PSU Quiet & high power - possible?

Hi

I am planning to build a new rigg during 2009 and can't seem to find a PSU that I want.

I am looking for a PSU with at least 850w but preferably around or over 1000w, but I would like one that can achive these high figures without causing so much noise, money is no big issue. I would really appreciate any suggestions or help you could provide.

// Erik

 

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=161320
Im gonna link you to that thread as it's pretty much the same. Why do you need 1000watts? No one does, unless powering a harrier jump jet from your PC

 

It seems (generally speaking) that a PSU working at 50% is more efficient and produces less noise than a PSU working at 75-100%.

I've got a thread about 1000 Watt PSU which might be of help:
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=161320

 

True, but it also seems even a quite powerful PC would be happy on a modest supply.

Listen to people who assemble gaming systems for a living. They do not waste money on 1000W space-heaters.

And just for fun, check the Ars God Box.

 

I understand where you are coming form.

However, things like the 4870x2 make me uncertain:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/09/03/sapphire-ati-radeon-hd-4870-x2/8

483 Watt on a single card (and that's with no OC).

Obviously this will not be the usual power output, but when the call of duty comes, the PSU should be there.

 

That 483 watt reading is "from the wall", so its the full system power draw. Check out the testing page to see the hardware used.

 

Yep. Which comes to the 50% max efficiency (and quiet operation) pointon a 1000 Watt PSU.

Whereas a 550 Watt PSU would be very noisy while running that system.

 

At 80% efficiency, that's 386W. A Corsair 620 will be enough, imo, and it won't be noisy either.

You've been told by 2 mods, a guru on system building, and countless experienced forum members, when will you forget this fantasy about bigger = better?!

 

Only under full load. A 650 would be spot on. You have to think that most of the time your PC will be doing light work, and not quite idling and using 250/300watts (assuming you have that high powered system) and it is better to have the highest efficiency for more of the time. A 650 would be about 30% idling 40-50% under "normal use" and 75% under full load.

 

You've got that in your head from somewhere and I don't know why/from where. A 550watt PSU will not be noisier, the PSU gives off fan noise and it may get hotter and so the fan may spin up more but if you are really that concerned, replace the fan in the PSU.
Barely any rigs need more than 600watt PSUs and most are happy with 500watt.

 

The rig in my sig used to run on 380 watts until i got a new antec case that came with the 430 watt I'm using now


you don't need a big psu to run a killer rig

 

I'm waiting on a PSU that has yottawatt and you can hear a pin drop on it.

 

Thanks guys. You're right about the 1KWatt overkill.

Lets assume that I get a 4850 gfx with a Q6600 + WC, and in 6 months add a 4870x2 - all overclocked as far as can be.

A 750 Watt would probably be more than I'd need right?

 

Yep, perfect.

 

OMG! They put a Creative card in there! And that's supposed to be the best computer on earth? Anything + Creative != Good

 

Well I know a thousand watts may be a bit overkill for most computers but hopefully I will build a very high end one and want to buy quality parts that I can use for many years. The specs, hopefully, will be something like:

A+ Black Pearl case
i7 maybe the 920 or if I wait for the others to fall in price
4-8 HDD probably wd RE3 disks in a raid 10
a, possibly two, hd4870x2 etc etc... so if i overclock this beast I would like a PSU that can deliver the power necessary. Also a plus is if I always have some spare watts, just in case.

Thanks for the help

 

1000watts is still going to be overkill.

what, for cooking toast while gaming!?

 

I hear a lot about the 50% optimal efficiency thing, but you have to take into account that your computer won't be running at full load all the time; most of the time, your computer's idle and probably drawing 150W or less. Unless you run F@H all the time or do something equally as intensive, your computer's power draw only hits its max (500W, let's say) very rarely. While a 1000W power supply in this case would have great efficiency at full load, it's efficiency is going to drop pretty steeply at idle, where your computer spends most of its time.

 

The best efficiency is not at idle, nor at full load, rather at 50% power output (normal distribution graph).

I'm more concerned with noise rather than efficiency.

If I get a quadcore, a 4850, and later a 4870x2 in CF, and overclock the whole thing, I WILL need more than 500 Watts at load. This is where my "noise" concern kicks in.

The 1000 Watt PSU reviews I have read say that at 50%, the noise is barely noticeable in between the chassis, CPU and GFX fans. They also say that all PSUs at 100% are loud.

Dave, I doubt this is simply a matter of the type of fan used. I'm sure that even if I replace a fan on a 500Watt PSU, it will still be noisy at 100%. This seems to be more related to capability.

 

O O 7, what I meant is that gearing a power supply towards maximum efficiency at full load will most likely make idle efficiency suffer, which should be a big deal since as has been stated your computer spends most of its time idle. If you care about power costs, then this could become a problem.

If you want a silent, high-powered PSU, chances are you might have to fiddle a bit to get results you like. Fan replacements can reduce noise [sometimes at the cost of temperatures], and air ducts can increase cooling power and sometimes lead to lower noise if the PSU throttles down the fan. This probably belongs in your other thread, but you read both of them and I'm looking at this one now so here it will stay.