Power v Noise

[bpm75]

Its my first HTPC build and Im trying to get it right first time (or close enough)!

First issue Ive run into is sound, Im using a Zalman HD160XT+ Case and replacing the stock fans with the 14db Silenx, also an acoustipack to reduce noise.

Using the online PSU calculator I have a value of 900W to achieve mainly because of my i7 940 chip and HD 4870 graphics card. So with silence being key and setting myself a challenge of not exceeding 25db, please help! (many more problems to come Im sure)

Thanks Barny

 

[cjl]

900W?

What kind of system specs are you running, because that sounds higher than you will actually need.

 

[bpm75]

Yeah I estimated about 600 total but the online calculator at extreme quoted the quad core i7 as needing upto 500W on its own at full load with another 200W for the graphics card and 200W for the rest!

 

[DiscoDuck]

Unless you are planning to game at 1080p, you have way too much horsepower for typical HTPC with 1080p playback. A $100 processor and a $60 video card can give excellent bluray/flash HD content without breaking a sweat.

 

[cjl]

500W? On its own? What garbage.

My entire system, 12GB of RAM, i7@4GHz, 3 HDDs, 4870x2, all at full load draws around 550-600W. That setup of yours should be fine on a good quality 550-600W, considering the lower overall requirements. If you really want, you could go up to something like a 750, but even that is more than really necessary. I recommend Corsair.

Look at JonnyGURU reviews too - they show noise level at a variety of power draws.

 

[bpm75]

I am runnning a 52" 1080P plasma off it and it has the 7" touchscreen to contend with in the case plus haupaugges hvr 4000 quad tuner as well, so it will be worked fairly heavily!

 

[cjl]

You aren't going to be running the plasma off the power supply though - that has a separate plug (which is quite good, as 52" plasma can draw a LOT of power). I still think a good quality 750 is the right region to be looking for this build.

 

[bpm75]

Ive set up another thread but as its a similar subject. If my biggest concern is noise levels am I better off sticking to a 750W psu that will occasionally run at full load or a 1000W power supply that will only hit 60-70%???

 

[cjl]

I would guess that the larger, lighter loaded one would be better in most cases. I doubt you'll ever hit even a 750W load though. More likely you'll run at 500W, tops.

 

[Kraynor]

Don't make multiple versions of the same thread with different wording please.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/259344-10-really-clever-stupid-technical-question <= the other one

 

[RetiredChief]

Cji, I dought he would hit 400W, with an Idle watching tv of approx 250 - 275W.

Me ----- His
E6400 @ 3.2 Gigs ---- i740 give the man 50 Watts for Quad (For a HTPC he does not need an OCed CPU.
4870 ----- 4870 give the man 15 Watts ( he probably 1 Gig mem, I have 512
4 HHD ---- ????
4 Gigs Ram ----- ?????
Blu-ray recorder ----
DVD-RW writer ----
Hauppauge HVR-1600 --- Hauppauge HVR-4000
Most I draw is 320 W running a 3 D application (320 + 65 = 385)
PSU calculators are good for ESTIMATING.

 

[croc]

Cji, I dought he would hit 400W, with an Idle watching tv of approx 250 - 275W.

PSU calculators are good for GUESSTIMATING.

Fixed it for you.... ;-)

 

[RetiredChief]

Thanks ye matey

 

[cjl]

True. I was being quite generous there.

 

[theAnimal]

Its my first HTPC build and Im trying to get it right first time (or close enough)!

First issue Ive run into is sound, Im using a Zalman HD160XT+ Case and replacing the stock fans with the 14db Silenx, also an acoustipack to reduce noise.

Using the online PSU calculator I have a value of 900W to achieve mainly because of my i7 940 chip and HD 4870 graphics card. So with silence being key and setting myself a challenge of not exceeding 25db, please help! (many more problems to come Im sure)

Thanks Barny

Silenx specs are grossly exaggerated.

i7 940 is not worth paying double over the i7 920, and both are completely unnecessary in a typical HTPC. As is an HD4870.

Check out silentpcreview.com for all your quiet computing recommendations and reviews.

 

[bpm75]

The problem Im finding with the silentpcreview site was the date of the overview articles. For instance the fan article was last update in March 2007! Some of the manufacturers Im looking at barely existed then. So its hard to get an overview comparison thats up to date. (which is why I found myself on toms hardware so much!)

 

[theAnimal]

I would guess that the article hasn't been updated because no fans have been released which are better than their current recommendations.

 

[cjl]

The quietest fans I have ever used are the Noctua fans. They are inaudible at pretty much all speeds.

 

[bpm75]

I was looking at the Noctua tower for my CPU cooler, with attached 92mm Noctua fan. 92mm is the largest I can fit in my case as Im restricted to 130mm total and once you add on the height of the heatpipes and heatsink its 92mm fan plus 30mm ish!