Small Form Factor Shuttle's fanless power supply

I just realised whilst browsing the Shuttle site that they've released a new powersupply for Shuttle cases that's fanless and therefore silent, and was wondering if anyone here has any experience of it? Its 200W compared to the 250W of the original, but I don't think that would be much of an issue as these shuttle power supplies are very efficient.

http://eu.shuttle.com/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-541/825_read-14709/

Because my Shuttle system at the moment (G5 chassis) is quite noisy and was wondering if this would make any difference overall to the noise level.

Thanks

 

If your only goal is to make things quieter, switching to a passive power supply will only make a big difference if that's currently the loudest part of the computer. Stop the fans one at a time and in combination by pressing your finger against the fan hub, and see if you can pinpoint one of them as exceptionally loud. Also try to listen to parts up close (through a paper towel tube, perhaps). See if you can track down what's actually making noise in your system, and if the power supply is a significant contributor, then go right ahead and switch.

Edit: Also, what's in your system? I might be able to tell you if 200w is sufficient.
The efficiency of the power supply doesn't matter because the wattage rating is on the DC side, not the AC side. If you have two power supplies both rated at 300w, one 80% efficient and one 60% efficient, they'll still both provide 300 watts. The difference is that the 80% will draw 375 watts from the wall and the 60% will draw 500 watts from the wall.

 

Hi,

System currently has P4 3.2 GHz, ATi X800, 2 HDs, 2 GB RAM, DVD RW and a TV Tuner card.

Thanks

 

Wow, which P4? Some of those can draw well over 100 watts all alone. If that's the case, I'd not want to switch to a smaller power supply, especially one with less cooling.

Go ahead and follow my other instructions, though, and see what's making the most noise in the system. With that much heat inside such a small case, I'd be hesitant to make any changes, but if there's one specific component which is making a significant portion of the noise I might be able to suggest something.

 

What cooler do you have on that x800? In my system (Athlon 64 shuttle), by far the noisiest thing is the graphics card fan (9800Pro). It's seriously like half as loud without that (Although I am running a Papst 120mm fan on the back).

I don't know how much noise the PSU fan makes, but I bet it's nothing compared to the graphics card.

 

I know, but I made this from salvaged parts from my old machine otherwise I would have geared it more towards cool running. Can't remember the exact model number, but I think its definately Prescott core. Oh and oops sorry, its not X800, its the X600 so passively cooled.

Most of the noise seems to come from the main fan, but in XPCtools when I knock down all the fans to low, there's a definite whine from the PSU that can be heard, but, to be honest, I'll probably leave it. I just saw it and thought it might help a bit

 

I'd recommend against sticking a passive PSU in a shuttle. Passive power supplies rely entirely on convection and "leftover" airflow from the rest of your PC, and in such a cramped space there is probably no way there is enough airflow to keep it cool. Combine that with a Prescott, and BAM - out comes the magical blue smoke