am i obsessing about pc noise?

[Marc]

I can't help but think my pc is too loud, but in the past i've bought a 'silent' Xilence 700w psu and a 'sound deadening' Antec P182 case yet i can still hear it. Sure it's much quieter than any pc i've had before but it's still there audibly blowing air.

I opened her up yesterday and stopped the case fans for a moment and although that did make it a bit quieter, most of the noise is definitely from the PSU, so i've been thinking about getting a new one.

My question is, what is the normal db level for a so called "silent" psu? I tested my pc with a spl program on my phone just now, and ambient noise right behind the case is 29-30db, and with the pc on it's around 44-45db so the pc is only producing around 15db of noise. Am i expecting too much to have it produce less noise than that?

I've seen the specs on a few hybrid psu's and they seem to kick in their fans after a couple of hundred watts after which point they're much louder than what i already have, and i'm not entirely trusting of a fanless psu as i know the likelihood of it blowing other components if it dies.

Thanks

Marc

 

[namuk]

Any quality Psu you should hardly hear the Psu fan, unless there is an issue with the Psu you have i.e running hot, My last DXX Enermax was near silent even under load , a case fan was louder but this 850HX corsair is a few DB's quieter than the DXX on idle.

the Psu fan should be the quietest fan in the system,


Good site for Psu reveiws
JonnyGURU.com - Seasonic SS-300TFX 300W Review

 

[Jeroen1000]

Although not a rule of thumb, the PSU with the highest efficiency rating can potentially be the quietest. There are now PSU's that do not let the fan spin when the load is below 300w.

And I think many PSU sound review are worthless. I bought an Enermax Modu 87 (or was it 88) plus because it was touted to be ultra quiet. I can clearly hear its fan I dare tell. It's like a whispering noise that clear comes from the bearing. Arrgh!

[Computex10] Enermax mikt op 80 Plus Platinum | Hardware.Info België

The above manufacturer has 80 + platinum PSU's now. A step better than 80+ gold.

 

[Marc]

this is always the problem isn't it, one person's quiet is another person's loud. I think i would definitely need to get a hybrid one that doesn't have the fan kick in till about 400w as i believe my pc uses about 300-350 on full load. I wonder if it means that that the higher the capacity of the psu, the less likely the fan would be to kick in.. so if i bought a 400w because i only use 350w, that psu would be running at close to maximum and would get hotter, so the fan would kick in, but if i bought a 1000w, it'd only be running at about 1/3 capacity so perhaps it'd stay cooler and therefore leave the fan off..

 

[HockeyFan]

I guess so, but my Coolermaster silent pro is nice and quiet. That's compared to all the generic ones i've had plus an OCZ which was just bloody awful.

My coolermaster is an 850W by the way.

You will never get a "silent" PC.

My machine is for games, so I will always have some noise cooling the thing down.

 

[vsmora]

The trouble with hybrids is that unless you are certain that your system is not going to engage the fan under normal use, then you end up with fan cycling. The change in noise when it kicks in and turns off may be more distracting than having a continuous fan that is almost silent. A great many laptops exhibit this.

There's no point buying a massively overpowered PSU. As Joroen mentioned, efficiency is very important to noise. All the heat that a PSU generates comes from wasted energy i.e. a mythical PSU supplying 300W whilst drawing 300W from the wall would not need cooling as its 100% efficiency would mean there were no wasted Watts to manifest as heat. At 80% efficiency you now have the equivalent of a 60W bulb to keep cool. PSUs are most efficient when supplying between 40-60% approx of max capability so a 550W sounds like a good match for you.

Don't forget that the PSU fan will also depend on how much heat your system generates, the airflow inside and outside the case and the ambient temp i.e. if you have a hot system and room, then a hybrid fan might have to spin fast at just 150W output. 350W is actually extremely high for a modern PC unless you have a high-end GPU sucking 200W+ on its own. If you're not sure then it's worth getting a cheapo plugin energy tester. If you really are using that much, I reckon you'd get better results by first swapping the main components for quieter and more efficient ones and at that point you could look at getting a better matched quiet PSU.

