I've been going through pages and pages trying to find recommendations of a quality, *quiet* power supply that I can buy for my next system. However, I just keep seeing nothing but complaints about nearly every brand. Perhaps the people who are content with their PSUs are not posting.
So I am asking for advice. My power requirements are for a Core 2 Duo, 2Gigs Ram, 2 Hard Drives, and an 8800GTS. I was thinking anywhere from 430-500 watts would be sufficient, so I've been looking at the SeaSonic S12-430. It would be going inside a LIAN LI PC-B20A. One of the most important qualities is that is should be *as quiet as possible*.
Buying separate components is really expensive. The PSU and Case i mentioned above comes to around $260, whereas i could buy an antec solo that comes with a 430 watt PSU for less than 90. That's almost 3 times the price? Is it really worth that much more?
A quiet reliable power supply out of the box, does it exist?
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strange...
Hi,
By posting here you should've read the following article :
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html
Anyway, I would go for the new corsair hx520 (see the above article) which I did for my new system hopefully arriving this week. As a case I opted for an Antec SOLO. If I could I would have taken to P180B from Antec, but I find it a bit to expensive for now.
R.
ps. Antec SOLO comes WITHOUT a PSU at least where I'm situated.
ps2. the PSU you're talking about that comes with the SOLO is probably the same as mentioned in the next article - this case is the Antec P150 which is almost identital to the SOLO, but the solo is black and the P150 is white/silver/beige : http://www.silentpcreview.com/article272-page1.html
By posting here you should've read the following article :
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html
Anyway, I would go for the new corsair hx520 (see the above article) which I did for my new system hopefully arriving this week. As a case I opted for an Antec SOLO. If I could I would have taken to P180B from Antec, but I find it a bit to expensive for now.
R.
ps. Antec SOLO comes WITHOUT a PSU at least where I'm situated.
ps2. the PSU you're talking about that comes with the SOLO is probably the same as mentioned in the next article - this case is the Antec P150 which is almost identital to the SOLO, but the solo is black and the P150 is white/silver/beige : http://www.silentpcreview.com/article272-page1.html
Relleum, you must remember that the people who come to these forums and offer their opinions of these computer parts are the pickiest, whiniest, most exacting, most paranoid, most over-sensitive bunch of crazies you ever met. That's why SPCR is so special!! 
For example, consider the noise-level advice you might get if these PSUs were reviewed by a gaming site. They might say, "it was very quiet. I could just barely hear it when I was playing Counter-Strike with my headphones on." Of course, that recommendation, to us at SPCR would be the kiss-of-death. The people here who listen to these PSUs have systems that don't make any noise that real humans can hear, and then we press our ears up against the PSU and listen. And then we complain.
Okay, it's not as bad as all that, but you get my point. We're very serious about how much noise things make. Not casual, every day noise, but "sit in the living room in the middle of the night so I can hear it better" noise.
I have owned 3 Seasonic PSUs in my life. With one notable exception (it was a revision A that cycled it's fan up and down) all have been wonderfully quiet. When I bought these PSUs, I simply went to the "Recommended PSU" list and bought whichever one was highest rated. For perspective, I used a Seasonic 400w PSU in a system that was passively watercooled with one system fan spinning at 5v and I never heard the PSU.
I hope my mindless rambling helps. I think 99.99% of the world would be very satisfied with any of the recommendations on the Recommended PSU list. I think 95% of the people here at SPCR would be very satisfied with the highest recommendations on the list.
Good luck to you, and I hope you're satisfied with your choice.
For example, consider the noise-level advice you might get if these PSUs were reviewed by a gaming site. They might say, "it was very quiet. I could just barely hear it when I was playing Counter-Strike with my headphones on." Of course, that recommendation, to us at SPCR would be the kiss-of-death. The people here who listen to these PSUs have systems that don't make any noise that real humans can hear, and then we press our ears up against the PSU and listen. And then we complain.
Okay, it's not as bad as all that, but you get my point. We're very serious about how much noise things make. Not casual, every day noise, but "sit in the living room in the middle of the night so I can hear it better" noise.
I have owned 3 Seasonic PSUs in my life. With one notable exception (it was a revision A that cycled it's fan up and down) all have been wonderfully quiet. When I bought these PSUs, I simply went to the "Recommended PSU" list and bought whichever one was highest rated. For perspective, I used a Seasonic 400w PSU in a system that was passively watercooled with one system fan spinning at 5v and I never heard the PSU.
I hope my mindless rambling helps. I think 99.99% of the world would be very satisfied with any of the recommendations on the Recommended PSU list. I think 95% of the people here at SPCR would be very satisfied with the highest recommendations on the list.
Good luck to you, and I hope you're satisfied with your choice.
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vincentfox
- Posts: 271
- Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2005 8:35 pm
- Location: CA
The first powersupply that i can ever say definitivly that it is completely inaudible is the one that came with my NSK3300, which is an SFX 300w seasonic PSU.
I will admit though, that my system probably only pulls around 100watts at load.
Pentium-M 1.73
2gb ddr2
7600gs
Samsung 2.5" SATA
Still, Seasonic and Antec are the only two PSU manufacturers i ever buy from. If i were to go with a full atx case, i'd use the Solo with the included NeoHE. I feel confident they have worked all the bugs out of this PSU at this point.
I will admit though, that my system probably only pulls around 100watts at load.
Pentium-M 1.73
2gb ddr2
7600gs
Samsung 2.5" SATA
Still, Seasonic and Antec are the only two PSU manufacturers i ever buy from. If i were to go with a full atx case, i'd use the Solo with the included NeoHE. I feel confident they have worked all the bugs out of this PSU at this point.