Silent PSU

fretted

fretted

fretted

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4 Jan 2010
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Currently, in my HTPC I have a Corsair CX400 psu and recently I added a passive Sapphire 4670 graphics card to my setup. The result of this is an increased level of noise coming from the fan inside the PSU. Of course, the noise is near inaudible (for me) when I am sitting on the Sofa but very noticeable when I am close to the unit. Also, when I am playing a DVD the fan gets very loud.

My question is: Is it worth changing my PSU to a more silent and powerful or there will always be an issue of noise whichever PSU I choose. FWIW, I am air cooling and watercooling is not an option that I think is worth it for what the unit is for and while I could contemplate changing the case to one with more airflow, this would be my last choice.
 
Really quiet too. My Zalman is the best psu i have had yet. Smallest is 500w though if i remember right.

In my second pc i have a Enermax Pro 82+ 385w and that is very quiet as well.

The psu fan spinning up is probably due to the fact that it is now having to get rid of the heat from the passive graphics card. What case is it?
 
mrochester said:
Why not get a fanless PSU?
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+1 got one in my media center, think it's made by northQ (not the best make in the world, but ive never had a problem with it) it has an 'emergency' fan in it to stop it from overheating, but its not once come on in mine, even when playing crysis!
 
shadowake said:
+1 got one in my media center, think it's made by northQ (not the best make in the world, but ive never had a problem with it) it has an 'emergency' fan in it to stop it from overheating, but its not once come on in mine, even when playing crysis!
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Yep, so called 'semi-fanless' PSUs. I have a Silverstone NightJar PSU (the 300watt version) and it just keeps on going, and is perfectly silent in the process! They do a 450watt version too now.
 
i was going togo for a zalmnon because of the heatpipe and overall performance, but just a little too pricey for my budget, i settled for a corsair hx450 in the end not enough for you, so maybe the hx650 - your current psu is probably near full load hence the high fan speed.
 
mymorph said:
i was going togo for a zalmnon because of the heatpipe and overall performance, but just a little too pricey for my budget, i settled for a corsair hx450 in the end not enough for you, so maybe the hx650 - your current psu is probably near full load hence the high fan speed.
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How can you possibly say that as he has'nt even listed his spec. The rig in my siggy plus a pair of Sata ll hdd's, sata dvdrw, 5x fans and a Zalman ZM-MFC2 multifunction controller only pull a max of 274w at the wall and that's when running Prime and Fur stability test both at the same time.
 
I highly recommend the Seasonic X 750.
You can't hear it even when stress testing it is completely silent.
I had to choose between the corsair hx850 and the X750
I definitely made the right choice.
The X 650 is slightly cheaper and also has great reviews.
 
pastymuncher said:
How can you possibly say that as he has'nt even listed his spec. The rig in my siggy plus a pair of Sata ll hdd's, sata dvdrw, 5x fans and a Zalman ZM-MFC2 multifunction controller only pull a max of 274w at the wall and that's when running Prime and Fur stability test both at the same time.
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just guessing as to why the fan was working hard to keep the thing cool - could be many things - dust build up, poor air flow through the case,fan could be on its way out, psu could be on its way out etc etc. its a solid unit by all accounts so unlikey to be anything else?

could very well be poor air flow, so a new psu might not make a difference
 
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I like the theory that the psu now has to get rid of the heat from the passive graphics card, so the inside of the case is getting hot and so the psu is hot and so runs its fan fast. Fits neatly.

This would make a fanless psu fatal though, as the box would just get steadily hotter until failure. We need more details of your computer before we can give any useful advice.
 
JonJ678 said:
I like the theory that the psu now has to get rid of the heat from the passive graphics card, so the inside of the case is getting hot and so the psu is hot and so runs its fan fast. Fits neatly.

This would make a fanless psu fatal though, as the box would just get steadily hotter until failure. We need more details of your computer before we can give any useful advice.
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Depends on the orientation of the PSU. I have a P182 so the PSU is at the bottom in its own chamber and isn't affected by the heat elsewhere.
 
JonJ678 said:
I like the theory that the psu now has to get rid of the heat from the passive graphics card, so the inside of the case is getting hot and so the psu is hot and so runs its fan fast. Fits neatly.

This would make a fanless psu fatal though, as the box would just get steadily hotter until failure. We need more details of your computer before we can give any useful advice.
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Most 'fanless' PSU's actually have a backup fan that only comes on if they get dangerously hot, so shouldnt be a problem tbh :)
 
Yeah, I should have listed more of my spec as now realised that this may have a factor.

The case is a Thermaltake DH101, one 120mm fan intake and one 120mm fan (psu) outtake. There is an option of installing 2 60mm rear case fans but considering the noise and limited airflow, I have not bothered with this (if I do I have to add a resistance cable to slow/quiet fans down). The psu is powering a SATA DVD drive, unlocked to four cores, but unclocked, AMD 405e, 2 Sata HDDS, Sapphire 4670 Ultimate, 120mm case fan, 100mm cpu fan.

I think the fan working harder is a combination of heat from the graphics card (my mobo idles at 42 degree C) and the psu working harder (therefore getting hotter?). The DVD player making a racket when in use, suggests there may be a power issue - it never was as loud before.

A fanless psu is not an option as I am limited by the small number of options for airflow configuration.
 
I doubt if your rig will even come close to pulling 200w so the psu is only at 50% load or more likely, less. I would say that it's the passive gpu that has increased the heat in the case so the psu has to get rid of it.
 
I'd agree with pastymuncher above.
Which direction is your cpu fan facing?

One thing to try is reverse the intake fan.

There is usually really poor air paths on htpc cases, but you're looks very open.
Maybe to open...
with vents on the top and sides, and the gpu fan removed - you could begetting a completely different airpath.
Is the pcb of the 4670 much bigger that the last card - might be acting like a baffle
 
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