Which PSU for Antec 300?

[Just an ordinary rabbit]

My current setup of a 'value' case with its built in generic PSU is falling apart, so I intend to replace both the case and the PSU (while spending as little as possible )

I am considering the Antec 300 case, but I still need to find a quiet PSU that has adequate cable lengths and is also nice and cheap

My current generic 500W PSU is powering:
AMD 7750 (dual core 2.7GHz)
2x 2GB DDR2
Onboard graphics (though I might upgrade to a passive, budget card in the distant future)
Asrock K10N78FullHD-hSLI R3.0 Motherboard
upto 3 HDDs (though 99% of the time I only use 1, the other 2 are for backups)
DVDRW and a couple of case Nexus fans.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[quest_for_silence]

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Currently, mostly from a quietness perspective:

1 - Enermax Pro-82+ 385W
2 - Antec TruePower New 550W
3 - Enermax Eco 80+ II 400W
4 - Nexus Value 430
5 - Cooler Master Silent Pro M 600W
6 - Seasonic S-12 II 330-380W
7 - Seasonic M-12 II 430W
8 - Corsair HX-520
9 - Corsair VX-450

Obviously, IMVHO. To make a more educated guess, give a look to SPCR reviews.

[Just an ordinary rabbit]

The current contenders are:
Nexus value 430 Quietest fanned PSU available according to SPCR, but ATX and AUX 4 pin cables (21" and 18" respectively)might not be long enough without an adapter (having said that, adapters seem to be cheap enough, though not exactly ideal). Massive downside is that it is about £65 here. (nearly 2x the corsair 400CX)

Seasonic S12 380 From SPCReview "This PSU shows its close family resemblance to the Corsair VX450 in almost every way, from the look, to component layout to details of performance" Corsair has 70 more watts..... About £55, still expensiveish

Corsair VX450 5 Year warranty, ATX and AUX 4 pin are 22". About £55, still expensiveish

Corsair 400CX (not on SPCR recommended lists) £35. Though according to the review its not completely silent...

[kuzzia]

I had the Corsair Vx450W for a short while, but the noise of the stock fan was too high-pitched and whiny. The noise wasn't intensive, but in a silent computer, the whiny noise became unbearable. I replaced it with a Corsair Cx400 & replaced the fan with a Slipstream 120 mm 1200rpm @ ~5-6 V (Zalman fanmate). The noise level became much better.

I hope my Corsair Vx450w was just a bad sample.

[quest_for_silence]

Corsair 400CX (not on SPCR recommended lists) £35.

What you pay is what you get: acceptable (19dB is NOT quiet) only if your max power draw does not exceed 90W DC (it might also be).

[Just an ordinary rabbit]

I'm leaning towards the Seasonic S12II-380, as I've googled about a bit and the general consensus seems to be that the Seasonic is slightly quieter than the Corsair (plus its £5 cheaper ).

By leaning I mean that unless something suddenly changes my mind then I will almost certainly buy it.

Oooh look, the Corsair has a 5 year warranty... but the Seasonic only has 3 years.....

[SebRad]

Hi, I've used the S12II in a couple builds and it's pretty quiet. In a truly very quiet PC it might become the main source of noise, unless it's well loaded and louder, but idle it's properly quiet.
On scan.co.uk the 330w is £7 cheaper and will power your rig just fine. I know this as I've tried it and it will power my rig fine! A GTX260 isn't exactly a low power card either...
I would guess your PC to ~100w at full load, less at idle.

Regards, Seb

[Just an ordinary rabbit]

I'd thought about the 330W version but I'd like to leave a load of headroom as I intend to keep the PSU as long as possible, so it will hopefully see several system upgrades.

Anyway, it should be getting ordered soon, along with a CoolerMaster Centurion 590. I'd originally planned on an Antec 300 (hence the title of this thread), but the CM has cable management holes in mobo tray plus a few other features that the Antec doesn't, for the same price.

[Just an ordinary rabbit]

I've moved my system into the CoolerMaster 590 with the Seasonic S12 380W.
The Seasonic is nice and quiet, the stock CM case fans aren't brilliant (rear fan was ticking but this stopped when I mounted it horizontally). I can't hear them at 5v but they don't move much air so I'm hoping to 7v them at some point in the future. I might also get some cheap 140mm fans as its a bit too toasty for my liking.

The only real issue that I've had with this case so far is that it doesn't come with a DVD drive stealth thingy, so my beige DVD drive looks hideous (going to have to sort that at some point in the indefinite future too).

[jhhoffma]

I started with an Earthwatts 430w in mine and when it took a dump, Antec replaced it with an EA500, which was louder at idle. Swapping the fan with the one from my Ninja Mini made it all better.