SPCR have excellent reviews with reliable measurements so you're not at the mercy of reviewers' subjective hearing. But to answer your thread title, yes you are obsessing (SPCR will only fuel your neurosis ).

 

[Marc]

350W is actually extremely high for a modern PC unless you have a high-end GPU sucking 200W+ on its own. If you're not sure then it's worth getting a cheapo plugin energy tester. If you really are using that much.

I do have an energy monitor and I actually i just checked again and it's using around 100-120w give or take. No idea where i got 350w from.. When gaming it goes up by about 80w.

pc temp is 36 degrees Celcius at the moment which isn't bad. Probably would use less power and be even cooler if i wasn't overclocking it by 25%

 

[vsmora]

So I reckon you would do well to get a lower power PSU, say 400W.
110W load from your Xilence 700 = 33W wasted as heat (@70% eff est).
Nexus Value 430 = 21W wasted as heat @ 81% eff, plus it has a pretty quiet fan

I have a Corsair HX520 in one of my PCs (100W idle/200W maxed) and cannot hear it over the HDDs (mix of quiet and regular drives).

When comparing noise specs remember that db levels cannot be added and subtracted directly as per your OP e.g. if you lined up 10 of your "15db" PCs it would not sound as loud as a 150db jet engine. If it does then you need more than a new PSU .

 

[Marc]

ok, have i understood you correctly? so if i'm seeing say 200w being used by my pc at full load on the energy monitor then the pc is only using the efficiency rated amount of that, so [email protected]% and the other 60w are what is heating up the psu? So my best bet would be to look at the peak efficiency charts of some psu's and get one which is using around 200w at peak efficiency, whatever that ends up being as load percentage for that particular psu, and one that the fan doesn't kick in until it gets to a load percentage higher than the one required by my pc?

 

[namuk]

A Psu makes heat , so you will always have a fan running, even on idle due to heat generated, what makes a good Psu is that it can deal with this situation even temps from system which make no difference to the psu fan i.e adds to air flow, if you get a Quality one that is.

you never rated your spec , but this for money is a very good Psu Scan.co.uk: 750W Corsair CMPSU-750HXUK, SLi, ATX, EPS12V, Modular, UK Version - 7 Year Warranty

if you think this is loud then Superman needs a partner, or just go watercooled Psu.

 

[Jeroen1000]

This quietest one I have is an Antec Earthwatts. Yes it has an 80mm fan but at least it's not meshed at the back.
There is yet another issue: sample variation. I chose my Enermax with help from SPCR. As I said, it does not produce a whinning sound, nor a blower sound, but just a whispering sound. It can clearly be heard because all my other fans are perfectly quiet (I have to put my ear next to them to hear them, now that IS quiet!). So I may just have a bad sample, who knows.

Your best bet is a highly efficient PSU and just do some research until you settle on one. I don't know what your system is made out of, but usually I go for a 500W model for a standard computer like:

- AMD Athlon X4
- 2 x 2 GB RAM
- 1 HDD or 2 HDD
- 2 case fans
- integrated GPU (although a modest external GPU is also ok)
- 2 optical drives

A future proof PSU is a good idea if you intend to upgrade!

 

[vsmora]

ok, have i understood you correctly? so if i'm seeing say 200w being used by my pc at full load on the energy monitor then the pc is only using the efficiency rated amount of that, so [email protected]% and the other 60w are what is heating up the psu? So my best bet would be to look at the peak efficiency charts of some psu's and get one which is using around 200w at peak efficiency, whatever that ends up being as load percentage for that particular psu, and one that the fan doesn't kick in until it gets to a load percentage higher than the one required by my pc?

