Quiet, not-fanless PSU for Fractal Define R4, 650-750W

[alseic]

Hi

I'm looking for some quiet PSU for Fractal Define R4 case.
I've read a lot of topics and reviews but I still can't decide...

I don't want fanless CPU, I also would like to avoid hybrid PSUs (or at least have one where I can switch fan ON so it always works).

I'm just afraid that temperatures will be too high/reliability will be lower (I've read that while Corsair RM850 is quiet it might have some problems because fan is not running at low load and this might stress some components). This might be some bullshit though, I'm just saying what I've read, I'm a noob.

I've seen some charts and it looks like Corsair RM850 is really quiet, but I wonder if measurements are done when fan is working or when it is disabled. (I guess fan is working since since chart description says fan noise).

Unfortunately it seems that you can't turn fan on in RM850 (you can't control hybrid mode), some people also say that quality isn't the best (though I think Corsair does good jobs as they have updated RM850).

I wanted to buy XFX XTR or some Seasonic, but it seems that it's quite loud, also it looks like that XFX had some OCP issues in the past, which is quite dissapointing.

Super Flower Leadex Gold 750W (BTW: does it have MOV current protection etc? I think older models didn't have that) seems to have quite low noise level and if I'm not wrong - hybrid mode could be turned off. So far this is my best bet, though I'm looking for alternatives.

Price range: like Super Flower Leadex Gold level or cheaper (can't say exactly - I live in Europe)

SilentumPC SM1-700 (~42dbA@600W)
Toughpower DPS-850 (~42dbA@600W)
Superlower Leadex Gold 750 (~45dbA@600W)
Cooler Master VS750 (~40dbA@600W) ->should be V850 (~40dbA@600W), well,V850 is too expensive for me

Shortly:
- need quiet PSU
- reliable one (I've read that in XFX XTR failed some load tests in the past, also many years ago my motherboard fried because of PSU failure)
- 650W or more (currenlty for i5 4590 or i7 + some neat GPU, I might upgrade it later)
- in Fractal Define R4 case (or some other quiet one)
- I don't need modular cables
- I don't need hybrid mode, if it has hybrid mode - I'd like to have an option to turn it off (so fans would spin at low RPM)
- I don't care about looks
- I don't care about technical aspects like ripple etc as long as it is not really important

 

[thebluebumblebee]

First, welcome to TPU!
Secondly, you don't need that large of a PSU. (Please fill out your system specs, or what you're thinking of building) If you are talking about a socket 1150 CPU, you only need 100 watts for the CPU, 50 watts for the rest of the system-unless you have some crazy OC'ing and WC'ing going on-and the rest is for the GPU. Are you planning on a 400+ watt GPU? ~500 watts will run all but the most ambitious single GPU systems today. ~500 watt PSU's have less heat to get rid of and can be quieter.
Third, don't worry about "hybrid mode" on a PSU and heat. Those PSU's will protect themselves. (assuming a quality brand, not some "me too" copy cat)
About modular cables, the fewer cables you have in a case-the better air flow is=less fan noise.
You list the fan noise at 600W. Unless you go with a dual GPU setup, you won't get to that high of a power draw, and if those PSU's have some type of adjustable fan speed, they won't spin up that fast, that loud.

Yes, choosing a quiet PSU is a frustrating process.
This is a good link to figure out who the OEM is of a PSU: http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page364.htm

 

[alseic]

Well, I'm not yet sure about my build:

CPU: i5 4590 or i7 4790K
Motherboard i5: Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H
Motherboard i7: MSI Z97-G43
RAM i5: Crucial BallisticX 2x4GB CL9 1600MHz
RAM i7: G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 2x4GB 2133MHz CL9
HDD: Western Digital Blue 1TB WD10EZEX
SSD: I'm not conviced, in theory it looks ok, I will probably buy it later (some Intel 128GB SSD, I just need really realiable drive)
GPU: R9 270X or GTX 770 if it will be cheaper
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (or some quiet alternative)
----
In next 2 years I will probably change GPU.
I will probably go for i5 4590 and change motherboard and CPU later.

I won't use any water-cooling or do heavy OC.

If lower wattage PSU could be sufficient, I guess Cooler Master V600 and Enermax Platimax 600 come into game.

About hybrid/fanless PSUs - I think that PSU also takes some part in cooling whole build (if it has a fan), so I think PSU with good fan might be useful in Define R4, I might be wrong though, I'm just guessing.

Prices in my country:
650W Golden Flower Leadex Gold - 161$ << recommended on many forums, though I've heard it might be hype - there were some complaints in Germany (it might be dealer issue)
850W Golden Flower Leadex Gold - 183$
550W Be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 - 170$
650W Be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 - 190$
700W Cooler Master V700 - 183$ - 191$ ($191 is a bit high for me, id's say 180 is max) <<
600W Enermax Platimax - 173$ << (some people say it has short cables)
650W Corsair RM - 140$ << cheap, quiet ... but is it reliable?
550W Corsair RM - 130$
700W SilentiumPC Supremo M1 Platinum - 156$
550W XFX XTR 116$ << cheap, I've heard it's nice eletrically, but quite loud
650W XFX XTR 150$

 

[cheesy999]

About hybrid/fanless PSUs - I think that PSU also takes some part in cooling whole build (if it has a fan), so I think PSU with good fan might be useful in Define R4, I might be wrong though, I'm just guessing.

as you can see the psu on most modern tower cases is separated from the rest of the rig and brings in air from the bottom to exhaust out of the back, so the psu will always have access to cold external air, and will not help cool any other pc components

 

[thebluebumblebee]

I don't like changing motherboards. I'd rather buy the better motherboard now and upgrade CPU/GPU latter.
Although those GPU's share the same power envelope, I think that the 270X competes with the GTX 760, while it's the 280X/285X that competes with the GTX 770.