Cheap quiet PSU, dont care about efficiency (UK)

[razor1911]

I live in the UK, and I want to get as cheap as possible PSU, that does not emit much noise.

dont care how efficient it is.
I dont mind even buying second hand, if there are good models out there


current system:
2500K @ 4.8Ghz,
GTX 590, but going to get GTX670\ GTX570
4x 4gb RAM

[Tator Tot]

BeQuiet PurePower L8 430w.

Modular, inexpensive, dead silent across all load patterns and it will power your setup just fine when you make the switch.

[razor1911]

thanks for info, I had grow up on other forums that have 750w, 850w etc power supplies, so it sorta became normal to me.

having a look through here, I found the my needs are much simplier it seems.
are you sure that 430w would be enough?

I want to get something else right:

if PSU 1 and 2, are same brand \ make etc
PSU 1 = 1000w
PSU 2 = 500w

if I use PSU2 @ 500w, would it be louder than PSU 1 @ 500w?

this is my main concern of buying low power PSU, that I will be stressing it out at max rather than 50% load

[yojo2]

Originally Posted by razor1911

having a look through here, I found the my needs are much simplier it seems.
are you sure that 430w would be enough?

For non-OCd GTX670/GTX570 - sure. For GTX590, it might be *just* enough.

Originally Posted by razor1911

if PSU 1 and 2, are same brand \ make etc
PSU 1 = 1000w
PSU 2 = 500w

if I use PSU2 @ 500w, would it be louder than PSU 1 @ 500w?

Not necessarily, it depends on the PSUs themselves.

[McSteel]

Originally Posted by razor1911

I want to get something else right:

if PSU 1 and 2, are same brand \ make etc
PSU 1 = 1000w
PSU 2 = 500w

if I use PSU2 @ 500w, would it be louder than PSU 1 @ 500w?

this is my main concern of buying low power PSU, that I will be stressing it out at max rather than 50% load

That's a bit of an overgeneralization. Kind of like asking if an engine that's twice as powerful as another, will spin at half the rpm of the weaker one while matching it's output. It might, but that won't necessarily be the case.

Same answer: it depends. There are some PSUs that will be quieter at full load than most at less than half-load. The Listan/BeQuiet! that Tator suggested is a prime example of a very quiet PSU that keeps it's cool and keeps to itself while outputting it's full rated power.

[rafal_iB_PL]

I can vouch for L8 being very quiet, as I've personally dealt with 530W model. You won't hear it past 0,5 m, especially in a case.

[razor1911]

thanks for the info everyone.

I have corsair 550D, the PSU sucks air directly from outside, I might flip the PSU the other way around to quiten it down?

please dont get me wrong, but I find 430w psu is a bit of shock for me. for such system.

do I need to take count for capacitor aging?
why would people buy 1K + PSUs?

also what is the minimum acceptable for gtx 570\ 670 SLI if I ever wanted to go there.

[mp666]

please dont get me wrong, but I find 430w psu is a bit of shock for me. for such system.

I'd go for a 600/650W. Especially considering you can go for another SLI in future. 430W is too low for this system.

[Tator Tot]

Originally Posted by razor1911

thanks for the info everyone.

I have corsair 550D, the PSU sucks air directly from outside, I might flip the PSU the other way around to quiten it down?

Given how quiet those units are to begin with, it won't really make them any more quiet but it will make them run cooler which will cause the fan to spin at a lower RPM level. Thus, it will be quieter, but it would hardly be noticable since the PSU will only run about 20-21dB at full load.

Originally Posted by razor1911

please dont get me wrong, but I find 430w psu is a bit of shock for me. for such system.

For the i5 2500K @ 4.8Ghz & a GTX 670; the 430w model is more than enough. The GTX 570 wouldn't even push it that hard.
GTX 590 (obviously) would. I'd normally recommend a unit with 34-37A on the 12v rail(s) for that type of build on the minimum side. Obviously if you're looking for silence at that load level you'd normally have to get a louder bigger PSU for the fan to run at a lower RPM or a more efficient unit than a bronze on.
BeQuiet did a marvelous job with the L8's in terms of noise output. They're incredibly quiet in a world where most Bronze units use 36-40dB fans.

Originally Posted by razor1911

do I need to take count for capacitor aging?
why would people buy 1K + PSUs?

1Kw PSU is only going to be needed for a system that's running some heavily overclocked Sandy Bridge E parts (2 chips) and a pair of GTX 590's / HD6990's

Most people get a 1000w unit since they are uninformed as to what actual power draw is.

For reference, a stock GTX 590's only going to pull about 280-300w from the 12v rail(s), even at peak you're looking at less than 350w of draw.

Originally Posted by razor1911

also what is the minimum acceptable for gtx 570\ 670 SLI if I ever wanted to go there.

It's all about the 12v amperage and what your overclocks are.
Though, GTX 670 power draw is much lower than the GTX 570; you'd still be looking at a 600w-650w unit since they are generally the lowest wattage level that will come with 4 PCIe connectors.

It's not exactly "cheap" and you do loose out on modular connectors; but the NZXT Hale90 550w would fit the bill for that type of setup.

[razor1911]

this looks like good value,
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...roductId=48400