Low power (150w) PSUs for ATX PC (ASUS N4L-VM DH)

mark.carline

Prominent Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2004
Messages
2,132
Reaction score
121
Points
617
Location
Chester, Cheshire
After my disasterous attempt to try and find a decent fanless PSU for my new ASUS board (see "Fanless 300/350w PSU with High Efficiency" thred) I thought I would think about getting a PSU thats just speced for this system:

- ASUS N4L-VM DH - 70w
- Core 2 Duo Merom T7200 (ES) - 30w
- Hauppauge NOVA-T-500 (PCI Card) - 10w
- Microsoft USB IR MCE Receiver - 1-2w
- Maxtor SATAII 300Gb drive - 7w

I have done a bit of research I think that the power usage of the above in total is around the 120w mark at full power use (above values are my guesses and would be intersted to know what people think).

It also says here the following:

...a 150W power supply would suffice if you use the integrated graphics core...

This guy here has also managed to run one of these same ASUS boards on a low(ish) power PSU that uses the DC-DC technology.

I have managed to find the following PSUs which I think will work:

mCubed HFX Mini External PSU 165W
http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_1305.html

Morex 150W PSU and DC-DC Converter Kit
http://www.mini-itx.com/store/?c=10#p1822
http://www.aone.co.uk/ProdInfo.ASP?ProductID=196
http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_1759.html
http://www.morex.com.tw/download/files/28/150W%20D2D%20Specification-Rev.1.0.pdf

150W ATX Power Supply Set (internal fan)
http://linitx.com/product_info.php?cPath=24_54&products_id=427

Any comment on what these are like or wheres the cheapest place to get one ?
Do the power supply "bricks" get hot or make alot of noise ?
 
with psu having 'over wattage' is ok - they wont convert 500w if you dont need it - where as under wattage is dire.

Efficiency is more important if you are considering power consumpton.

Some power bricks will have a nasty little fan in them and the ones that dont will get warm at the very least (probably hot). That said I think some of them are very effiecent.

I would recommended a seasonic 300w with a 120mm fan but if that is to much (noise) then a 250/ 300 fanless one. One of the pcs in the office is using a:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=137420

its just cheaper than the ones you listed and will have power to spare (never a bad thing).

In my experience it does not pay to sail to close to the wind with regards power requirements.

I contacted mini-itx about their cases etc and they were doubtful about their external power supply's ability to give enough power but I was thinking about having a 6600gt gpu and i know you are running the onboard intel one...
 
Mark

Have you considered keeping the the PSU and changing your Case?

Gavin
 
GLP1 said:
Mark

Have you considered keeping the the PSU and changing your Case?

Gavin

Yes but no matter what case I get I really dont like the idea of having a PSU that gets that hot. I am sure its going to be ok but as I am leaving it on 24x7 I dont want to take any chances.
 
I would seriously take a look at the hFX case, my setup is on 24/7 and has been on since last Oct when I built it, without any heat issues.

The power supply is Artic Silvered to one of the four 3.5kg heatsinks and bolted to the bottom of the chasis it is slightly warmer than my hands in summer and cooler than my hands in the winter. I also cool my X800GTO2 graphics card and the Intel mobile M745 CPU using borg coolers and heatpipes to another 2 heatsinks.

I Know it is expensive but not all Cases are made equal

Gavin
 
hi mark,

i have just your other thread and smiled! I should have read it before posting in here! I guess you know you have had the best passive PSU u can buy...

I said earlier that a fanless psu is not a real solution - in the end they just heat up the case and cause problems. A decent PSU with a good 120mm fan (temp controlled) is the way to go - i have moded psu's with my own panaflo fans.... I have tried to build systems in BIG cases with lots of convection to cool the inside but it doesn't work. I nearly bought one of those expensive heatsink cases but decided against it as I want some graphics power and modern day gpu's draw to much current.

I must admit that with your onbaord gpu etc I would be temped by one of those cases but its alot of cash and you cant get away from the fact that some heat is generated and needs to be managed.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom