Low speed setting for Seasonic M12?

[tdawg]

Hi All,

I'm trying to get my new build to be a little quiter. I've narrowed the noise culprit down to either the rear case fan of the Cooler Master Elite 330, or the fan in the Seasonic PSU. I know everybody claimed this PSU was quiet, so I'm hoping that it's the rear exhaust fan. However, is there a way to put the PSU into a low-speed mode of some kind?

This new build (Intel Q6600 w/ stock cooler inside CM Elite 330 w/ Seasonic M12 PSU, x1950pro) is quite a bit louder than my now old PC (Athlon 64 3000+ enclosed in an Antec Sonata w/ stock PSU, x850pro).

Thanks in advance,
Trevor

 

[rise]

i have the m12 500w. is it the aux. 60mm fan that is making the noise? the 120mm is near silent in mine but if i open the case and put my ear near it, i can hear the 60 when it spins up, which is often.. although, i don't know if its variable or just on/off when the psu determines it needs the extra cooling.

 

[tdawg]

I'm going to check more thoroughly today after work to see if I can pinpoint the fan that's bothering me.

 

[rise]

yeah, start by unplugging the case fan

seasonic doesn't really say if the 60 is variable...

 

[Noubourne]

I would have guessed the case was the culprit. It's riddled with holes. There is a hole right above the vid card slots. 2 of them. All that noise is going to escape the case, rather than trap it inside or re-direct it out the back like the Sonata did.

If the 60mm fan is spinning up AT ALL, then you might have ventilation issues. I have an 8800GTX puking heat out into my case (Antec 1060B from 1999), and I have not once seen the 60mm fan spin on my M12.

Oh and the 60 isn't variable. It's on or it's off. Once it turns on, it stays on. I read that at JohnnyGuru's site. Mine has never turned on.

 

[tdawg]

Thanks, Noubourne.

I haven't had a chance to test yet (city turned out power to our house yesterday, and I was gone when it came back). I'm thinking it's the case fan, though the case itself definitely seems less able to contain noise (sonata side panel was much thicker, etc).

Speaking of ventilation issues, I want to install a quiet intake fan in the front of the case, but I can't get the front panel off (I posted a request for assistance in the Cases & Cooling dept, but no takers). I tried before installing everything but the tabs that I think are holding the front on seem like they'll break off long before they'll release from their holds.

Oh well. I'll see if I can find some time tonight to test it out.

 

[rise]

If the 60mm fan is spinning up AT ALL, then you might have ventilation issues.

lets not go over board, lol. OP is running a q6600. i'd unplug the case fan to start with but its not unreasonable that his 60mm fan would spin up.

 

[SparkyJJO]

The seasonic has a 60mm fan in it? Hmm another reason why I'm glad I got the Corsair, I hate small fans

Maybe it is your X1950pro that you are hearing?

 

[rise]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
The seasonic has a 60mm fan in it? Hmm another reason why I'm glad I got the Corsair, I hate small fans

meh, like i said, if i listen for it i can hear it but in a closed case??

anyway, the corsair is nice if you can withstand the buzzing

 

[tdawg]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
The seasonic has a 60mm fan in it? Hmm another reason why I'm glad I got the Corsair, I hate small fans

Maybe it is your X1950pro that you are hearing?

Turns out you're correct. The x1950pro is quite noticeable. However, so are the hard drives when they are working, so...

I'll see how long I can hold on with this, but I might be going back to the antec case.

Thanks all.

 

[Old Hippie]

I've had the M12-500 in two different cases ( Tsunami Dream and Lian Li PC-A10B ), and the 60mm fan has never turned on. But, I'm not running a Q6600.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Originally posted by: rise

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
The seasonic has a 60mm fan in it? Hmm another reason why I'm glad I got the Corsair, I hate small fans

meh, like i said, if i listen for it i can hear it but in a closed case??

anyway, the corsair is nice if you can withstand the buzzing

No buzzing from my Corsair, except when my UPS switches to battery but that is expected, every PSU I've had hooked to the UPS makes some noise when on the UPS battery.