Quiet power supply recommendations

[Tannin]

Sol is at it again. He wants a quiet power supply. Needs to be 300W or better, good quality, available in Oz. His A-Open 300 works just fine, but it makes too much fan noise.

Any suggestions?

 

[Buck]

Too much noise in comparison to his water cooled CPUs?

 

[CougTek]

Antec PP-352X.

It has a very high efficiency (72%) and the dual thermal-controlled fans should make it fairly quiet. I ordered one today and I should receive it thursday or friday. All my Antec PSUs have been good and I don't think this one should be different. I'll let you know how it fairs. The comments I read so far on the Net have been very positive.

I have no idea if Antec PSUs are available in kangaroo land though.

 

[Mercutio]

So I suppose it'd be unethical for you to suggest that Sol try water-cooling his Power supply?

 

[Tannin]

It's the first thing we talked about :eekers: Perfectly safe - just so long as you're not touching te computer.....

 

[James]

I have an Enermax 365W WHisper power supply. It's not quite as quiet as the name suggests, but it's pretty good. There's one rear exhaust fan and a thermostat-controlled intake on the bottom.

I know they're available in Oz, since I got mine at www.computermarket.com.au.

 

[CougTek]

James,

How is the voltage regulation on the Enermax? I mean, how stable the voltage is compared to other above-average PSUs? I hesitate currently between the same Enermax you mentioned and the Antec PP-352X. The Enermax has a higher advertized MTBF at 100000 OH versus 50000 OH for the Antec. However, the Antec has a slightly higher efficiency (72% versus 70%) and I heard many times that Enermax long ATX power cable cause less stable current supply to the motherboard.

What are your thoughts so far about the Enermax regarding its reliability? Anything that I should worry about if I buy it?

I need to ask so if something goes wrong with the PSU, I'll be able to put the blame on someone else's back ;-).

 

[CougTek]

Too late, I bought the Enermax. I'll install it this week-end. I hope it'll be good.

 

[James]

Well, sorry not to have replied. Busy doesn't begin to decribe my life at the moment.

How is the voltage regulation on the Enermax? I mean, how stable the voltage is compared to other above-average PSUs? I hesitate currently between the same Enermax you mentioned and the Antec PP-352X. The Enermax has a higher advertized MTBF at 100000 OH versus 50000 OH for the Antec. However, the Antec has a slightly higher efficiency (72% versus 70%) and I heard many times that Enermax long ATX power cable cause less stable current supply to the motherboard.

I've found it to be very stable. I'm using it to run a dual XP workstation on an MP mobo. I don't have a lot of stuff in the case - Geforce 2 GTS, sound card, 740DX, Pioneer 16X DVD, SMC LAN card, floppy - but the current is very stable indeed and there is a utility from Tyan to measure all sorts of voltages on the board, which is useful. The ATX supply cable is long, but the wiring would have to be astonishingly crap for it to create a problem.

What are your thoughts so far about the Enermax regarding its reliability? Anything that I should worry about if I buy it?

Well, I have only had mine for about 4 months, but I'm happy with it. With a power supply you do get what you pay for (cheap PSes are dreadful).

I need to ask so if something goes wrong with the PSU, I'll be able to put the blame on someone else's back ;-).

Yeah, go ahead, blame me. I don't care.

 

[Buck]

The Enermax PSU I presently have in my workstation runs quite well. The voltages are consistent and within tolerance. The double-fan combination in the PSU allows for excellent ventilation of the case without much noise. I prefer absolute silence when I sleep (thus my present plan to eliminate that lousy mocking bird hanging around my house at night), so I wouldn't sleep next to a system with any fan on - I'd hear it. Nonetheless, when this Enermax PSU is on, along with 4 other fans (chasis & CPU), the noise is quite subdued, enough to hear everything else (key strokes, HDDs, FDDs, mouse click, ice in a glass, etc.).

BR

 

[The JoJo]

I just changed the fan in my Antec 400w PS. It had a temperature controlled ADDA in it, and I changed it to a 19db papst. I bypassed the temperature controller (just used another plug in the PS) and removed the fan grill from the back of the PS. Works like a charm, and very quiet.

 

[Sol]

Thanks for the help guys, I'll have to look into some of these suggestions.
I know the enermax are available so they'd make a good start.

I have found out through experimentation that I can turn every fan in my system, apart from the tiny video card fan and the fan in the PSU, off for about 5 1/2 hours under full load without issues. After that I start to see a little instability( from the video card I think).

