# Power supply for FD Node 304



## notb (Apr 14, 2017)

I'm getting a new PC for productivity tasks and general home use (maybe some occasional gaming...). I've analyzed a few options, but finally went for a Mini ITX system in Node 304 - something I've dreamed about ever since I've read a review of this case (sadly, not on TPU ).

I can't decide on the power supply. I'm very used to the silence of my be quiet! Pure Power L7, but modern modular ones are too long (Pure Power 10 400W is 160mm).
I'm thinking about a Corsair CX450M (140mm!), but what about noise? I haven't found any remotely reliable tests...

The lineup is fairly basic, so I don't need a lot of power, but I need low noise and stability.
Can you suggest a decent 350-450W power supply?

*mobo*: ASrock H270M-ITX/ac,
*CPU*: i7-7700
*RAM*: Corsair Vengeance LPX 2400 2x8GB
*GPU*: Not decided yet, but max $250, so possibly a 1060. I might wait for the next NVIDIA generation
*Disks*: 1xSSD + 4xHDD


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## Caring1 (Apr 15, 2017)

Have you considered a fanless PSU?
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=481&area=en


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## notb (Apr 15, 2017)

Caring1 said:


> Have you considered a fanless PSU?
> http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=481&area=en



The rest of the PC is not passively cooled, so I don't see much sense in paying a huge premium for a fanless PSU. There is a decent choice of some very quiet models for less then 1/2 of the price.
And - again - it's too long. 160mm and modular => conflict with most GPU cards in a Node 304.

The Corsair is just perfect in many ways: size, price, power. But I finally found some tests and the noise levels are not acceptable. I'll have to find something else.
https://uk.hardware.info/reviews/6981/11/corsair-cx450m-review-decent-budget-power-supply-n
https://uk.hardware.info/reviews/6813/9/56-power-supplies-of-350-550-watt-review-noise-levels

I guess I simply want another be quiet!...
Maybe I'll just sacrifice modular cables. And then... maybe I can just use my old Pure Power . I'll only lose the CPU power-saving modes.


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## TheoneandonlyMrK (Apr 15, 2017)

Why not just get a bigger oomph PSU ,say 650 watts , you would be running within 20-50% of its max power range, not ideally it's most efficient , but it then won't be driving it's cooling system as hard , works for me i run at 50-70% of an ax1200 because it's on for life running flat out in the corner of my bedroom so for me has to stay reasonably quiet.


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## jboydgolfer (Apr 15, 2017)

notb said:


> but I need low noise and stability.



 Aside from a single unit ,I can't remember a power supply that I've ever purchased that you really can hear without sticking your ear against it.

  I always try to buy well known good quality brands that use proper OEM units. The EVGA G2's are great( which I've run out of the PC to prime a water cooling system and I couldn't hear anything from it). I have a couple NZXT 550's  that are near silent too. If nothing else in the PC is going to be passive I can't see you ever hearing sound from it, unless you go with a low-end brand of course.

 Also regarding your question about the CX 450 from corsair. Ive owned a couple CX series(600's though& before they had a modular option, back when modular psu's werent very common) ,The most recent of which I'm still running in my nephews PC currently. It's not the quietest but it is fairly quiet. And as far as any quality questions I bought it in 2011I believe,  or whenever Sandy Bridge was originally released.  I remember because my local Micro Center is where I got my 2500k,and I bought this power supply at that release sale .it's never disappointed or let me down.One thing to note they may have changed OEM in the last several years


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## sneekypeet (Apr 15, 2017)

I was able to get a Silverstone Strider 750W into the chassis, and it is modular. I do however have the short cable kit for it, which kept clutter down a bunch as well. Specs for it shows this is a 160mm long PSU. Does kill GPU support though  Might be able to get away with a longer PSU and a card such as this... https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125905


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## silentbogo (Apr 15, 2017)

notb said:


> I'm thinking about a Corsair CX450M (140mm!), but what about noise?





notb said:


> *Disks*: 1xSSD + 4xHDD


With 4 HDDs planned for that system the PSU noise is the last thing you will hear.
I own a very similar rig stuffed inside a LianLi Q11B case, and I had a couple of different PSUs in it (EVGA 500B and Seasonic 450W Gold).
In both instances the loudest component in my system was a whining WiFi adapter on my motherboard (after I went all-SSD).

