Via EPIA 5000 motherboard. I hope this PSU can handle round-the-clock operation as the server is used to stream audio and video content to wireless laptops and XBOXs throughout my house.

That's no challenge for any PSU. The ST will never raise its heart rate on that load.

Jagasian · Post by **Jagasian** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 8:59 am

MikeC wrote:
Jagasian wrote:I am going to build a cheap Linux server with three large ATA100 harddrives and a Via EPIA 5000 motherboard. I hope this PSU can handle round-the-clock operation as the server is used to stream audio and video content to wireless laptops and XBOXs throughout my house.
That's no challenge for any PSU. The ST will never raise its heart rate on that load.

That is what I am designing my EPIA based server for: something so low power that the PSU's variable speed fan can run really slow even though it is the only fan in the entire system. I just want cheap network attached storage. I am just worried that this PSU is not reliable. I wish someone at Silent PC would conduct a poll of Rev 3 owners with regards to reliability.

Post by **MikeC** » Sun Aug 08, 2004 9:39 am

Jagasian --

If you poll for fan speed behavior, the results will be predictable: Half the respondents will report all kinds of weird issues. Which were fixed with the latest Rev. A3.

But if you poll for power delivery & stability in actual use, I think the result will be extremely positive. I've used Seasonic PSUs routinely in my lab and in various PC builds for over 2 years now and never had a problem with any of them. I'd say I've gone through at least a couple dozen, and a handful are in use in my various systems right now. (Not to mention all the Panaflo-modded SS300FS units people have got off me... which no one has ever reported any problems with.)

IMO, a ST is overkill. I'd use a Seasonic Super Versatile 200 myself -- with a Panaflo 80L/M mod. The fan will never ramp up. I've built several custom EPIA-M systems that use this PSU and its fan as the main/only system cooling fan.

Jagasian · Post by **Jagasian** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 6:13 pm

MikeC wrote:IMO, a ST is overkill. I'd use a Seasonic Super Versatile 200 myself -- with a Panaflo 80L/M mod. The fan will never ramp up. I've built several custom EPIA-M systems that use this PSU and its fan as the main/only system cooling fan.

Thanks for the info. I am still leaning towards an ST 300 because I am eventually going to have 8 harddrives in the server (4 on the EPIA and another 4 on a PCI card). The ST 300 is only $60-$70. Assuming the part lasts as long as the PSU in my current file server (bought it in 1998)... then a difference of 30 bucks is nothing... especially if it lends more upgradability to my server.

Also, if it turns out that I like the ST in my server, then I will probably use it in my next desktop. Its nice having the same type of a part in each computer... lets you swap stuff in case of an emergency.

msm_zgok · Post by **msm_zgok** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 7:47 pm

I just got it today and installed it. Fired it up and there was a dramatic noise decrease compared to the generic 350w that came with a rather lousy case. The only thing I hear now is the Antec 80mm LED fan at 12V.

Seasonic Tornado 300 A3 is THE powersupply

Seasonic Tornado 300 A3 is THE powersupply

All In One

Old review,new PSU

Yate Loon/Nexus Fan