Best PSU-s with passive cooling

[csendesmark]

Hello Forum,
I am considering to get a passive cooled PSU and I know about the SEASONIC Prime Fanless PX/TX series,
Both of those would be fantastic for my low power home server. But maybe a bit pricy...

But is there any other brand producing a passive PSU with might good for 24/7/365 duty paired with 150~200W draw.
Thank You!

 

[Muaadib]

iirc Silverstone offered some good passive PSUs in the past.


Also, may I ask why do you need a passively cooled one? most power supplies are whisper quiet (especially at low load levels). Some have a Fan-Off mode when load doesn't meet a certain threshold -generally 15-20%- so If you get a high wattage active one it would effectively work as passively cooled for your use case.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I agree with Muaadib. There are many PSUs with noise levels well below ambient. And many that operate with the fan off the vast majority of the time. EVGA, for example, has several PSUs that includes their ECO mode feature. The fans will remain off until the PSU's temperature crosses over the 55°C threshold. Note 55°C is fairly warm. Also, when the fan does start to turn, it runs at a low (thus extremely quiet) RPM and only ramps up in speed if the temperature keeps rising.

I know with my EVGA, when the fans starts to spin, I cannot hear it. I have to put my hand back there and "feel" the warm air exhausting out the back.

Totally passive PSUs are great where total silence is a requirement - such as with HTPCs (home theater PCs). But for a server? It really does not make sense.

Also, of utmost importance when dealing with passive cooling is the computer case itself. HTPC cases are designed for passive cooling. Normal computer cases are not.

 

[csendesmark]

@Bill_Bright I agree too, if you check my config you can see that I have a PSU with that feature!
I am just curious if there is a PSU with passive cooling in a somewhat cheaper range that stuff you talked about.
Most likely not, but someone might give me a great option!

 

[Tetras]

iirc Silverstone offered some good passive PSUs in the past.

Silverstone still have a passive series, both SFX and ATX, I think.

Are you sure it's really 150-200 watt? That's actually pretty darn high for your average low power home server! (there's a big thread on tweakers.net, it's up to part 4)

 

[csendesmark]

@Tetras I never really measured, it might be as low as 100W
But I want it to be a future proof solution so I calculate with a massive overhead.

It is a ASUS E35M1-M Pro with two SATA HDD-s as of now.
Some day I will change it up for a newer mainboard with something faster, features like 10Gbps ethernet and fast CPU for RAID5, which also means more HDDs.
Will see what the future hold, but I did not see a board to switch from the E35M1-M Pro yet. Would be happy to see some similar mini ATX sized with two m.2 slots and an integrated CPU similarly fast as the AMD Ryzen 5 3400G (but with only 4 threads) and of course with a massive passive heatsink.

 

[Tetras]

@Tetras I never really measured, it might be as low as 100W
But I want it to be a future proof solution so I calculate with a massive overhead.

It is a ASUS E35M1-M Pro with two SATA HDD-s as of now.
Some day I will change it up for a newer mainboard with something faster, features like 10Gbps ethernet and fast CPU for RAID5, which also means more HDDs.
Will see what the future hold, but I did not see a board to switch from the E35M1-M Pro yet. Would be happy to see some similar mini ATX sized with two m.2 slots and an integrated CPU similarly fast as the AMD Ryzen 5 3400G (but with only 4 threads) and of course with a massive passive heatsink.

Ahh, Anandtech measured it pretty low, though SATA HDDs can take a fair bit, especially older ones. If it's really that low, I think it would strongly support going semi-passive as suggested above. It would give you so many more options and it wouldn't have to be too expensive. If you're interested, this is one of the best threads I've seen, even taking into account servethehome and NAS forums I've browsed: https://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_messages/2096876 (links to earlier parts in the 1st post)

 

[R-T-B]

If you are only drawing <200W, you might look at DC-DC options with a 12V power brick. I know such options exist for your wattage range and they are always passive with no fan. They are also much less complex than AC-DC PSUs and as such quality/brand matters a bit less (there isn't much outright garbage, as far as wattage ratings are concerned, the brick would matter more).

Note efficiency with this option may not be as high. It still should be within 80plus white or bronze I'd picture though with a decent brick

An example: Would need an appropriately sized/ wattage rated 12V power brick, of course:

Amazon.com

 

[Shrek]

I would argue that fan-less power supplies actually reply on the computer's fan and could not operate at full load in still air.

 

[csendesmark]

@R-T-B Interesting option, like the idea, but I will take only "standard" PC parts

@Andy Shiekh good point!
Looks like it shall be something like the SEASONIC Prime GX, PX or TX line, or similar!

 

[R-T-B]

@R-T-B Interesting option, like the idea, but I will take only "standard" PC parts

That's fair and valid. Just making sure you were aware of that option.

 

[Taraquin]

My evga GQ 650W has fan off up to 200-250W if eco mode is enabled.

 

[csendesmark]

@Taraquin This one might be really good, half the price of the Seasonic!
Did not know about his product line!

 

[Taraquin]

@Taraquin This one might be really good, half the price of the Seasonic!
Did not know about his product line!

It's related to temp though, if ambient is higher fan will kick at lower consumption. Eco mode only enables fan if temp is above 50C, my ambient is around 20C and while mining consumption from wall is 220-230W and fan don't kick in then.

 

[AusWolf]

Fanless PC components usually require good case airflow, which (unless you have some very high quality case fans) defeats their purpose. I agree with the comments above saying that a whisper quiet, but actively cooled PSU would be a better choice - especially for a server that you probably run 24/7.