Is this psu any good?

Energize

Energize

Energize

Caporegime
Joined
12 Mar 2004
Posts
29,954
Location
England
Are these as quiet as the akasas?

Seasonic 430W ATX12V 2.0 £45 inc

FSP Blue Storm 400w Psu Atx 2.0 £48 inc

What about the Enermax Liberty 400W Modular ATX 2.2 £55 inc?
 
Last edited:
Seasonic is quietest psu in existance, bar passive models.
It will be quieter than all of those.

The only way to find out which of the others are quieter than the akasa is to see what fan they have in em.
See if you can find reviews for all 3 where they have been taken apart and google the fan part numbers.
 
Joe42 said:
Seasonic is quietest psu in existance, bar passive models.
It will be quieter than all of those.

The only way to find out which of the others are quieter than the akasa is to see what fan they have in em.
See if you can find reviews for all 3 where they have been taken apart and google the fan part numbers.
Click to expand...

Just get the Seasonic :D

SiriusB
 
Brum Man said:
I reckon SilenX would be quieter.
Click to expand...
That is possible, however SPCR refuse to review them due to a disagrement and the fact that SilentX don't do their noise measurements properly.

The problem with SilentX is they now make some pretty good products, but they still have dodgy noise measurements. If they actually took proper noise readings they would probably be extremely good.

The only problem with getting a SilentX psu is they don't make psu's, they buy them in and build the fan and fan control circuitry only i believe.
Seasonic are a psu manufacturer, and their psu's have some of the best efficientcy ratings of any psu, meaning they produce less heat and are therefore easier to cool noiselessly.
 
Last edited:
Joe42 said:
That is possible, however SPCR refuse to review them due to a disagrement and the fact that SilentX don't do their noise measurements properly.

The problem with SilentX is they now make some pretty good products, but they still have dodgy noise measurements. If they actually took proper noise readings they would probably be extremely good.

The only problem with getting a SilentX psu is they don't make psu's, they buy them in and build the fan and fan control corcuitry only. Seasonic are a psu manufacturer.
Click to expand...

I agree that their measurement were a little off, I had some lots of silenX stuff about 2 years ago as they became popular.

However, what ever their measurements say they are flippin quiet. I used to have a SilenX power supply from the iXtrema plus range before they were sold here and it is the quietest thing I have ever heard (or not heard). I regret selling it to this day as my OCZ sound a bit like a jet compared to it, but at the time it didn't have the up to date connectivity on it that I wanted.

I literally used to have to put my ear to it to make sure that it was running. I've actually just been looking around and see that they do a more up to date model, I would definitely consider getting one again. Can't find any reviews of them though :/
 
I have just installed the seasonic and can say it is way quiter than the akasa was. Only problem now is that the hard drive sounds loud. :p
 
Should I get the Enermax Liberty 400W or Seasonic S12 430W? Note that I already have another Liberty so the extra cables will come in handy. I take it the Seasonic isn't modular? Which is quieter?
 
squiffy said:
Should I get the Enermax Liberty 400W or Seasonic S12 430W? Note that I already have another Liberty so the extra cables will come in handy. I take it the Seasonic isn't modular? Which is quieter?
Click to expand...
Seasonic without a doubt.
Don't understand the point of modular cables myself. If your not using all the cables then you should have got a less powerfull psu.
I find i use every cable and need 2 molex y adaptors, so if the seasonic was modular i'd have every cable plugged in anyhow.
 
Energize said:
Whats the difference between atx 2.0 and 2.2 ?
Click to expand...

It is probably a bit redundant to answer now but basically not a lot, a slightly higher requirement for efficiency and higher Amps on the 12v rail to gain compliance but that doesn't mean that other PSUs without the certification aren't as good, simply in many cases they haven't been re-certified :)
 
It's for a HTPC, I'll just be using one IDE. From the picture the Seasonic has too many cables, and the case looks a tight fit so extra cables could be a problem. Although not sure about depth, being the connector takes up more space.
 
ok remembered the Liberty sheathing is quite stiff so Seasonic will be easier to route, worked out dimensions of the case (Silverstone TJ08) drive and PSU so will be a tight fit or at least the bottom 5.25" will be unusable, so looks like gonna get the Seasonic ok at £42. According to PSU calculator will need 223W (that's with onboard video which eventually will be upgraded to a PCI-E GFX).

Anyone own both Liberty and Seasonic? What does PSU rpm speed sensor report? Both are similar fans 0.3A
 
Last edited:
squiffy said:
Yeah but I don't need them.

Found pictures of the fans

http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/enermaxliberty/index2.htm
http://www.3dvelocity.com/reviews/seasonics12/s12_3.htm

My Liberty spins around 920rpm.
Click to expand...
Your enermax psu has a globe fan. Very good make. Specs here
Its 39dba at full speed however the noise will mostly be determined by the fan controller and the amount of heat produced, which is effected by the efficientcy of the psu and the case temperature.
The Rpm is 2400, so if yours is spinning at 920 thats going pretty slow which is good news.
Airflow is 80cfm.

The Seasonic S12 430 uses a Yate Loon fan.
Max noise: 33
Max Rpm: 1650
Max airflow:70

Clearly the yate loon fan is more efficient. Its maximum noise is lower, as is its rpm. And i can assure you that the seasonic fan controller will have it spinning at around 500rpm untill you load it up beyond 200w, which you won't.

So on paper the seasonic is quieter. Lots of people back this up including myself.


Regarding power requirements:
You will not use over 150w if psu calculator says 223.
Not only will the Seasonic S12-430 be more than adequate, it will also keep its fan to the minimum rpm as a result.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom