Recommendations on QUIET PSU's?

[blue_wister]

Hi everyone, I was thinking a Zalman for a new PSU, around 5-600w. Really quiet, most are under 20db. Are there any other brands I should be considering for quiet PSU's? Some of these other companies claim their PSU's are "quiet" at 33db...I don't consider that quiet.

Thanks!

 

[Maziar]

Hello and welcome to the forums mate
well how much do u want to pay ?

 

[o1die]

I see a 500w coolmax at newegg for $30 after rebate with 3 speed adjustable fan. Sadly, many ps have done away with this feature and rely on a thermastat that plugs into the motherboard. Avoid the fanless ps; they may overheat and die. Think of it this way: one fan or another has to remove the warm air, even on water cooled systems. Only the most expensive setups with huge radiators might get by without a fan.

 

[blue_wister]

Thanks for the welcome Maziar. Sorry, should have indicated a budget. The 600w Zalman is around $150, so I'd want something less than that otherwise I'll stick with Zalman since I've been very happy with their stuff. $80 to $100 would be good, if that's possible for an ultra-quiet psu, min 500w power. If I can get something quiet and reliable for less than that, bonus!

O1die, thanks for the heads up on the fanless. Just read about that yesterday in the Tom's article on psu's and that totally makes sense.

 

[Maziar]

For that $, definitely go for OCZ STEALTHXSTREAM 600W OR GAMEXSTREAM 700

 

[Newf]

Hi everyone, I was thinking a Zalman for a new PSU, around 5-600w. Really quiet, most are under 20db. Are there any other brands I should be considering for quiet PSU's? Some of these other companies claim their PSU's are "quiet" at 33db...I don't consider that quiet.

Thanks!

Consider a Corsair CMPSU-520H.
SilentPCReview.com rates it very favorably for both quality and quietness.
It's built by Seasonic, is modular, powerful and reasonably priced.

 

[nukemaster]

My question is, what are you powering?

Antec's earthwatts units(also made my seasonic and very efficient) are quiet under medium loads.

Zalman's current quiet units are made by FSP

 

[winkgood]

I'm using a Corsair PSU as well. The model number is Corsair MPSU-620HX. Its the best power supply I've ever owned. Need SLI with high end graphics? No problem. This has enough juice to support a pair of 8800's. The modular feature is nice too as I keep my case clutter free to improve the airflow. Oh.. forgot to mention. Its very quiet too (on its own), though with the hsf fan, the vga cooler, 4 120mm fans and one 200mm fan, my case is far from silent.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139002