Still for watching movies its great because I don't have to turn the volume up so loud(and its hardly under full load).
If I can get the PSU noise down I might even be able to leave the system on while I sleep which would allow me to rip DVDs or run Gnome@Home or somthing which would be nice.

I thought of replacing the fan with a low speed Panaflow which are apparently very quiet but I wasn't sure if that would be enough to keep it cool.

 

[Mercutio]

For all the money you're spending on fans and cooling kit, it'd probably be cheaper to just buy another PC and stick it in a closet for your Genoming (?) and ripping needs.

Leave your PC on at night. It's nice, white noise. Pretty soon you won't know how you slept without it.

 

[Tea]

Yeah yeah! Buy another PC.




... then you can overclock it.

 

[time]

I know what you mean about the AOpen PS. I just built a 'quiet PC' as a home entertainment centre for someone, and the standout noise I couldn't eliminate was the AOpen power supply fan.

Still, they're quiet compared to the PowerMan units in InWin cases.

I suggest you try an HEC PS. Intel and AMD approved, support for AMD's GES standard, available in Oz and very quiet. Although note that dual fan and more powerful units may well be noisier.

www.heroichi.com.tw

The distributor here is FortuneTec. We need to order some stuff from them soon, so send me an email if you see something you like.

 

[Adcadet]

I have an Enermax 365W WHisper power supply. It's not quite as quiet as the name suggests, but it's pretty good. There's one rear exhaust fan and a thermostat-controlled intake on the bottom.

I know they're available in Oz, since I got mine at www.computermarket.com.au.

I'm running the same power supply, and have to agree with James. It's not bad, but not all that quiet - perhaps they whisper loudly at Enermax.

 

[James]

I know what you mean about the AOpen PS. I just built a 'quiet PC' as a home entertainment centre for someone, and the standout noise I couldn't eliminate was the AOpen power supply fan.

Still, they're quiet compared to the PowerMan units in InWin cases.

Actually, in my experience the 300W AOpen PS actually is a PowerMan/Sparkle unit - I know, I had to replace the PS that came with my Inwin case.

The 300W units are very good, but as you say they're not terribly quiet.

 

[time]

Erm, I don't follow your reasoning, James. What did you mean to say?

 

[James]

I have two Inwin Q500 cases that I bought with 300W power supplies. One was a Sparkle one, one was a PowerMan one. They're the same unit (they have the same model number).

When one popped its clogs, I bought the cheapest AMD approved 300W supply I could find to replace it - the AOpen. The AOpen power supply is exactly the same as the Sparkle/Powerman one, right down to the model number on it.

I postulate that they are all made by the same company - PowerMan - and they are all in fact the same unit.

 

[time]

My God, James! Aren't you ever wrong?

The extra noisyness must be due to the InWin case itself. That's my chief complaint about them, and I see other people on the net have also noticed this. Personally, I think the case is too rigid and too light, and amplifies any vibration to annoying levels.

Just a small quibble: I believe the ultimate manufacturer is Fortron Source, hence the FSP prefix in the model code. They seem to be in partnership with Sparkle Power, who rightly claim to be one of the biggest PS manufacturers in the world. Note that they are an OEM for several different brands, including PC Power and Cooling(!) I suggest that PowerMan is a series built to InWin's requirements. These days they are well served by the standard Fortron/Sparkle PS, but the name persists.

 

[Mercutio]

Has anyone here ever used an AGI power supply? They're the AMD approved PS in the cases I buy for my customers (CompuCase). They're amazingly quiet compared to the Sparkle units most of my machines have.

 

[James]

My God, James! Aren't you ever wrong?

I dunno whether to take that as a compliment or not.

The extra noisyness must be due to the InWin case itself. That's my chief complaint about them, and I see other people on the net have also noticed this. Personally, I think the case is too rigid and too light, and amplifies any vibration to annoying levels.

It's quite possible. Are you talking about the Q500-N full tower? If we're complaining about those, it might be worth it to point out the crazy placement of the floppy - particularly if you have a Tyan dual AMD mobo.

What would you recommend as a decent mini/midi tower case that's available in Australia? I need something with enough natural airflow to run a dual Athlon system in, without adding fans. The Inwin cases work fine, but as you say they're noisy and I find them much bigger than I need.

Just a small quibble: I believe the ultimate manufacturer is Fortron Source, hence the FSP prefix in the model code.
[...]

I'm sure you're correct. The first Inwin case I got came with a Sparkle branded PS; subsequent ones have come with Powerman ones. I assumed that they'd got rid of the rather lively (and nice) "Sparkle" name and gone with the beefier sounding "Powerman" one, but perhaps the reverse occured. If so, great - I like "Sparkle" as a name on electronic components because it amuses me.

