Need a new silent, reliable PSU for studio rig

starbasecomputertech · 12-27-2009, 02:13 PM

heyy. ok, so I'm running this as my current rig:

Asus P5N-D Mobo
Intel P4 540 @ 3.2GHz, stock speeds, stock fan,
2x 1GB Corsiar XMS DDR2-800 RAM, high performance, with the heatsinks,
ATI Radeon X1050 - 128MB RAM, driving dual 1600x1200 monitors,
1TB Seagate, 80GB WD, 30GB IDE
4 DVD drives, 1 IDE, 2 SATA, one USB
12 USB ports, using 9 of them, two firewire ports

within the very near future I will be adding:
another 2GB of RAM, totaling 4GB in 1GB sticks
a Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 (Finally, but the one I was gonna get they didnt have anymore)
another 1TB harddrive

soo, considering everything is already running on a no name brand PSU, thats 350W.. I'm surprised I havent crashed anything yet, lol I'm guessing I should prolly get about a 650W or so PSU, with all the connnectors and power to handle everything current, then the upgrades, and a decent level GPU soon.

any suggestions for PSUs? I know Seasonic, LianLi, Corsair, PC P&C, etc make good ones.. but theres to many choices. looking for something with a near silent fan, cause I dont like loud 80mm fans, etc.

thanks guys, for all your help, and making my life a little easier, lol L8R

**Grez** · 12-28-2009, 08:22 PM

There is a nice Zalman one on Xox...

department76 · 12-28-2009, 08:58 PM

the brands you listed are good, also add ocz (owns pc power & cooling), enermax, and zalman to the list

lots of usb devices *could* stress the 5v rail significantly, but if you're using a powered usb hub then there's nothing to worry aobut.

use this psu calculator, and size your own cpu for your present/future needs. oversize by your own discretion form what the calc says you need, and stick with a good name brand and you'll have nothing to worry about.

edit: to factor in silence, chosing a higher efficiency psu will reduce the amount of heat the psu puts out. i.e., a 700w 85% efficient psu will put out much less heat than a 80% efficient 700w one. also make sure you are looking at constant load power ratings and not peak load ratings. i have seen some pcp&c psu's that are still really quiet that still use two 80mm fans, so don't discriminate too much. so many psu's do use 120mm fans anyways that it probably shouldnt be much of an issue for you.

Zenshi · 12-28-2009, 09:19 PM

I don't know if the Lian Li PSUs are that good.

The others you list, (Seasonic, Corsair and PCP&C) are good, as is the Enermax that department76 mentiones. Seasonic's new X series seem to be the gold standard PSU now (only gold rated 80 plus efficiency PSU I know). Their S12D and M12D series are still very good PSUs as well. Corsair of course has their HX series, which always gets high marks. PCP&C PSUs are getting a bit dated but still pretty nice. Enermax has their Revolution series which prior to Seasonic's X series was the gold standard. Antec has their Signature series but is quite expensive. Their Earthwatts is still one of the best value PSUs around. BFG's EX series is also very good. A newcomer to the PSU scene is XFX. It is basically a Seasonic M12D but comes in a funky green color.

furball zen · 12-28-2009, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grez

There is a nice Zalman one on Xox...

http://www.xoxide.com/quiet-power-supplies.html

Although i have to say that the 2 Thermaltake 430W and Antec TruPower 850 Quattro i have are REALLY silent. The TT's have dual 80mm and Antec has a single 80mm.

DarthBeavis · 12-29-2009, 08:47 PM

I would not trust online PSU calclulators.

starbasecomputertech · 12-29-2009, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grez

There is a nice Zalman one on Xox...

Yeah, thanks grez :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by department76

the brands you listed are good, also add ocz (owns pc power & cooling), enermax, and zalman to the list

ok, kewl thanks, I didnt know that OCZ owned PC P&C. yeah, I forgot to add Zalman.. I'm looking at a 850W Heatpipe cooled silent PSU from Zalman on newegg. looks pretty tight :)

Quote:

lots of usb devices *could* stress the 5v rail significantly, but if you're using a powered usb hub then there's nothing to worry aobut.

Yeah, using both, all the audio devices plug straight into the mobo, USB and firewire, keyboard and mouse on front, and then all other things like camera, printers, etc are on a 4 port powered hub

Quote:

use this psu calculator, and size your own cpu for your present/future needs. oversize by your own discretion form what the calc says you need, and stick with a good name brand and you'll have nothing to worry about.

ok.. well taht game me 843W at 100% load.. so I'm thinking that since I would have the money, to go with the 850W heatpipe zalman

Quote:

edit: to factor in silence, chosing a higher efficiency psu will reduce the amount of heat the psu puts out. i.e., a 700w 85% efficient psu will put out much less heat than a 80% efficient 700w one. also make sure you are looking at constant load power ratings and not peak load ratings. i have seen some pcp&c psu's that are still really quiet that still use two 80mm fans, so don't discriminate too much. so many psu's do use 120mm fans anyways that it probably shouldnt be much of an issue for you.

+rep for this info :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zenshi

I don't know if the Lian Li PSUs are that good.

The others you list, (Seasonic, Corsair and PCP&C) are good, as is the Enermax that department76 mentiones. Seasonic's new X series seem to be the gold standard PSU now (only gold rated 80 plus efficiency PSU I know). Their S12D and M12D series are still very good PSUs as well. Corsair of course has their HX series, which always gets high marks. PCP&C PSUs are getting a bit dated but still pretty nice. Enermax has their Revolution series which prior to Seasonic's X series was the gold standard. Antec has their Signature series but is quite expensive. Their Earthwatts is still one of the best value PSUs around. BFG's EX series is also very good. A newcomer to the PSU scene is XFX. It is basically a Seasonic M12D but comes in a funky green color.

Yeah, I love antec stuff, but there wayyy over priced. Saw the XFX PSUs.. really cool looking

OK, well.. after reading all this, I think I'm gonna keep going a little more, with looking at other brands, and get 3 final picks, and get ya'll to tell me wat u think, and that will decide it :)

rahl07 · 12-30-2009, 08:54 AM

I've actually been very happy with a Thermaltake (collective gasp!) Black widow. It's modular, 850W, and has 1x 140mm fan. it is silent, for all practical purposes; the thing that sold me was the 5-year warranty. that's a hell of a warranty on ANY computer part, imo. still using the same old video cards, both suck a lot of power. Testing has verified that it remains inside Grez's "5% or die" rule.

department76 · 01-02-2010, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarthBeavis

I would not trust online PSU calclulators.

eh, i do. the one i linked says i need 514W at full load with my exact system specs and overclock in addition to 10% capacitor aging (my psu is 2 years old). i just verfied with my kill-a-watt, which shows i'm running around 520W while running OCCT's stress tester. that's pretty damn accurate of a guess from an online calculator.