Almost. A 91% efficient PSU would need to be loaded to 182W to reach the same 200W draw. PSUs are rated on their output load not their power draw, so you want one that is very efficient at 140W load (if that is where your PC spends most of its time running).

For brands, I suggest Corsair. Many of their HX range are rebranded Seasonic units which are excellent quality. Their warranty is also fairly generous in that if you suspect you have a bad sample, they are normally happy to swapout without making you jump through hoops (see their own forum for examples).

As for future proofing, it is true that a good PSU should last for many years across a few builds. However, for a long time the trend was to have higher headline figures which most would equate to meaning better. This was also fuelled by people's experience with cheap PSUs that were often unstable at half of their ridiculously rated output. As long as you stick to good brands that can genuinely meet their specs, then excessive power ratings are unnecessary. Now that efficiency and the environment have finally made the agenda, typical TDPs of CPUs have been heading down for several years, plus additional options are now available for choosing very low power (i.e. easy to cool quietly) components. It seems to me that we'll need less PSU capacity in future rather than more. The lifespan of a lightly loaded vs heavily loaded PSU also seems moot when you can get a 7yr warranty. I think 500W for the spec Joreon mentioned is a waste, not just upfront purchase but ongoing per year.

 

[Tempest]

Do what I have done on one of my machines

PC in one room. Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Printer, Scanner etc in room next door.

All you need is a long DVI cable, a long USB lead (to a hub where you sit) and a long speaker cable and job done.

Total silence where you are sitting

 

[jellybeard999]

If you're comfortable doing it, replace the fan? I've often done it on noisy PSUs and they've all been OK - so long as it's a quality PSU in the first place, with beefy heatsinks and quality components.

 

[Jeroen1000]

You could try jellybeard's suggestion but watch out for electric shocks! also not every PSU's fan can be changed as some use a proprietary controller (like Enermax)! Do your homework first

 

[jellybeard999]

You could try jellybeard's suggestion but watch out for electric shocks! also not every PSU's fan can be changed as some use a proprietary controller (like Enermax)! Do your homework first

If that's the case, remove the propreitary fan and solder the PSU connector to the new fan.

 

[klamb]

Is there anything else that adds to the noise level - I just picked up a Sapphire 5670 HD Ultimate (passive cooling) and it's made the world of difference.

 

[Theydon Bois]

I would not advise anyone to replace the fan on a PSU, not even a skilled engineer. If the PSU is really noisy, replace the whole thing - DO NOT open it up.

The noisest thing inside a PC is normally the OEM heatsink then the Graphics card, then internal fans then PSU.

 

[GrahamC]

You can buy fanless PSUs, better that tinkering if unsure.

 

[GLP1]

and i'm not entirely trusting of a fanless psu as i know the likelihood of it blowing other components if it dies.

Thanks

Marc

Having run one HTPC 24/7 for five years in a draw space completely fanless. I find your premise to be a bit OTT.

A Fanless PSU is the way to go if your are concerned about noise, providing you current system needs less than 450W

Seasonic are just about to Launch the Modular Fanless X-400 & X-460

Have a look at these Reviews

Seasonic X-400 Fanless PSU | silentpcreview.com

and

Fanless PSU Torture Test Roundup | silentpcreview.com

Gavin

 

[Sniper Ash6]

I would not advise anyone to replace the fan on a PSU, not even a skilled engineer. If the PSU is really noisy, replace the whole thing - DO NOT open it up.

The noisest thing inside a PC is normally the OEM heatsink then the Graphics card, then internal fans then PSU.

Agreed. It's just not worth it

 

[Chimeradoug]

Enermax PSU is a good way to go.. I would get rid of the P182 and go for a Fractal Design case.. So much quieter!

 

[johnjoedb]

just get a 20 £ load of sockets and put your pc somewere else or 100£ wirelless screen audio transmeter put your pc in the shed optimal cooling and dont think y'ould hear it an extreme silent pc for under 100£