Seasonic X-Series SS-460FL: 460 Watts of Fanless Power

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• numberoneoppa - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  Well, in most quiet systems, the PSU generates most of the noise. This seems to really address that. Sure, 460W seems like the perfect amount of power for all but high-end gaming machines (this is fine for a single-card arrangement).
  
  I agree with the need for some sort of airflow, though, like a 120mm CPU fan pushing air along, which for all intents and purposes, is silent.
  
  You need some fans somewhere, its up to you where you want to put them, though.
  
  Me likey.

• defacer - Thursday, October 21, 2010 - link

  Not sure what you mean bu "most quiet systems", but in my experience the most noise is generated by the GPU fan and/or the HDDs (for the latter, vibration-induced noise can be a major pain unless your case or HD mounting can take care of it).
  
  My main system runs a few undervolted Nexus fans (2x120mm + 1x80mm on the CPU heatsink), an Arctic Cooling Accelero Turbo Module on the GPU heatsink and a Corsair HX520 PSU. The Nexus fans are louder than the Corsair (although of course you can't tell unless you open up the case -- there's not much to hear otherwise).

• Hrel - Thursday, October 21, 2010 - link

  well that's a quiet system not a silent one. It's not that hard to make a system with no fans at all and rubber grommets to mounts everything. In that case, you would want to use a low CFM 120mm fan somewhere to get some kind of airflow going, exhaust fan or on the CPU. Scythe makes a nice one rated at 8db, can't hear it.

• defacer - Saturday, October 23, 2010 - link

  Technically I have to agree it's quiet and not silent. However, encased in an Antec P182 and placed under the desk you would be hard-pressed to hear anything at all unless it's the dead of night, and even then it's no more than a whisper.
  
  Anyway, the OP was referring to quiet systems and used the word silent with the disclaimer "for all intents and purposes", kinda like I tend to use it as well.
  
  Of course I would use this PSU if I were gifted one, but I really don't think it's good value for money spending double for a PSU to make a practically silent system also be technically silent.

• mindless1 - Tuesday, December 27, 2011 - link

  You would not want to use a low CFM fan "somewhere" with a passive PSU. That's worse than no other fans but the one in the PSU because it pulls the PSU heat into the case or if it were only an intake fan, to be effective it'd be on the front of the case where a much larger % of noise reaches the user than if it were a rear exhaust fan.

• dj christian - Friday, December 30, 2011 - link

  Eehh what? What's a CFM fan? If you put a fan in the front of the psu it would have to be small and noise so i don't see that as an option.

• Souka - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  I see this in a more open case design...where natural convection would disappate the heat.
  
  For shame anyone who sticks this in a closed case, with a hot HD, and a gaming grade video card.....especially if they play games! :)
  
  But yeah, in the case a single large fan, spinning slowly, would all the system needs.

• numberoneoppa - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  Yeah, like those new Antec Lanboy Air cases I see advertised on the banner here all of the time. Sounds like a match made in heaven.

• AstroGuardian - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  Convection is not possible inside a case where there are few other fans.

• hangfirew8 - Wednesday, October 20, 2010 - link

  "Convection is not possible inside a case where there are few other fans. " -AstroGuardian
  
  In an open case design, as Souka stated, fans only affect what they are blowing against, and convection will happen whether you want it or not.
  
  Convection assisted ventilation is entirely possible in a closed case with one or more fans. Just set the case fan(s) near the top to blow out (create negative pressure). A bottom mounted power supply will then draw cool air in, and once inside the case, that P/S-heated air will be heated will rise to meet the fans.
  
  A blow-down CPU fan (Intel, AMD stock) can be disruptive of convection, while a blow-through CPU cooler design (Hyper 212+, Freezer Pro, Mugen 2) can assist convection, or if ducted both in and out, can co-exist with convection. Since we are talking about a $160 P/S targeted to the Silent PC market, there is no reason to assume stock CPU coolers and unmodded case internals.