[mark_la]

Just wanted to post this recommendation for a great power supply I just bought in my quest to make my HTPC almost silent. I replaced a cheap 235w "Powerman" Power Supply with this one and can barely hear my PC now. I bought it from Directron for $27 http://store.yahoo.com/directron/fsp30060atv.html after seeing the great review it got from Tom's Hardware http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/0...pplies-15.html , where it earned 1st place among 21 other Power Supplies overall and very close to the top when it came to noise level.


This, along with replacing my aluminum heatsink and noisy fan with a bigger copper heatsink http://store.yahoo.com/directron/pk04535.html and Arctic Silver 3 thermal paste which allowed my to use a little, almost noiseless fan from an old Pentium II heatsink. The fan that came with the copper heatsink was too noisy (40.5 db, not the 28 db they incorrectly claim in the Directron website). I was able to fit this heatsink on a Celeron 1.2 Ghz Tualatin CPU which was sitting on my ASUS P3BF motherboard thanks to the Powerleap IPL/3t Socket 370 to Slot 1 adapter. I was actually able to run the Celeron 1.2 Ghz fanless with this Foxcon heatsink for 30 minutes and it was cool to the touch when I turned off the PC, I just added the little underpowered PII heatsink fan out of extra caution.


I just wanted to post these excellent and cheap items that I used and am very happy with since all the posts I read on here are were for old Power Supplies or Heatsinks that are no longer generally available or for current ones that were way more expensive than these two items.


Luckily, my Radeon 7500 works with just a simple fanless heatsink, so I didn't have to bother with silencing it like owners of the latest and greatest Radeons do.


It's so soothing to have an "almost silent" HTPC now.

 

[richardg]

Thanks for the info. I will be ordering two of these tonight.

 

[DueN]

I second that recommendation. I also got the Verax and it is very quiet. Per THW, the thing can actually spit out a stable 390W instead of the rated 300W.

 

[discdude]

Quote:

Originally posted by mark_la I replaced a cheap 235w "Powerman" Power Supply with this one and can barely hear my PC now . . .

Powerman power supplies are built by Fortron-Source as well (as are Sparkle, Zalman, Exotic PC, Nexus, Verax, etc). For example, my Powerman PS is actually a FSP300-60BT.


I've always had good luck with Powerman power supplies even if they are cheap.


Watch out though, make sure you get the "Noise Killer" option with your power supply if you want quiet.

 

[DueN]

The Verax has the Noise Killer.

 

[mark_la]

Quote:

Originally posted by discdude Powerman power supplies are built by Fortron-Source as well (as are Sparkle, Zalman, Exotic PC, Nexus, Verax, etc). For example, my Powerman PS is actually a FSP300-60BT. I've always had good luck with Powerman power supplies even if they are cheap. Watch out though, make sure you get the "Noise Killer" option with your power supply if you want quiet.

I'm sure you're right, since the I noticed it was peculiar that the Powerman power supply has a model number starting with FSP235. The one I got now does have the "Noise Killer" option, which really does do as it claims. The old PowerMan power supply came with my 4 year old case, prior to me using it for an HTPC and caring so much about noise.

 

[mikekask]

I have a Fortron 350W from Directron and agree that it is extremly quiet. I have never had a problem with it.

 

[jjarmoc]

Will this PS fit in the coolermaster microatx cases? say, the 620?

 

[jdurbin]

Whhooooooaaaaa. Slow down guys.


The Verax-Fortron PSU that did really well on Tom's survey was a Fortron fitted with Verax fans. It is over $100 and there is only one USA distributor. It is built (Verax fans retrofitted on Fortron PSUs) in Germany. The Fortron at Directron is not the same one. I almost bought it and I am a bit ticked off at Directron for the misleading link to the Tom's Hardware review. It is a very good PSU at a good price but don't be mislead into buying something that is not what it purports to be. (Do a google search on Verax or Verax and Fortron to get the site of the sole USA importer)


You might also want to consider the Fortron with the 12cm fan mounted on the bottom of the PSU case inside the PC case that pushes air through the PSU instead of the typical 8cm fan on the back (outside) of the case that pulls air through the PSU. That should be quieter because it is a bigger diameter and it is further inside the case. Of course, that will not work with a desktop case like the ATC-600 series. newegg has these PSUs for about $35 or so.


I have had good results with the Seasonic 300 watt PSU from newegg because it has vents at the end of the PSU and they are not blocked by the bottom of the ATC-610 case.