29 replies to this topic

[Laststop]

My friend wants to build a quiet but powerful computer. He already has a corsair 550d and wants to buy the power supply next. He is going to run all the components at stock, he has no need to overclock as everything will run perfectly fine at stock speeds so he does not need any extra head room of power for overclocking. He will have a 77 watt tdp ivy bridge processor which he will under volt as much as possible while keeping it 100% stable under 24 hour CPU stress tests. It will be cooled by one of the Zalman silent series coolers. Both removable panels will be kept on to keep noise from leaking out. 2x 120mm fans in front, 1x140mm fan on bottom and, 1x 140mm fan on rear. For graphics he will run 1 triple slot ASUS DCU GTX 680 since the triple slot gpu's are the quietest and since the gtx 680 only uses the same amount of power as the gtx 560 ti. He will use 1x 3TB 5400 RPM drive and 1x 128GB SSD for storage and a DVD-RW optical drive. That's all the components that will use power.

I told him the Seasonic X-460 should be more than enough power and most marketing nowadays over exaggerates the amount of power you need. With under volt IVB proc (even without the under volt) + power efficient GTX 680 both running at stock speed, 4 fans, cpu cooler, 1 5400 rpm drive and 1 ssd, and the power the mobo uses I doubt the system will even use over 300 watts at full CPU+GPU load. Just want to confirm with some more people that the x-460 can handle this system no problem with power to spare. Remember this system will be ran at complete stock never overclocked and remember ivy bridge is only 77 watt tdp 18 watt less than sandy bridge and it's known to use less power than sandy bridge, this is evident due to the weaker vrm's on a lot of IVB mobo's due to less power needed.

He wants to get the 500 watt kingwin fanless psu just to be sure but I think the Seasonic 460 is more than enough. Anyone that could weigh in would be appreciated. I also feel that the x-460 is just a higher quality psu and is for sure the best choice for this silent gaming pc

Edited by Laststop, 13 April 2012 - 10:35 PM.

[Stonerboy779]

I would suggest against a fanless PSU and there are plenty of other options for PSUs too.

I understand he wants a silent or close to build but seriously you never hear good PUSs and there is no reason to spend premium on fanless.

On my mobile hard to look but if I where you I would get this.
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817256071

[Stonerboy779]

Also he may want to invest in new case fans if he want noise down. I remember not if that case has a window but I would say noctura fans rubber mounts and lna/ulna adapters.

And with the dc-II cooling if the cooler works anything like the one on my 560s you could run it at 30% manually on cold days 40% normally and 50% on days up around 35C ambient without issues.

[vandreadstriker]

I also would suggest to stay away from fanless PSU. They are meant for well ventilated case and the 550D, with all the dampening foam, isn't.
Get the PSU Stonerboy mentioned or other PSU like the Seasonic S12II/M12II or Corsair TXV2. These units are really quite.
You could also get something with a Hybrid fan system like those on Seasonic X series which spins only when the unit hits a certain temperatures.

Another alternative is to mod the PSU and change the fans with Noctua fans like what Stonerboy did

EDIT:
BTW, if I'm not mistaken, it's still recommend to get 500w PSU for a single 680.
Also, you can tell your friend that he could get a MSI GTX680 TwinFrozr III now instead of waiting for the DCII. The TFIII coolers are just as quite as the DCII and performs just as well.

Edited by vandreadstriker, 14 April 2012 - 01:59 AM.

[Stonerboy779]

Do not do what I did

I am pretty big on not following my own advice however voiding warranties on brand new products aint for the faint hearted.

It's not just the seasonic PSUs my Silverstone and corsair PUSs shut the fans off till a temp threshold is reached and I have never had them ramp up to audiable levels provided you don't have your ear on the PSU

[vandreadstriker]

Do not do what I did

I am pretty big on not following my own advice however voiding warranties on brand new products aint for the faint hearted.

Makes me wonder what would you do when there's a large 'Do Not Open' sign

[Hyper]

Makes me wonder what would you do when there's a large 'Do Not Open' sign

it said open at the end... short term memory

[Il_napoletano]

Makes me wonder what would you do when there's a large 'Do Not Open' sign

he ignores negativity...
all words like...no, don't, not...get skipped

[Stonerboy779]

Makes me wonder what would you do when there's a large 'Do Not Open' sign

It depends did I put the sign there?
If yes I will probably not even notice it even if I made the sign 3m wide 1m high and out of flashing neons
If it's someone else's sign I probably won't go in unless the area represents a short cut or something of mine is in there.

[Laststop]

I didn't think about the lower airflow in silent case affecting the fanless psu. He will eventually get all high quality fans but that's something extra he can add on later he doesn't need those to get the system working. Modding the PSU to a different fan seems a little too hardcore for this situation.

So it seems the seasonic x650 is basically the same price as the fanless 460 and I like how when you aren't doing any hard work on the pc the fan shuts off. Couple questions.

Is it worth it to pay an extra 10 dollars for an x750 over an x650? Basically is the extra 100 watts a good bargain for 10 more dollars?
When you install the psu on the bottom of case are you supposed to install it upside down so the psu gets cold air directly from outside case? Or are you supposed to install fan side up so it helps exhaust air from inside the case out?

Also if you could recommend the quietest 120mm fans regardless of price and the quietest 140mm fans regardless of price? The front accepts 2x 120mm the bottom has 2 fan cutouts one for the psu to sit on and another next to it that is 140mm and can intake cold air and blow it straight to the gpu and the rear exhaust takes 140mm. There is dual 140 on the top on side but those panels are staying on because they have acoustic dampening and don't want sound leaking out top or side.

Edited by Laststop, 14 April 2012 - 06:27 PM.

[Stonerboy779]

$10 more for a 100watts I would say worth it but seasonic isn't the only good PSU brand. Isn't the only PSU to shut it's fan off when not in use.