Was set on HX520, but now I like Modu82..need help deciding!

majicjack_11 · Post by **majicjack_11** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:08 pm

Well, I was so close to buying an HX520, and then kept reading about this buzzing situation which seems to also be in the seasonics (maybe the S12-II's or M12-II's are better?). I decided that I will not buy it since it seems to be luck of the draw.

I need a PSU that is quiet. I just read SPCR's review of the Modu82 and it seems to perform very well and also be very quiet.

Would you recommend the Modu82 525 or 625er? Or the newer S12-II's or M12-II's?? Or PC Power & Cooling Silencers? If not, what other one?

Here are the specs of my soon-to-be build:

E8400, GA-EP35-DS3R, 4GB DDR2 PC-6400, P182 + 3 or 4 800rpm Slip Streams

Thanks!

josephclemente · Post by **josephclemente** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:01 pm

majicjack_11 wrote:Or the newer S12-II's or M12-II's??

I have a Seasonic 430W M12-II. It isn't as quiet as I hoped. It's fan is the loudest component in my system right now, even when consuming below 100 watts.

I'm wondering if I should be looking at the new Enermax power supplies (only models that have two or more sets of SATA power cables) or just do a fan swap with a Scythe S-FLEX...

majicjack_11 · Post by **majicjack_11** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:18 pm

Great thanks! It seems like I might sway towards the Enermax. I will keep on researching though

Michael Sandstrom · Post by **Michael Sandstrom** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 3:10 pm

I have been using a Modu82+ 425 watt for the past five days and I am very disappointed with the fan noise. Even at idle on my low power AMD non-gaming system the new Enermax unit annoys. I was not overly concerned because I thought a simple fan swap would help but Mike Chin recently posted that the Enermax fan control circuit is only compatible with the Enermax fan. I am hoping that Directron will let me RMA the unit in exchange for a Seasonic S12 Energy Plus 550 watt or maybe the Corsair HX520.

I will never knowingly buy a power supply that is incapable of fan swapping.

Update: I did knowingly swap my loud Modu82+ 425 watt unit for another and the replacement is very quiet. The first unit had a fan speed of 650rpm and the replacement spins at 463rpm. No fan swap is needed.

majicjack_11 · Post by **majicjack_11** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 3:42 pm

Well I'm big time confused

I heard great things about the Corsair's, and then read about the buzzing issue here. I then looked into Seasonic and read that it was also hit and miss with noises. SPCR gave the Modu82 a great review, and now you say it's no good lol.

ahhhhh it's frustrating!

Michael Sandstrom · Post by **Michael Sandstrom** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 4:24 pm

I am not saying Modu82+ is no good--I am only saying that my unit is relatively loud (in a very quiet system). My unit might not bother you at all if you are running three or four 800 rpm fans. My only fans are a 120mm Nexus and a 92mm Nexus which both run less than 600 rpm. Before I got the Enermax, I was running an inaudible Seasonic SS-400 equipped with an 80mm Japanaflo undervolted to 5v.

You would probably be pleased with any of the three units you are considering if they are SPCR recommended. However, if you do not like the fan in the Enermax, you have no options.

NTNgod · Post by **NTNgod** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 5:03 pm

majicjack_11 wrote:Well I'm big time confused

I heard great things about the Corsair's, and then read about the buzzing issue here. I then looked into Seasonic and read that it was also hit and miss with noises. SPCR gave the Modu82 a great review, and now you say it's no good lol.

ahhhhh it's frustrating!

True, but it's like that with most computer parts, of course.

In general:
1. Some people are more/less forgiving than others if a particular unit of a product has shortcomings
2. Good 'ol "Luck of the draw/sample variance"
3. If a review sample is coming straight from a manufacturer, there's always the possibility they sent a cherry-picked unit.

I bought a Corsair, had some "noisy fan" problems with my particular unit (and RMA'd it), then found out by checking around, that numerous people had similar problems across the product line (they all use the same fan, with one or two exceptions).

On the other hand, a bunch of people have them and find that their particular units are dead silent.

