No better PSU for silent gamers than Corsairs?

[Ryan Norton]

Hi everyone,

I'm in the market for a new PSU. My Neopower 480 in my P180 has been as quiet as I've needed a PSU to be, but my parents PC that I maintain has a failing PSU with a leafblower loud pair of 80mm fans so I'm going to move the Neopower over to that.

My system currently consists of

P5B Deluxe
E6400 with Ninja mounting Tricool on low
2x1GB DDR2-800
7900GTX
74GB Raptor and 250GB 7200.10 Seagate in lower chamber

plus the PSU. Somewhere down the road, I'd like to upgrade to a top-line next-gen GPU, either 8800GTX or whatever AMDATI throws out if it's quieter (ha). I *believe* the Neopower could handle that switch, but since I'm getting a new PSU anyway, I might as well get one with a little bit more juice.

So how long do we expect the two Corsair PSUs reviewed here to be supreme in the 400-500W+ domain? If I weren't planning for a monster GFX card eventually, I wouldn't go over 400W, but when it comes down to it, hi-res games are just slightly more important than a silent PC to me

[Hardtailed]

All I can say: I replaced my SmartPower with the Corsair yesterday in my rig. When I turned the computer on: no sound! I thought it wasn't working... until I heard the "beep" confirming that bios check was complete.
This thing is SOLID and QUIET.

Modular cables are the bomb too, my PC looks all tidy now.

Big thumbs up from me

[dnoiz]

If the Corsair's are to heavy for you look at the 430W model of Seasonic. I only have experience with Corsair PSU but I'm sure the Seasonic is quite and a good performer (see SPCR's reveiw).

R.

ps. I misread your post... you want heavier -- ignore this one
ps2. take a look here for lots of PSU reviews http://www.jonnyguru.com/

[kater]

Tricool on low
74GB Raptor and 250GB 7200.10 Seagate

With that kind of stuff, I really doubt you'll ever be able to hear any Seasonic / Corsair / BeQuiet PSU, even after they ramp up (which is highly unlikely anyway).
Even after upgrading to a single, monster gfx card, a decent 400W PSU will be enough, not to mention the 520W Corsair.
That said, Corsair - with its price tag, modular cables and most of all its whisper quiet operation - is hard to beat. If you don't mind having huge headroom, go for the Corsair. If you'd like to save a bit, S12 430 is your thing.

[Delta_42]

I'd give another ringing endorsement to the Corsair HX520, although my e6600, twin raptors and 8800GTS were running more than happily (and quietly) on a Tagan 420W supply that I'd borrowed out of another PC.

Maybe we should lobby Corsair to bring out a 400W(ish) model for those with normal rigs who haven't fallen prey to the 'bigger is better' school of PSU buying.

[Maelwys]

I recently built a new PC and fell into the 'more power' trap by buying the Corsair HX620. It happened to be on sale, and wasn't much more expensive than the HX520 at the time, and my brain whispered something to me about 'future-proofing' my PC. Ah well.

I have to agree though, it's one of the best made PSUs I've ever handled and it is awfully quiet. Still, with only one 120mm Nexus in the case running at 7V, the power supply is the only thing I hear besides the hard drive during seeks. Maybe I should have gone passive....