Which fanless PSU would you recommend?

Discussion in 'Power Supplies and UPS's' started by eurosong, Oct 13, 2010.

  1. eurosong

    eurosong Geek Trainee

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    Hi guys,

    I'm looking for a good fanless PSU, and I have narrowed it down to two choices:

    Seasonic 460W X-460FL, or;
    NorthQ Pacific II 500W NQ-4350GP-FL

    The Seasonic one has genreally good reviews: there isn't much to read about the NorthQ one. The NorthQ PSU is "virtually fanless" - meaning, it does have a fan which only kicks in when the temperature exceeds a certain point. The Seasonic one is totally fanless.

    The NorthQ is much cheaper than the Seasonic, so I'm tempted by it - but I thought I'd post this question here just to get some advice first. Any thoughts?
     
  2. Ghostman 1

    Ghostman 1 Mega Geek

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    May I ask why you would want a fanless power supply ?? Why not just buy a good brand one with a fan ..You know if that thing EVER gets hot, it will just catch fire right..
     
  3. edijs

    edijs Programmer

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    I would take the 500W one. More power, quiet, but still has that backup kind of fan. I would take the 460W only if I had a very good ventilated case and if the PSU position would be at the bottom of the case (cause of hot air raising up - all the fans could suck it out).
     
  4. Ghostman 1

    Ghostman 1 Mega Geek

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    Are you going to be running any other fans in this case ? Rear or side ?
     
  5. eurosong

    eurosong Geek Trainee

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    Ghostman 1: I want a fanless PSU because I'm sick of the inevitable buzzing noise which is created by fans when they get dust in their bearings. My computer is in my bedroom, and it runs 24/7. In the past I have had PSUs with fans, which are fine at first - but then when they're about a year old the fans start vibrating and buzzing. Because the computer's in my bedroom, on all night, that makes it unacceptable.

    I bought a good Thermaltake 350W fanless PSU a few years ago - but now I need to upgrade it to a higher power one.

    Regarding other fans in the case: yes, I have a large fan at the front air intake which passes over my hard drives, and provides airflow through the case. Not much, but enough. My CPU is cooled by a large heatsink and fan. These are high-quality components and do not buzz.

    I am not into overclocking or extreme gaming.

    I'm also thinking more about the 500W fanned one - but I just wanted to know if anyone had actually tried the models I quoted, and was therefore in a position to give a personal review.
     
  6. Ghostman 1

    Ghostman 1 Mega Geek

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    you can get a power supply with a fan that does not make almost any noise.. you just have to buy a top brand name one and check the rating on it, It should be at least 80%..
    The one I have , I have had for 4 years and there is still almost NO noise..
     

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