It's going to be a similar story with most of the units, even the well-regarded ones. /shrug

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 5:59 pm

However, if you do not like the fan in the Enermax, you have no options.

surely you can swap in any fan you like, and run it off a Molex connector/aftermarket fan controller if you have one? ok, this is not suitable for very powerful systems, but for non-gaming it should be fine. if you're thinking of swapping a fan you must be ok with voiding the warranty, so that's not an issue.

for the OP I would recommend VX450, don't think I've heard a negative comment about them yet.

dhanson865 · Post by **dhanson865** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 6:11 pm

luck of the draw in manufacturing variance and damage during shipping and handling mean no matter what you choose you might get a lemon.

Code: Select all

Model       Output (W)  65      90      150     200     250     300     380/400/430
        Efficiency                                                    as appropriate
 Seasonic   S12-430     78.3%   80.5%   81.6%   81.8%   80.5%   79.6%   75.5%*
 Seasonic S12II-380     79.4%   81.5%   82.1%   84.0%   83.4%   83.5%   80.2%*
 Seasonic M12II-430     78.6%   81.4%   83.1%   84.8%   84.6%   83.4%   80.3%*
     Corsair VX450W     79.1%   80.1%   82.6%   84.8%   83.3%   83.0%   81.8%
     Corsair HX520W     72.5%   77.1%   81.0%   84.5%   85.2%   85.1%   81.3%
 Seasonic S12-550E+     74.7%   78.6%   81.9%   84.8%   84.3%   84.1%   81.2%
Enermax Modu82+ 625     80.0%   80.9%   84.3%   85.9%   86.4%   85.4%   83.8%

         Noise (dBA@1m)
S12II-380                       21      21      21      25      31      39*
M12II-430                       21      21      24      28      35      41*
VX450W                          21      21      21      22      26      35
HX520W                          22      22      22      22      22      29
S12-550E+                       20      20      20      21      25      38
Enermax Modu82+ 625             19      19      20      21      22      26

All of that data is from SPCR reviews. There is some conjecture based on the anandtech review that the 525W Enermax may be quieter than the 625W Enermax.

There is also concern about inability to fan swap using the built in fan controller and an unproven track record with the Enermax units right now.

I'm partial to the Corsair 450W or 520W depending on your desire for modular cables but there are no guarantees.

Michael Sandstrom · Post by **Michael Sandstrom** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 6:16 pm

Hello jaganath,

Perhaps you are correct that I could run a fan off of the control system but that is not certain with the new Enermax lines. Take a look at Mike Chin's recent post in the Modu82+ review forum thread.

majicjack_11 · Post by **majicjack_11** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 7:11 pm

Thanks everyone for their comments.

It's a tough decision. I was really set on the Corsair's for the past 2-3 months, until recently when I discovered that buzzing thread.

It's really up to:

-Corsair HX520 or 620
-Corsair TX650
-Enermax Modu82 525 or 625
-Seasonic S12 Energy Plus 550

Enermax currently has the edge for me. It won't be another 2-3 weeks until I buy, so perhaps there will be more reviews on them.

Agh it's a tough choicey...any more help/reviews/opinions are appreciated!

majicjack_11 · Post by **majicjack_11** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 6:11 am

Well after more research, I feel it's down to 2 PSU's:

Corsair HX620 or Enermax Modu82 625

The quest continues for more information

Das_Saunamies · Post by **Das_Saunamies** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 7:45 am

To soothe your doubts let me say this: I put off getting the HX520W for months to see how the buzzing issue went. In the end I was convinced it was a rather isolated batch of incidents, swapped my S12II-430 out for one and never looked back.

The HX520W I got is perfectly stable, quiet and has not a hint of buzz. The modular cables make installation a breeze. Do recommend it if you have to upgrade right away and can't find a Modu82+.

My only regret is the wasted wattage headroom, but this is as low-power as silent modular PSUs get. Nexus has some interesting models, but their fan control is linear and thus ill-suited for silent applications.

majicjack_11 · Post by **majicjack_11** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 7:52 am

Thanks for this. I am swaying towards the hx. All of the reviews I have read recently illustrate that it is a fine product. Perhaps the older models had problems? In any event, thanks for the info!

