PSU Selection Help Please!

Jason W · Post by **Jason W** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 6:41 pm

Parts list to date:

Case - P182
Mobo - P5W DH Deluxe
CPU - E6600
CPU Cooler - Fanless Ninja
RAM - 4GB DDR2 800
Video Card - Gigabyte fanless GeForce 7600GT
Sound - On-board sound
Optical Drives - Single DVD burner (SATA or IDE I haven't decided yet)
Hard Drives - Two WD 76GB Raptors and one WD 500GB WD5000ABYS in lower chamber
Case Fans - Two or three Nexus 120mm controlled by Speedfan or a controller

I need a PSU that meets the following specs:

- reliable - don't want to RMA every 6 months
- cabling long enough to route behind the P182 motherboard tray
- powerful enough to comfortably supply the juice if I overclock the E6600 to 3.0 GHz
- quiet or silent when the lower chamber of the P182 has a 120mm Nexus fan running at 7v
- modular cabling a bonus, but not necessary

Right now I have my mind set on an Antec Phantom 500W brick, but am open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Jason

Michael Sandstrom · Post by **Michael Sandstrom** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:18 pm

I would not consider the Antec Phantom. Based on a poll taken in this forum the failure rate is off the charts!

tehfire · Post by **tehfire** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:31 pm

I'd get a Seasonic SS-550HT. Seasonic is held in very high regard around here.

I have the S12-500 model in a P180, cables are long enough but as you're using the P182 there's no guarantee the cables will work. I'd imagine so, however, as the SS model cables are longer than the S12.

Devon's review: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article656-page1.html

Jason W · Post by **Jason W** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 8:18 pm

I keep hearing this about the Phantom, but I see that cmthomson has not had any issues with his PSU and he has a similar PC to what I'm contemplating. Did he just get lucky?

What about the Corsair CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 PSU or the Seasonic M12 SS-500HM ATX12V PSU? Both of these have modular cabling and would hopefully be long enough for the P182. WOuld either of these be quiet and a better choice?

continuum · Post by **continuum** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 9:37 pm

300W should be plenty for you, going with a Corsair HX520 is about one of the most quiet fanned PSUs you can get. Both that or the M12-500 should work fine.

Edub · Post by **Edub** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 11:03 pm

I would not recommend the Antec Phantom 500. I bought two at Fry's and both had problems. The first had a high pitch screeching sound, the second just did not work at all. If your case gets warm, the fan ramps up and it's not very quiet. In addition, the Phantom is long and does not leave much room in the PSU bay. I ended up with a Seasonic M-12 700 Watt. I am very happy with it and it's very quiet. I am a stickler when it comes to the PSU being quiet and I can't even hear this one in my Antec P-182 case.

tomliversidge · Post by **tomliversidge** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 1:13 am

Have you looked into either of the following:

Nesteq Semi Fanless
http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/powersupplies

Not sure how this would fair in the P182, as the fan appears to be on top of the power supply, so there might be problems mounting it in the lower chamber? I dont know - someone else might have experience of this.

Silverstone ST30NF
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductI ... tID=137420
(got a good review on here)

Should be fine with a fan in the bottom chamber.

Jason W · Post by **Jason W** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 11:18 am

Well, assuming all three of these PSUs have cabling that is long enough to route behind the motherboard tray in a P182 case, I think I have my choices narrowed down to the following:

Seasonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT
Seasonic M12 SS-500HM
Corsair CMPSU-520HX

All three of these seem to get good marks here, and are priced within $5 of each other at Newegg.

The Seasonic M12 and the Corsair both have modular cabling, which is enticing if each have enough SATA connectors for 1-2 SATA optical drives and 3-4 SATA hard drives.

Is it more of a coin flip at this point, or is one of these three a clear-cut winner?

tehfire · Post by **tehfire** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 4:44 pm

I would choose between the SS-550HT and the Corsair. The modular Seasonic has an annoying little fan besides the main fan that doesn't shut off once it's started up. If modular cabling is really important to you, get the Corsair, which is a very good unit. I prefer Seasonic as I've been using them for years, but it's up to you.

Michael Sandstrom · Post by **Michael Sandstrom** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 12:41 am

I seem to recall that the Corsair HX520 is manufactured by Seasonic. If that is the case, I am considering the Corsair for my next build.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:51 am

yeah the corsair is just a rebadged seasonic, and in this case seems to be the best of both worlds. Modular like the M12's without the extra fan that doesnt turn off once it starts.

i personally prefer the front to back fan configuration in PSU's, and would go with the Antec Neo HE 430w. Plus its a lot less expensive than the corsair and still provides more than enough power.

ame · Post by **ame** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:39 am

i personally prefer the front to back fan configuration in PSU's, and would go with the Antec Neo HE 430w

a front to back would benifit a P150 or SOLO setup. it sucks in cooller air from the front (ducked or not) as oposed to the hot air from cpu. this has been shown in more than a few reviews.
on the other hand it dosent matter in the P180/182 setup and i like the 120 mm fan better than the 80mm in general.

id go with the Corsair for the following reasons

1. Seasonic class quiet
2. short form - would not affect the chamber fan
3. modular cables
4. 120 fan

ryboto · Post by **ryboto** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 7:28 am

If you really must have modular cabling, go with the Corsair. Otherwise I just can't recommend such an overkill power supply for such a low draw system. Maximum I would recommend is 400W, but even that is more than you need. A quality 300W power supply will suite your system, Seasonic sells the S12 in 330 and 380W versions. FSP has the fanless 300W zen. Silverstone has their own fanless supply as well.

Jason W · Post by **Jason W** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:01 am

Well, I'm now scared of the HX520 because of the clicking/buzz/whine issue many people have mentioned in this thread:

viewtopic.php?t=41464

I guess this problem is a problem all of the new PSUs will have? I'm starting to get this feeling.

From a cable management standpoint, modular cabling seems like a no-brainer. I guess cable management would be more difficult without modular, but not impossible?

I also need a PSU that has long enough cabling to deal with the unique layout of the P182 case. The more cabling I can run behind the motherboard the better, with the result being less airflow impedance to items such as the video card, motherboard chipsets, RAM, and CPU heat sink.

520 watts may be overkill, but I can't help but feel like a 380-watt or less PSU is not enough... I guess I need someone to set me straight. I do want to mildly overclock my system.

Would the Seasonic S12 SS-380GB ($74.99) or Seasonic S12 SS-430GB ($99.99) be a better option from a power standpoint, be quiet, and have long-enough cabling for the P182 case?

Thanks again for everyone's help so far.

Jason