Power Supply Recommendation (quiet one)

[Dug]

Those are different model numbers with different designs.
The 120mm version has the fan sucking air up and goes out the back.

Get the Fortron with the 120mm fan built in. It is quieter then the 80mm version.

Is it worth it to get the Zalman? I don't think so. Like I said earlier, I have the 300w 120mm fan version running a very high end system. I have used the Fortron's in every system build I do and have never had a problem.

Nebor's comments are unjustified and he has no idea what he is talking about. I know its hard for him to believe that something inexpensive could be quality.

 

[Lyfer]

How long is the warranty on the Fortron PSU's? And how easy is there RMA process?

Antec has a pretty good 3 year warranty on there PSU's.

 

[beatle]

Originally posted by: CubicZirconia

Originally posted by: Blastman
Those Fortron 300w and 350w psu?s units at Newegg are the new psu units and have been redesigned. The fan has been moved from the back of the psu to the top. Installing them is no longer going to be a problem.

fortron old design psu

fortron new 300W

fortron new 350W

So it just vents the air back into the case? That doesn't sound like a great idea.

No. The PSU is upside down in those pictures. The fan is on the BOTTOM of the PSU drawing air straight up and then out of the grill in the back. Fortron is an excellent brand. I do not think it's worth it to get the Zalman. FWIW, the only reason I have the Antec in my main rig is because I didn't know about the Fortron when I bought it. It'd be too much of a hassle for me to uninstall the PSU and put the new one back in.

 

[Blastman]

That new Fortron is a pretty neat design. By moving the fan from the back to the bottom they could increase the size to a huge 120mm. The other side (opposite the psu/switch and vent) must be sealed -- unlike a normal psu, so the psu doesn?t need 2 fans to vent the case.

EDIT: Here's a review with a good picture (bottom of page) ...

link

Another review ...

http://www.ocprices.com/index.php?action=reviews&rev_id=157

 

[RalfHutter]

Here's the best place to find info on quiet PSUs:

Recommended Power Supplies from SilentPCReview.com

The forums are very informative too. Among other things, there's a gigantic thread just about the 120mm Fortron PSU in the PSU forums.

 

[NTB]

Another vote for the Fortron PSUs w/ the 120mm fans. I put one in my girlfriend's new PC this summer and it works beautifully. If I ever have to replace my PSU again - Bought a second Antec when my original went flaky on me and fried my MB; this was before I knew about the Fortrons - this, or a higher wattage one, would be it.

Nate

 

[Nebor]

Just ordered the Zalman 400w I've been eyeing for so long. $89.99... plus 2 Panaflo fans for $19. I'm on my way to a silent system.

 

[CubicZirconia]

Fortron it is. Thanks for the advice everyone, I appreciate it.

 

[Auric]

The 120mm fan ones are not new (although the silly blue lighted one is, and the 350W is more recent than the 300W) and the 80mm fan ones are not old in the sense they are being replaced. I suppose it is difficult to use common parts to make higher wattage PSU's with the bottom mount fan because of height restrictions. FSP/SPI made bottom mount 92mm designs years ago. Anyhoo, you can't go wrong with a FSP. More of your money goes into paying for the functional parts rather than marketing and bells and whistles.

 

[CubicZirconia]

Originally posted by: RalfHutter
Here's the best place to find info on quiet PSUs:

Recommended Power Supplies from SilentPCReview.com

The forums are very informative too. Among other things, there's a gigantic thread just about the 120mm Fortron PSU in the PSU forums.

Well I got around to looking at the list there. So tempting. I really want to just get the Fortron, but I also want this thing to be so quiet I basically can't hear it. Even still, It's hard to see spending 100 bucks on the unit they reccomend.

 

[Nebor]

http://www.colorcase.com/10695.html

If you believe that, it would smoke them all with only 14 dB. Sounds pretty unbelievable to me. Cheap too.

 

[Baronz]

regarding the 300watt fortron...would that be sufficient wattage for something like an XP3000, 3 harddrives and a 9800? Or is the 300 pushing it? Just wondering about future proofing it. The price difference between the 300w and 350watt is quite a bit (27$->55$)

Seems like the next highest PSU after the 300watt on newegg is the "Fortron FSP350-60PN 350W" at 36$ But it says it has a sleeve bearing fan, and mentions no quietness...so i doubt its as quiet as it should be

 

[Nebor]

I think 300w is plenty for the average user. But no one really knows for sure what they need, so we all end up with 1000w dual unit PSU structures.

 

[Baronz]

Just wondering as i know newer videocards state they need at least a 350 watt, and that many powersupplies output higher/lower than their rating.

