would you risk running a gtx680 with a CX430?

[Zero82z]

Originally Posted by cannondale06

like I said, the issue I had with the 520 watt Neo Eco was that the fan ramped up too high in some demanding games.

In other words, it didn't have any issue handling the load, but you were not able to tolerate the noise level. It's important to separate those two aspects from each other. The fact that a PSU is loud at a particular load level doesn't mean it is inadequate.

[rafal_iB_PL]

But again, if you spend $500 on a video card, what's an extra $40 on a nicer PSU with great voltage regulation, ripple, quiet operation and modular cabling?

If you are buying PSU alongside with GPU, I would agree. Not necessarily, if you already had it.

[kidsafe]

Originally Posted by Redbeard

Some people just want "good enough" and that's fine. PSUs aren't sexy to everyone. We get pretty excited at headquarters when we can beat a previous-gen unit's ripple/noise by 5-10mV or something, but since last-gen was already at 50% of the maximum ATX spec, it's kind of like polishing the cannonball to some people.

I just find it odd that he's being picky about noise and trying to find the cheapest deal possible at the same time. Silence seems to be among the least prioritized features of more affordable units.

[Redbeard]

Originally Posted by kidsafe

I just find it odd that he's being picky about noise and trying to find the cheapest deal possible at the same time. Silence seems to be among the least prioritized features of more affordable units.

Agreed, it's odd, but still way ahead of a lot of guys running their 680, Overclocked SB-E, and RAID-0 SSD drives off a "750W" $39 special, which I literally see every day on other forums.

[Original Sin]

Originally Posted by Redbeard

Agreed, it's odd, but still way ahead of a lot of guys running their 680, Overclocked SB-E, and RAID-0 SSD drives off a "750W" $39 special, which I literally see every day on other forums.

You guys hold the blame for that(in part), always pushing to sell high output units to those who do not need them, there isn't a single wattage calculator out there, from the PSU market players, that doesn't grossly overestimate power requirements, yours included.. it recommends an AX 1200 for a 2600K and two 6970s, and that's a 750W system at most(short of LN2 fun).. I can't remember how many times I've seen that moronic graph from Silverstone arguing the efficiency gains of an ST1500 over a considerably lower output unit at ~750W load, and there are countless other examples... of course the ignorant, ill-informed and misguided crowd will go for what seems to be a much more powerful solution even though a lower output, decent unit, from a reputable player like yourself, can be had for no additional cost.

[mdk777]

well, while we are talking value and proper sizing:

I will again point out that newer systems continue to reduce their idle loads.

The OP system could easily idle at 65 watts despite having one of the highest performing CPU and GPU combinations on the market.

Consequently, the low wattage efficiency is what continues to be ignored by a large section of the psu market.

The Bronze units that RedBeard mentions will be at in the mid 70% efficiency while the PLAT I referenced will be at 88-90%.

Yes, this only works out to 5 to 15 watts savings.

However, many people leave their computers on 24/7 (esp. now that they idle down to such low loads)

$15-20 per year pays for that $40-60 price delta in 3-5 years.

Yes, it is hard to get people to invest up front for long term savings.
But the economies are not that far off. (depending on your usage, power market, air conditioning requirements, etc. etc.)

I get it that gamers don't necessarily pay their own electric bills....but selling on the broad range efficiency instead of just the max. should be important as current trends continue...(power costs going up, and idle wattage going down.)

End RANT.

[cannondale06]

Originally Posted by kidsafe

I just find it odd that he's being picky about noise and trying to find the cheapest deal possible at the same time. Silence seems to be among the least prioritized features of more affordable units.

how exactly did you come to the conclusion that the Antec Neo Eco 520 watt psu chosen because it was the cheapest deal? I chose it because it had pretty good reviews and seemed way more than adequate for running my sig pc. I had no idea that the fan would have to annoyingly ramp up during demanding games.

if you are referring to the CX430 then I already said that I was asking that for someone else.

[walterm]

I would probably void the warranty on the Neo Eco and replace the fan with a quieter one.
But, I like "simple improvements" and "let us see what happens," fixes. The 520 is available at a low price, RMAs are expensive, and you can put a "Gentle Typhoon" or more modest equivalent in there.

[rafal_iB_PL]

It's fan controller. Most Seasonic built units (even X series) are not known to be quiet under high loads. Bearing noise of Adda BB fans at low rpms is another issue altogether (but relevant to more hardcore silence freaks).