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:37 am

majicjack_11 wrote:Thanks for this. I am swaying towards the hx. All of the reviews I have read recently illustrate that it is a fine product. Perhaps the older models had problems? In any event, thanks for the info!

if you do get a buzzer,AFAICT the Corsair RMA process is painless, rapid and efficient. unlikely to get 2 buzzers in a row.

kaange · Post by **kaange** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 6:17 pm

Michael Sandstrom wrote:Mike Chin recently posted that the Enermax fan control circuit is only compatible with the Enermax fan.

It's a PWM controlled fan so it would be interesting to see what would happen if it was replaced with a PWM fan that was known to be reasonably quiet like the Artic Cooling or Scythe 120mm PWM fans.

Actually, it would be interesting if the Enermax fan could be evaluated as a PWM fan against the others for min/max speed, CFM at these speeds and noise.

Michael Sandstrom · Post by **Michael Sandstrom** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:32 pm

Hello kaange,

Mike Chin posted new information RE the Enermax fan on page 2 of the Modu82+ review thread. Enermax reported that the fan was not PWM but instead it is a patented bi-voltage fan. Ordinary PWM fans and three pin fans will not work with and will likely damage the SpeedGuard Control Circuit.

This information RE the bi-voltage fans is nowhere to be found on Enermax's site or in my owners manual. There may be some owners who void their warranties, swap fans and incur damage without recourse.

Das_Saunamies · Post by **Das_Saunamies** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:52 am

Excellent information Michael, thank you. I personally had no idea.

randfee · Post by **randfee** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:09 pm

Hi,

since I was not planning on changing the fan in the PSU, I ordered a Modu82+ 625 yesterday which should get here by thursday. I will report how it goes and measure the noise compared to my current Antec TruePower 480, which is about 5 years old. I hope the review is right since many seem to have a far louder noise with these than the review stated (comments all over the net)

I'll enjoy being part of this forum. After years of no PC (just Notebooks, 5 years of apple now) I'm back for some gaming and my new gaming PC is just way too loud (Antec TruePower 480 & Intel-Stock cooler). As mentioned, I'll put in a Modu82+ 625 and a Noctua NH-U12P. That should cut some of that really annoying noise (no, its not the GPU fan!)

regards

tutu · Post by **tutu** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:18 pm

It's a bit late but I thought I would add something. I have the new Enermax (see sig) and it is extremely quiet!

But of course there is likely to be some variance like any product.

majicjack_11 · Post by **majicjack_11** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:09 pm

Great thanks for the response tutu!

I also look forward to hearing about randfee's unit.

Thanks guys

Michael Sandstrom · Post by **Michael Sandstrom** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 11:29 pm

Hello Modu82+ and Pro82+ users,

At idle in a cold computer the fan in my 425 watt Modu82+ runs at 650 rpm and is relatively loud in my system. Based on info from Enermax and the SPCR review I expected an idle fan speed of aroung 450 rpm.

If you own one of these units would you please post your idle fan speed? Thank you.

anakintjc · Post by **anakintjc** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:44 am

michael, is your needed wattage higher than 50% of the PSU load?

That could explain it because till 50 % load the rpm would stay 500.

However i think that's just marketing BS because in mike's review the rpm already rises at 200 W output (200/625 = 32%) which is far from the stated
50%...

tutu · Post by **tutu** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:53 am

Mine is at 479 RPM at the moment. Thats using speedstep (so 2 GHz)

Michael Sandstrom · Post by **Michael Sandstrom** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:36 am

anakintjc wrote:michael, is your needed wattage higher than 50% of the PSU load?

That could explain it because till 50 % load the rpm would stay 500.

However i think that's just marketing BS because in mike's review the rpm already rises at 200 W output (200/625 = 32%) which is far from the stated
50%...

I am measuring fan speed at idle. A Seasonic Power Angel reports my idle power draw as 65 watts. My SpeedGuard circuit must not be working right. Everone else is seeing speeds less than 500 rpm.

Update: The unit was returned for another and the replacement is quiet with beginning fan speed of only 463rpm. I am now very satisfied.

Was set on HX520, but now I like Modu82..need help deciding!

Was set on HX520, but now I like Modu82..need help deciding!

Re: Was set on HX520, but now I like Modu82..need help decid