the impossible quest of finding a dead quiet, low-power SFX
Posted: Mon Dec 02, 2019 2:04 am
hello, haven't been on this forum for perhaps a decade and god, hadn't it been very useful in the past!
I am having the following PC, not the freshest on the bloc, but it is still serving me well right. I do mostly office stuff, web, photo editing, every other moon some non-intensive gaming. It will also serve me as a Plex server in the near future.
i5 4690T (TDP 35W) cooled by a Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B and a Noctua 120mm
Asus H97I Plus (integrated graphic)
2x 8GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical LP DDR3 1600
Samsung nVME 970 1TB (monted on a nVME PCIe adapter)
2x WD Red 2TB (soon to be replaced by 1 WD 8TB)
connected via LAN cable, but perhaps getting in the future a M2 WiFi module
all hosted in a NCase M1
The PSU is a be quiet! SFX POWER 2 300W, which is still performing very well to my untrained eyes, so no real reason to give it away.
However, it is indeed quiet when compared to the PSU I was running on my P4 of 10 years ago, but really I find it quite distracting, as it sits right next to my ears.
I am basically trying to find a completely/extremely silent PSU that is not overpowered and that is modular too. It seems a hard equation to solve, maybe I should start my own business producing my own SFX (I have space for a SFX-L in my case, just need to find a way to mount it), low-requirement, fanless and modular PSUs!
If I refer to PC Part Picker, it estimates my (maximum) draw to be 149W.
I am intrigued by:
. Silversone NJ450-SXL: fanless (!!), modular (!!), but able to provide a beefy 450W. On the efficiency/power draw ratio chart the lowest load plotted is 20%, coming with an efficiency of 90%, who knows what happens below that? That 20% means a load of 80W; my config I think @ idle/low load is approx. 30/40W.
. Silverstone ST30SF: fanless until 55C is reached (!), not modular, provides a more ideal 300W (!)
. Corsair SF450: zero-RPM mode - unclear at what temperature the fan kicks in - (!), modular (!!), again giving out 450W as the SS NJ450 - the latter would then be an obvious pick.
I am not adverse to a PicoPSU, I have used them in the past for a low-power torrent server, but I would need to find a silent (i.e. no buzzing or other funny noises) power bricks to couple it with and to embed said power brick in the PC case.
Or I should perhaps bypass the fan and connect it through a fan controller, so I can spin it at say 20%?
What would you all do?
Thanks
I am having the following PC, not the freshest on the bloc, but it is still serving me well right. I do mostly office stuff, web, photo editing, every other moon some non-intensive gaming. It will also serve me as a Plex server in the near future.
i5 4690T (TDP 35W) cooled by a Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B and a Noctua 120mm
Asus H97I Plus (integrated graphic)
2x 8GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical LP DDR3 1600
Samsung nVME 970 1TB (monted on a nVME PCIe adapter)
2x WD Red 2TB (soon to be replaced by 1 WD 8TB)
connected via LAN cable, but perhaps getting in the future a M2 WiFi module
all hosted in a NCase M1
The PSU is a be quiet! SFX POWER 2 300W, which is still performing very well to my untrained eyes, so no real reason to give it away.
However, it is indeed quiet when compared to the PSU I was running on my P4 of 10 years ago, but really I find it quite distracting, as it sits right next to my ears.
I am basically trying to find a completely/extremely silent PSU that is not overpowered and that is modular too. It seems a hard equation to solve, maybe I should start my own business producing my own SFX (I have space for a SFX-L in my case, just need to find a way to mount it), low-requirement, fanless and modular PSUs!
If I refer to PC Part Picker, it estimates my (maximum) draw to be 149W.
I am intrigued by:
. Silversone NJ450-SXL: fanless (!!), modular (!!), but able to provide a beefy 450W. On the efficiency/power draw ratio chart the lowest load plotted is 20%, coming with an efficiency of 90%, who knows what happens below that? That 20% means a load of 80W; my config I think @ idle/low load is approx. 30/40W.
. Silverstone ST30SF: fanless until 55C is reached (!), not modular, provides a more ideal 300W (!)
. Corsair SF450: zero-RPM mode - unclear at what temperature the fan kicks in - (!), modular (!!), again giving out 450W as the SS NJ450 - the latter would then be an obvious pick.
I am not adverse to a PicoPSU, I have used them in the past for a low-power torrent server, but I would need to find a silent (i.e. no buzzing or other funny noises) power bricks to couple it with and to embed said power brick in the PC case.
Or I should perhaps bypass the fan and connect it through a fan controller, so I can spin it at say 20%?
What would you all do?
Thanks