My system is fine on an eagle 300w now, and its now low end by any means...this PSU is just a replacement for a fried one and was meant to be temporary, never got around to replacing it...this fortron looks pretty nice.

 

[JimRaynor]

Wow, looks neat. 120mm fan is a good idea. I bought this enermax "whiisper" model cause I wanted something quiet. It was a definite improvement over my generic ps but it wasn't quite the whisper I was expecting. I need to try out one of those fortrons.

 

[CubicZirconia]

Originally posted by: JimRaynor
Wow, looks neat. 120mm fan is a good idea. I bought this enermax "whiisper" model cause I wanted something quiet. It was a definite improvement over my generic ps but it wasn't quite the whisper I was expecting. I need to try out one of those fortrons.

I was pretty much set on a Fortron, but now I'm considering the units that Silent PC Review recommends. If you read their reviews it seems they really have their stuff together. There are so many choices it's hard to decide.

 

[BoomAM]

Antec TruePower. (either 330 or 420W).
Got one yesterday.
They fcuking rule. Amazing quiet compared to my old Chieftec PSU. And can automatically 7v your fans for you.

 

[PrinceXizor]

Originally posted by: CubicZirconia

Originally posted by: JimRaynor
Wow, looks neat. 120mm fan is a good idea. I bought this enermax "whiisper" model cause I wanted something quiet. It was a definite improvement over my generic ps but it wasn't quite the whisper I was expecting. I need to try out one of those fortrons.

I was pretty much set on a Fortron, but now I'm considering the units that Silent PC Review recommends. If you read their reviews it seems they really have their stuff together. There are so many choices it's hard to decide.

Yes, if you are looking for the ultimate silent PSU, I'd go with silentpcreview reccomendations. The nice thing about the Fortron is that its rock solid at all its rated voltages, is pretty quiet to boot, and is inexpensive. Its hard to reccommend anything other than Fortron unless you're looking for some specific feature or group of features (such as uber-quiet).

P-X

 

[buleyb]

I stuck a Fortron 350watt 120mm PSU in my P4 2.4GHz box I built a little while back, and its a bargain at $30ish. I was even one of the fooled people having to check my power LED to see if it was actually turned on. My real entertainment with it is when it turns on after already being warmed up, the fan is full speed, and steps down about every 5-10 seconds until it becomes quiet...

just my 2 cents...

oh, and I bought this over the Zalman, SilentX, and Antec PSUs.

 

[dalfollo]

I for one just have to say that I like how anandtech seems to answer my questions just before I post them...good info and links on the PSU upgrade which I am going through right now....

good to see there are very quiet alternatives to the current three year old PSU i am looking to replace...

I will put Fortron at the top of the list and see what I find...

 

[BoomAM]

Originally posted by: dalfollo
I for one just have to say that I like how anandtech seems to answer my questions just before I post them...good info and links on the PSU upgrade which I am going through right now....

One of the "lighter" sides of AT is that people tend to be very thorough with their answers.

 

[CubicZirconia]

Sorry to bring back a dead thread, but I'm finally at the point where I'm actually going to buy the new psu, and I want to make sure I know what I'm getting. Right now I have it down to these two units:

Newegg

As I understand it, the second unit (the $55 dollar one) is quieter and thus more expensive?

I realize this is a stupid question, I just like to make sure before I actually go through with buying anything.

 

[CubicZirconia]

anyone?

 

[Baronz]

Just ordered one of the fortrons, I got the FSP350-60PN 350W on newegg for 36$, The aurora appeared to be the same model with a manual adjustment + an LED fan. I'm pretty sure the fans are identical. People were saying that the quiet fortrons were the ones with that FSP350-60PN model name, so i'm assuming they're both equally as quiet, but you do get the manul adjustment on the aurora one.

I'd swing for the 55$ one if you could, i'm on a budget so i dont have alot to spend, that's why i got the 36$ one.

 

[CubicZirconia]

Originally posted by: Baronz
Just ordered one of the fortrons, I got the FSP350-60PN 350W on newegg for 36$, The aurora appeared to be the same model with a manual adjustment + an LED fan. I'm pretty sure the fans are identical. People were saying that the quiet fortrons were the ones with that FSP350-60PN model name, so i'm assuming they're both equally as quiet, but you do get the manul adjustment on the aurora one.

I'd swing for the 55$ one if you could, i'm on a budget so i dont have alot to spend, that's why i got the 36$ one.

Ok, thanks much. I'll just go for the $55 dollar one. I've already got the blue light thing going on in my pc-65 and it will be nice to be able to manually adjust it.