PSU recommendations 700w+ with high quality fanless/eco modes

AssaTM · 11 Jun 2020 at 23:10

Hi all,

I currently have an EVGA PSU, which deals with my system absolutely fine and I have no complaints in that regard, but it has no ECO mode, so it sounds like a jet even while browsing, it is by far the loudest component in my PC now, it's getting a bit long in the tooth as well so I am looking for a new PSU to power a 3600/2070super, but with intentions of moving to the next equivalent AMD chip and a 3080Ti potentially so future proofing is key, does anyone have recommendations on the high quality to ultra high quality PSU's within this range with these features please? Thank you

pastymuncher · 12 Jun 2020 at 19:29

Apart from BeQuiet who use a quiet fan most of the good quality psu's these days have a hybrid/Eco cooling system. Take Superflowers Leadex III series for example, they have a 3 position switch which allows the fan to run automatically plus two semi passive modes. Even in automatic mode I couldn't hear mine. From the Superflower Leadex III 750 description:-

Furthermore, there are two semi-passive modes which are designed for two different temperature thresholds: depending on the temperature, the fan then comes to a permanent stop at low to medium loads. At stage one, called ECO 0, the fans start as soon as the temperatures are between 62 and 68°C. If temperatures fall between 47 and 53°C, the fan goes silent once more. In ECO 1 the temperature threshold at which the fans start up is between 42 and 48°C, with the lower threshold at between 27 and 33°C. Due to the low fan speeds and the use of FDB bearings, the PSU remains extremely quiet even in active cooling modes. In comparison to classic bearings, FDB bearings are markedly quieter in operation, while the also drastically improving the overall operating life of the unit.

Right now is a really bad time to buy a psu though as there is hardly any stock anywhere which in turn has pushed prices up. It's pointless recommending you a psu because by the time you go to buy it it will most likely have sold out which has happened many times over the past couple of weeks. The best thing you can do is shop around to see what you can find in stock and then check out some reviews and/or post on here to see if it's any good. If you stick to the Gold rated or higher Corsair, Seasonic, Superflower Leadex Gold III/Leadex Platinum/Titanium, EVGA G3/G5/P2/T2 you can't really go wrong. Some Silverstone units are very good but it's especially important to check reviews as quality varies widely across the ranges plus the warranties tend to be shorter. BeQuiet just use a quiet fan but tend to be very overpriced and have shorter warranties compared to the ones I suggested above.

AssaTM · 13 Jun 2020 at 00:38

Thank you very much for the informative post, I really do appreciate it

sadly after posting I did have a nose at some PSU's and I can see what you mean by them all being out of stock!

is there any ETA on when supply will be more reliable again? or is it just a case of keep looking and hope to get lucky?

TT158 · 13 Jun 2020 at 11:02

I have the Corsair AX and it's dead silent. Got 4.5 from Tom's Hardware. Very expensive though at around £200 for the 850W and nearer £300 for the 1000W

pastymuncher · 13 Jun 2020 at 11:27

I guess stock will eventually start to appear as things get moving again in Asia. Just keep checking although at the moment even more are selling out rather than getting replaced. The best thing to do is shop around, don't limit yourself to a single retailer as some have stock of psu's that others don't have. I picked up my Aerocool Project 7 650w Platinum psu a couple of weeks ago for £86 which is a considerable saving over OCUK's price so there are good deals to be found.

Paul_RD · 20 Jun 2020 at 12:43

AssaTM said:
Thank you very much for the informative post, I really do appreciate it sadly after posting I did have a nose at some PSU's and I can see what you mean by them all being out of stock! is there any ETA on when supply will be more reliable again? or is it just a case of keep looking and hope to get lucky?

I spoke to OCUK sales this morning and they said they are having multiple stock issues across all ranges and don't expect to see much replenishment before the end of July.
I am led to believe that it is primarily affecting larger/heavier items such as PSU's and speakers.