Looking for quiet PSU..

[aznmist]

Looking for quiet PSU..
250-300 W
between 20-25 dBA

 

[xarar]

antec true power is quiet to my knowledge


www.antec-inc.com

 

[ewsn]

user comments on the sparkle 250W are very positive. I ordered one from here:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=58&manufactory=1389&DEPA=1

It will come in tommorrow

**update**
Just reveived and installed on my Duron 1G. Exactly as other users reviewed, this PSW is EXCELLENT. Very well built, quite and hefty (probably about 4 lbs). The price is right too. I don't have a single regret buying it.
I bought the Sparkle to replace a Aopen 250W (ATX-250N) unit that came with the case and runs like a diesel truck.

 

[Underclocked]

I've got an Antec TRUE power 330 watt. Might be the quitest power supply I've owned. Replaced an Enermax. BIG drop in noise level. Newegg.com .

 

[Zukatah]

From what I've seen, do not look for the Enermax *ahem*whisper*ahem*. The noise level is not exactly on par with the name...

 

[DS1MCSE]

You could also just get a high-quality power supply and replace the fans with a pair of sub-$3 Panaflo's from BGMicro.

Good luck!

 

[prontospyder]

<<I've got an Antec TRUE power 330 watt. Might be the quitest power supply I've owned. Replaced an Enermax. BIG drop in noise level. Newegg.com>>

Wow....I can't wait to get home and install the True330 PSU from Newegg tonight!

 

[nnnyyy]

anyone know of any reviews of the new true power supply?

 

[MoFunk]

You can make any PSU quiet by replacing the stock fans for some nice panaflo's!

 

[Marrkks]

my old antec pp303x is danm near silent. just one of the reasons I'm getting anther Antec. they are also very "strong" supplies. its very rare that you ever hear of people complaining about a weak antec ps.(ie-enermax(5v? rail)) but thats just my limited obsevations.

 

[ShinSa]

<< my old antec pp303x is danm near silent. just one of the reasons I'm getting anther Antec. they are also very "strong" supplies. its very rare that you ever hear of people complaining about a weak antec ps.(ie-enermax(5v? rail)) but thats just my limited obsevations. >>



Does anybody own a truepower??

If so, what are the voltage readings on it?

My Enermax365's 5V rail never dips below 4.97V under idle. Most I could bring it down to was 4.92 under heavy CPU usage. I'm assuming this is acceptable. How are other PSU's 5v rail?

Do lot of enermax have 5v rail problems???

 

[Marrkks]

thats just my limited obsevations maybe its the 3.3v, I'm not sure.(maybe epox) I'm not blasting enermax, its just seems that no one seems to have a problem with antecs-thats all. in my "limited" experience my pp303x is my qietest/ most reliable ps that I've had. thats all. 'nuff said. see thread title.

 

[ShinSa]

<< thats just my limited obsevations maybe its the 3.3v, I'm not sure.(maybe epox) I'm not blasting enermax, its just seems that no one seems to have a problem with antecs-thats all. in my "limited" experience my pp303x is my qietest/ most reliable ps that I've had. thats all. 'nuff said. see thread title. >>



Well Marrkks, You scared me for a moment there. Afterall, I did invest $60 just on PSU.

Yah, I dont see any of my rails having trouble which is a good thing. Even my 3.3V is running healthy at 3.49.

It might be that most people who spend so much money on seperate enermax psu for their systems are computer enthusiasts who look at every little detail including voltage fluctuations. If there's a small dip on one of the rail, I'm sure they'll complain. On the otherhand, Antec PSU's are generally equipped with the case so most end users coulnd't care less how their PSU performs. Afterall, it came with the case. If people with Antec cases monitored their rails as if they paid extra for thier PSU, I'm sure we'll hear more about Antec PSUs.

Im pretty sure that there are more posts about Enermax problems than Antec problems, but it's also true that there are more Enermax praises than Antec praises. In general more people talk about Enermax PSU than ANTEC PSU because it was something extra they had to pay.

I wont be too impressed if truepower's only advantage is being quiet. Afterall, that simply means that the fans are pushing less air than enermax and Enermax is already quiet enough while colling the system well. There is a happy medium between running cool and being quiet and I think Enermax is doing a fine job at that. If I wanted to make my PSU really quiet, I would simply pull out the fan, leave the PSU cover off. Now that's quiet! Remeber, we still keep fans on our CPU although we know that having a passive heatsink will make it quieter while trading off stability. How much stability has Antec given up in order to be quiet??

Enerma'x adjustable fan series PSUs have a knob which controlls the RPM of the fan. Even in the lowest setting, the fans will speed up again if it thinks the temp is too high. That means Enermax is willing to sacrifice some noise in order to remain stable and protect your vauable equipment.

What I AM interested in is how Truepower will hold up in performance wise against Enermax.
Things like voltage fluctuations, current supply, and stabiltiy. ( remember stability is inversely related to heat? IS truepower going to be stable if the fans dont push enough air?) Original Antec psu's were very loud, but it was very stable at the same time. If ANTEC brings down that noise and CFM of air by the fans at the same time, will it perform just as well?? I'm very curious indeed.

I hope someone will do a review soon.

 

[hmsrolst]

I have a PC Power and Cooling 275W Silencer which is pretty quiet, although not as quiet as my Panaflo-modded Enermaxes. I have found that the stock "Whisper" Enermaxes are anything but.

 

[kgraeme]

<< my old antec pp303x is danm near silent. just one of the reasons I'm getting anther Antec. they are also very "strong" supplies. its very rare that you ever hear of people complaining about a weak antec ps.(ie-enermax(5v? rail)) but thats just my limited obsevations. >>



My pp303x is quiet, but I sure wouldn't call it silent. I'm personally looking at modding mine to get it quieter.

 

[hmsrolst]

I recently replaced an Antec 303X with an Enermax with the internal fan removed and the external replaced with a Panaflo L1A. Although the Antec was pretty quiet, the modded Enermax is much quieter.

 

[oldfart]

I had an Antec 303X that I put a Panaflow L1A in. Very quiet. I recently got a True330. Very nice. The fans are thermal controlled. They turn a very low RPM under normal loads.

 

[MrThompson]

I have used Antec, Enermax, PC Power & Cooling and a couple of others. In my experience, by far the quietest PSU is the 430 watt NMB recommended for dual AMD and Xeon systems. At $130, it's not too expensive and has plenty of stability for overclocking.

 

[Becks2k]

Any powersupply can be "quiet" just buy a high quality powersupply and put a panaflo la1 in it, tho you are responsible of you fry yourself or something playing inside a powersupply (don't mess if you don't know anything).

I have a Antec PP412X (400w)... the loudest thing in my case is a panaflo la1 on the cpu... I first had the powerupply with the stock fan, which is an adda fan thats temp controlled. The fan almost always ran at the slowest speed, which was just a tad louder than the rest of my computer so I could tell where the noise was comming from.

I decided to put a la1 in there and get rid of the temp controller crap and just have 21dba all the time.

I replaced the fan and it turns out the powersupply is still the loudest thing DOH.... it wasn't the fan making alot of noise, it was the fan sucking air though the powersuplly, turbulance fom all the crap in there was making noise.

OKAY OKAY SO to end this post somehow...

I'd say get an antec powersupply, or go to www.plycon.com and get the zalman, or quietpc powersupply (forget which they sell) it'll be a TAD quieter thanan antec.

BTW bout voltages....

I have a antec pp412x like i said and i don't know the voltages off hand but I know none were below what they should be...

okay fine i opened mbm5

3.3= 3.55 (but i have it jumped to that on my mobo... its supposed to be 3.5)
5v = 5.11v
12v = 12.34v

They never change either, when i used to run mbm5 24/7 the high/lows were always all the same.

OKAY OKAY 1 last comment, when you do pick a powersupply, just make sure it has PCF or something (Power Correction Factor)... it saves energy, like 15%, which would have otherwise turned into heat... so they run cooler and save yoj money... most powersupplys now have it... like a feature that started showing up like 6m ontsh ago i think

 

[mcvan]

Two articles will interest you all:

<a class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.silentpcreview.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=15&page=1" target=blank>Run a Power Supply without a Fan?
</A>
Quieting the Enermax & other thermistor fan PSUs

So will many other articles, DIYs, mods, etc. on www.silentpcreview.com

 

[DrVos]

I just got my Antec TruePower today and I LOVE it. I had an Enermax 350w "whisper" and replaced it with an Antec TruePower 330w. I have to say that the Antec power supply is about half as loud as the Enermax PSU was. I got it for 50 at newegg. DEFINETLY worth the money.

 

[Underclocked]

Antec TRUE 330 P4 1.8A @ 2.4GHz Quiet AND COOL.


Current parameters. 3.3v is mem voltage.

 

[ShinSa]

<< Antec TRUE 330 P4 1.8A @ 2.4GHz Quiet AND COOL.


Current parameters. 3.3v is mem voltage. >>



The rails seem kinda weak for a PSU of this price and quality. Especially the 3.3V and 12V. Are other Treupowers getting simmilar readings???

 

[MoFunk]

<< Two articles will interest you all:

<a class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.silentpcreview.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=15&page=1" target=blank>Run a Power Supply without a Fan?
</A>
<a class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.silentpcreview.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=9&page=1" target=blank>Quieting the Enermax & other thermistor fan PSUs</A>

So will many other articles, DIYs, mods, etc. on <a class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.silentpcreview.com" target=blank>www.silentpcreview.com</A> >>




Not to get off topic but I looked over at the above mentioned pages and the way he mounted hard drives with elastic is a very interesting concept. For those of us looking to make our pc's cool and quiet thie is a good read.

 

[Underclocked]

No, I would have to disagree. The 3.3v and 12v rails are not weak at all. As I said, the 3.3v is actually my memory voltage and the 12v supply fluctuates as much as a whole .06 of a volt but generally stays right where you see it in the pic. My "guess" is that Antec purposely set the 12v a hair toward the low end to keep noise down. How close to 12.000 does it need to be?