Best "silent" or quiet power supplies

[timg11]

In the past I have purchased PCP&C Silencer supplies, but they have not really been that quiet. I notices that stock Dell systems are often quieter.

I would like to find a high quality PS that is in the range of 400 watts, that is not really expensive. This is for a audio recording studio application with a mid-range Core2 CPU and 2 SATA HD drives.

I found this page http://www.silentpcreview.com/article699-page1.html, which has some recommendations, but a lot of the reviews are 2 years old.

What are some currently available supplies that are truly silent (or at least very quiet), that you have had good experiences with?

 

[burek]

the Seasonic and Corsair (which is made by Seasonic) are the quietest ones that i know of

 

[SparkyJJO]

Originally posted by: burek
the Seasonic and Corsair (which is made by Seasonic) are the quietest ones that i know of

Agreed here. For a lower cost the FSP units around the 400W range with 120mm fans tend to be fairly quiet running as well (maybe not as quiet as Seasonic/Corsair, but still not bad at all). The 400W FSP I put in a customer's PC is just a low hum.

 

[SinfulWeeper]

I cant hear my Aerocool ZeroDBA 620 watter under full load. Loudest part in my computer under normal operation is my hard drive rated at 3.2 bels.
Turn on my DVD-Rom and my system becomes a loud monster. I need a replacement DVD-Rom :|

 

[RallyMaster]

Corsair HX520W or HX620W.

 

[Rebel44]

IMHO Seasonic, Corsair or Enermax Infiniti - my experience is that these are very quiet and 80%+ efficiency.

 

[0roo0roo]

seasonic is about quiet pcp&c is about power

 

[TechBunny]

My pcp&c PSU is very quiet...

 

[TourGuide]

I'll second this recommendation. I have the PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 and Silencer 750 Quad. I could recommend this supply as a GREAT quiet supply with amazing specs.

Originally posted by: TechBunny
My pcp&c PSU is very quiet...

 

[jonnyGURU]

PCP&C's Silencers aren't "silent." Maybe only compared to Turbo-Cools, yes, they're quieter that those.

Quietest power supply: Koolance Liquid Cooled 1200W. Hands down.

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU
PCP&C's Silencers aren't "silent." Maybe only compared to Turbo-Cools, yes, they're quieter that those.

Quietest power supply: Koolance Liquid Cooled 1200W. Hands down.

Better be careful or people will notice that you always knock the PCP&C brand.

BTW, Silencer 750 Quad is $170. How much is that 1200W psu?

 

[Zepper]

Hey timg11,

Welcome to the AT forums.

The PSUs at the link in my sig are quiet and on sale thru midnight tonite. How serendipitous!

.bh.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: Conky
Better be careful or people will notice that you always knock the PCP&C brand.

LOL....

I don't always knock PCP&C. I actually like PCP&C very much. I just like when people say untrue things about PCP&C that put them in a better light. PCP&C units can stand on their own laurels. They don't need fan boys and phoney "power supply myths" to make them more attractive.

 

[krotchy]

Well I guess I can also help chime in herre.

Seasonics and Corsairs (Seasonic made) are indeed very quiet and a good choice (My favorite Seasonic is the S12+ 550W), however these are all more power than you need.

Another overkill option for silence is the Zalman 600W Heatpipe PSU. According to jonny its a rebadged Fortran unit, and a good one at that.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/revie...s.php?id=46&page_num=4

Also the Antec Earthwatts 430W/500W PSU is a good choice, and probably your best bet for the price. They are also rebadged seasonics, and aside from being ugly (who cares) are quite good.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/revie...s.php?id=51&page_num=4

 

[Noubourne]

I would say Seasonic too, but since you already had a 750 Silencer, you have already had a Seasonic and you think it was too loud, so I'm not exactly sure what to tell you.

I can tell you that my M12 700 is inaudible over my video card. That ain't saying much though.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Originally posted by: Noubourne
I would say Seasonic too, but since you already had a 750 Silencer, you have already had a Seasonic and you think it was too loud, so I'm not exactly sure what to tell you.

There's a big difference between a Seasonic with an 80MM fan and a Seasonic with a 120MM or larger fan.

Of course a PSU with an 80MM fan is going to be louder.

 

[bryanW1995]

Originally posted by: burek
the Seasonic and Corsair (which is made by Seasonic) are the quietest ones that i know of

I just ordered a corsair hx520w on newegg. I'll let you know how it is.

 

[secretanchitman]

my enermax 500W (NOT the 620W - those are bombs/high fail rates compared to the 400 and 500W versions) is pretty darn quiet. just one 120mm fan. it is $110 on newegg, but its really efficient/reliable/good for the money.

 

[TourGuide]

What would you say are the things you like and dislike about PC Power & Cooling units Jonny?

I have always gravitated to them for their performance and specs. Their noise hasn't been great, but I have never had a power related problem while I've used their products and I've gotten absolutely fantastic support from them when I needed it.

This latest unit (Quad 750 silencer) has been the quietest and best unit I've had so far.

Originally posted by: jonnyGURU

Originally posted by: Conky
Better be careful or people will notice that you always knock the PCP&C brand.

LOL....

I don't always knock PCP&C. I actually like PCP&C very much. I just like when people say untrue things about PCP&C that put them in a better light. PCP&C units can stand on their own laurels. They don't need fan boys and phoney "power supply myths" to make them more attractive.

 

[Golgatha]

If you don't mind voiding a warranty, get any descent single 120mm fan PS and replace the fan with one of these from Newegg.com.

I have a HTPC with one of these inside the power supply and an Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 on the CPU. That case is dead silent. My Playstation 2 makes more noise than that PC does and the Playstation 2 is behind a glass door.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Enhance ENP-5140GH is very quiet. Bought one for my brother (and his mobo hated it his mobo hates almost everything though) and it is very quiet. Only $56 from ewiz through froogle

 

[colonel]

I love my Tagan 480w , is very quiet and is a very good PSU.

 

[KeithTalent]

My old 500W Seasonic was dead quiet; I never heard the thing. Though now that I think of it I never really hear my new Thermaltake PSU either.

KT

 

[Zepper]

Swapping the fan out of a PSU can be a dangerous thing unless you really know what you are doing. Most PSUs are already set up too far to the quiet side and to little to the "keeping the PSU cool" side. The Scythe fan mentioned above moves very little air even at full speed - consider what it might push when controlled by the thermal fan control in the PSU (if it would even start at all). Now if you set it up to run full speed 24/7, then that might be OK.

The Seasonic PSUs with 120mm or larger fans are known for their quietness. Most other good PSUs with 120mm or larger fans would be plenty quiet enough for all but the real noize nutsos.

Most find the Enhance ENP-5150GH or 5140GH plenty quiet.

.bh.