S12 ENERGY+550 -- is this quiet and cool?

Moonspell · Post by **Moonspell** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 11:08 am

I haven't upgraded a single component in my computer in a few years so when I started researching power supplies I was amazed at how many more there are on the market now than when I first built my PC. This site is a great help in educating me with terminology and reviews.

I went to the Seasonic's site and found the S12 Energy Plus 550. I don't see it reviewed on SPCR yet. Is this model better than the regular S-12 series? M12 series? I see many posts on the forums about the S12 and M12 but not a whole lot about Energy Plus models.

How does Seasonic stack up against PC Power & Cooling? Such as the Silencer 610 EPS12V or the like. I am just looking for the quietest PSU that also provides adequate cooling (running quiet is more important for me).

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 11:22 am

Seasonic S12 Energy Plus: Efficient Power for Connoisseurs

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 12:38 pm

Welcome to SPCR!

Moonspell · Post by **Moonspell** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:25 pm

Thanks jaganath for providing the link for me. I guess I missed it. It sounds like the SS-550HT is the cream of the crop for an overall noise/cooling/efficiancy power supply. I have read some consumer reviews on another site and they all claim that the power supply is silent almost undectable. For a $130 I think it might be worth it.

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:56 pm

If you haven't upgraded in several years then your main parts could be quite power hungry (ie Prescott CPU etc) but are you sure you need 500W+? Like the review says,

In the range that most people will use it, the Energy Plus models are not any more efficient than Seasonic's existing models.

Just a heads-up before you splash out on a PSU that may be overkill for your needs.

Tzupy · Post by **Tzupy** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 6:15 am

I just got the S12E+650 shipped from the UK (it's not yet available in my country). It's quiet, but not as quiet as I hoped and it has a slight buzz.

noneedforaname · Post by **noneedforaname** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 1:51 pm

It's quiet, but not as quiet as I hoped and it has a slight buzz.

But there are no quieter alternatives, are there?

I was hoping for this model to be really quiet...

jaganath · Post by **jaganath** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 1:59 pm

But there are no quieter alternatives, are there?

Well, a fanless power supply would be quieter....

Tzupy · Post by **Tzupy** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 2:50 pm

The 550W *should* be slightly quieter, since it uses a lower speed fan. It wasn't available at Tekheads (UK), where I got the 650 from.
For me the 650W is OK, my previous PSU was Neopower480, which is also quiet at low load.
I bought the Seasonic because according to the SPCR review it remains quiet even at a 250W load.
Maybe in the future I'll consider a fan swap with a Papst 1,600 rpm, but not now.

Koolpc · Post by **Koolpc** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 2:02 pm

Zalman make some very nice quiet PSU's.