Regarding GPU: Have you thought of RX480 8GB? It's priced similarly to 1060, has a larger framebuffer and has a slight advantage in DX12 and Vulkan over GTX1060.
I'm pretty sure that in Poland all Nvidia cards have a bit higher pricing overhead than AMD, so it might be  even cheaper to go Red instead of Green.


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## notb (Apr 15, 2017)

theoneandonlymrk said:


> Why not just get a bigger oomph PSU ,say 650 watts , you would be running within 20-50% of its max power range, not ideally it's most efficient , but it then won't be driving it's cooling system as hard , works for me i run at 50-70% of an ax1200 because it's on for life running flat out in the corner of my bedroom so for me has to stay reasonably quiet.



First and foremost: because they won't fit in the case. But they're also (usually) out of my budget.
And remember that if you buy a >800W PSU, chances are it's expensive, so it's well sorted out and with a high quality fan (AX1200 is a good example).
But quality of PSUs under 500W varies a lot more, because manufacturers have to keep the price down.

So if you compare e.g. be quiet! Pure Power and Corsair CX, the latter has better electric properties, but is WAY more noisy (totally different league, Corsair's fan is awful).
That said, Corsair often uses fairly low-quality fans in their products (this also happens in cases).



jboydgolfer said:


> Aside from a single unit ,I can't remember a power supply that I've ever purchased that you really can hear without sticking your ear against it.


Well, it strongly depends on your working environment. If you play games (with sound, that is) or listen to music all the time, then the threshold for acceptable PC noise is much higher.



jboydgolfer said:


> The EVGA G2's are great( which I've run out of the PC to prime a water cooling system and I couldn't hear anything from it).


G2 is a premium PSU - more than twice the price of what I'm considering.

Plus these are all fairly large PSU, so it's not difficult to make them silent. be quiet! uses 135mm fans in high-end models...

The best solution for me would be a good SFX, as they're often optimized for noise (and the size would not matter any more). But they're also fairly expensive. Corsair SF450 is $30 over my initial PSU budget...


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## TheoneandonlyMrK (Apr 15, 2017)

Well I think I found a good list for you  

http://www.overclock.net/t/1537311/...g-non-atx-small-case-friendly-rev-2-june-2015


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## P4-630 (Apr 15, 2017)

I recommend a Be Quiet! Straight Power 10 500 Watt Gold Rated PSU if silent is important to you.
http://www.bequiet.com/en/powersupply/527

This one comes with a 5 year warranty.

I own one and I never hear the fan of it, not even under load.


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## notb (Apr 17, 2017)

Thank you for all answers - especially for the overclock.net link. I went through few discussion there (I haven't been there for a long time! ) and it was worth the time.
Having though this through, *I decided that getting a modular ATX PSU is pointless. *It raises the price and only results in compatibility issues in Node 304. :/
With a PSU around 400W, a GPU (probably) and 4+ disks I'll be using all of the cables anyway.

It basically left me with 2 options:
1) safe choice: be quiet! *Pure Power 10 400W (~$60*),
2) interesting choice:* Corsair SF450* *(~$100 :/).*

Corsair is better in performance, is smaller, has shorter cables etc. And it has a passive mode, but I'm still worried about noise.
I've read the fan gets very noisy on high RPM and, because it's temp-regulated, I'm worried what would happen in summer (when the ambient temp can reach 30*C)...
I'm also somehow skeptical about the passive mode. While in some open-air tests the fan stayed off even at 200W load, I wonder just how low would be the threshold in a small case, with fan at the bottom...
I gave myself 2 days for some research on this matter. *If you can help, please do.* 

At this point the key disadvantage of Pure Power is having to store extra 1m of cables in this tiny case...


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