 

[Pradeep]

I'm using an AOpen HX08 for my TigerMP. Only problem is I can't use the lower internal 3 1/2" bays because the DIMMS take up too much room. Also the floppy is right up the top and unreachable with a 24" cable. I only get the floppy out for BIOS flashing now so plug it in for those occasions. Nice AOpen/Sparkle 300W psu powering it all. But there are three or four 3 1/2" bays above the psu which is nice for SCSI drives. And of course I have a 36" rounded IDE cable to reach to my DVD and cd-rw drives. Hmm come to think of it there aren't many cases at all that work well with TigerMP. Best way to use it would be to have one of those double wide cases, and route the ide cables underneath and to the drive "half" of the case.

 

[Pradeep]

Hmm, decent mini/midi. Just ignore my post above

 

[Tannin]

You too Pradeep? That's what I have for my home system too: the A-Open full tower, though I changed the power supply for some reason I forget. Probably when I had it at the office and got tired of the noise. It's got a Seventeam 250W now, which is just fine. And, yes, those over-the-PSU 3.5 inch spots are just right for my X15.

 

[Sol]

I'm using the same Aopen tower as both Pradeep and Tanin. I have found that judicious use of a dremel or simmilar tool will make the upper two of the front 3 1/2 inch bays usable for floppy drives. They shouldn't cause a problem with the RAM either. The only work you have to do is on the front bezel the metal plates behind it just snap out.

 

[Pradeep]

Hmm very interesting. The biggest problem I have is that the TigerMP is really too big for the HX08. It fits in there no worries, just you can't really use any of the 3.5"ers due to the ram blocking access. My front bezel was taken off many moons ago. I think I'll go a huge double wide server case for my next machine. Maybe put a trailer hitch on it and tow it behind the ride-on mower?

 

[Pradeep]

What about just replacing the fan in the AOpen power supply?

 

[Tannin]

As I think I mentioned, Pradeep, I just changed the power supply over to a Seventeam 250W because it's quieter. Even with a smaller board, the A-Open case still makes it difficult to use the 3.5 inch slots. With the MSI KT-266 I had up until last night, you had to pull the RAM out to change the hard drives over. I started trying to see if I could just squeeze a drive back into the bay without pulling the RAM using the Epox board I just replaced the MSI with but then said to hell with it and used the top bay instead. (The one over the PSU where the X-15 sits.)

Yes, I've been off the air for a while while I did some reorganising. Pulled out that crappy MSI main board that utterly refuses to be stable with 512MB of DDR - it's perfect with 256MB, just can't cope with two DIMMS - swapped the 5400 RPM Samsung 60GB data drive for a 40GB Samsung 7200 - yes, the Western Digitals are faster, but I want reliability first and speed second for this job, and I'm only using 10GB of it anyway - and, seeing as I had the box apart, swapped out the XP 1700 for an 1800.

It's surprising how much faster the 7200 is at opening large folders (i.e., folders with a great many sub-folders and files). I wonder if the cache system on the V40 is much inferior to the P40's (though they are both 2MB), as the actual access time difference is only a millisecond or so. Or perhaps W2K is just taking advantage of the extra RAM. (Even though the folders in question are not in the cache to start with.) Or maybe the combination of of factors involved is fooling me: extra 100MHz, more RAM, freshly formatted partitions, faster drive.

 

[Buck]

I wonder if the cache system on the V40 is much inferior to the P40's (though they are both 2MB), as the actual access time difference is only a millisecond or so.

I wouldn't be too suprised at this, as all HDD manufactureres are constantly optimizing cache algorithms. Essentially, the rule of obtaining better performance whilst not sacrificing product profit is of utmost importance today. This commodity we call a hard disk drive has not only changed (along with other computer components) dramatically in a technological way, but also the way manufactures do business.

A good example is the WD JB series. Granted, extra cache is involved, but at a much lower cost then heads or media. The increase in cach and new cach algorithms helps this beast increase performance under certain circumstance - probably most of the circumstances encountered by Windows. I would like to see the performance benefits (if any) of this special edition drive under a non-Windows environment.

BR

 

[Tannin]

Too late! I sold my JB to Sol.

 

[Buck]

Too late! I sold my JB to Sol.

Sol has plenty of hardware (if not, he'll buy it). Let's have Sol run the tests.

BR

 

[Tannin]

That's it Sol. You're elected. Want to borrow my Mandrake and OS/2 install CDs?