Where do I get a passive power supply.

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Shayd

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I need to get a passive power supply capable of handling my i3 HTPC setup. I currently have a silent power supply but I have very sensitive hearing and the tiny bit of noise I currently hear is just loud enough to bug me.

I have seen them reviewed on silentpcreview but I can't seem to find them here. My setup will use a max of 100w under load as it currently stands so I don't need something with a big watt rating.

Any ideas guys?
 
I highly doubt that you'll get a passive power supply.

Is it the fan that you're hearing or interference noise?
I really find it hard to believe that you can hear a silent PSU from 3m. I can't even hear my normal CM Extreme Power Plus 460W PSU, which isn't a silent PSU!
You can always just open the PSU and unplug the fan... but I would recommend that you at least have 1 fan in the case to get some airflow over the heatsinks of the PSU.

My Corsair AX850's fan only starts once you exceed %20 load, but that is overkill for an HTPC.
 
Pada said:
I really find it hard to believe that you can hear a silent PSU from 3m. I can't even hear my normal CM Extreme Power Plus 460W PSU, which isn't a silent PSU!
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I tend to agree with the OP -- to such a degree that I changed my HTPC to a file server, moved that to another room and bought the Mede8er.

I could not find a power supply that was soft enough not to irritate me while watching TV / Movies / Listening to music, etc.

Everybody differs I guess, but I had exactly the same problem and will never again use a computer as a media player.

One thing I can say: The bigger the fan the less the noise, to a certain degree anyway.

You can maybe disconnect the fan from the PSU and then add a 120mm fan or something like that: the bigger fans can go slower and still create enough ventilation to keep everything nice and cool.
 
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Shayd said:
I need to get a passive power supply capable of handling my i3 HTPC setup. I currently have a silent power supply but I have very sensitive hearing and the tiny bit of noise I currently hear is just loud enough to bug me.

I have seen them reviewed on silentpcreview but I can't seem to find them here. My setup will use a max of 100w under load as it currently stands so I don't need something with a big watt rating.

Any ideas guys?
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So when watching TV you can hear the PSU over the TV noise? Or when everything else is off you can hear it? If its the latter then why not simply shut it off when its not in use? If its the former then you are clearly from Krypton and are only now growing into your super powers.
 
Guys, my htpc stays on 24/7, no it's not louder than the tv at all. When i sit in the lounge, the clock ticking is louder than the psu. What I wanted to find out is do you know where I can buy a passive PSU. They definitely exist I just haven't seen them readily available.

The HTPC I built was built with power efficiency and speed in mind and sits at little over 35 watts at idle, this was to make sure I would need very little cooling and therefore noise. The PSU is the only this that makes a sound and I am aiming at perfection here.
 
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And you are sure that its not the CPU cooler/fan making the noise? Thats the noisiest part in my setup atm, then again its running the stock cooler from a Phenom 955 on an Athlon X2 something. Anyway, cant find anythnig with the usual suppliers, why not email your preferred supplier and see if they will import it for you? I know take2 will make a purchase off Amazon for you.
 
I run like 8x 120mm fans and i also got sensitive ears. Try getting louder speakers ;)
 
tiandup said:
I run like 8x 120mm fans and i also got sensitive ears. Try getting louder speakers ;)
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The noise when there is NO ambient noise is what bugs me. If I wanted to turn it on and off all the time it wouldn't be a problem.

I have cracked the case open while it was running and the sound is definitely from the PSU. Remember the i3 sips power at idle(joys of a 32nm processor) and so stays cool and quite due to dynamic fan control.
 
If it's just an i3 with no extra GPU you could get away with like 100-150w so you might get a passive PSU like that.
 
Shayd said:
I need to get a passive power supply capable of handling my i3 HTPC setup. I currently have a silent power supply but I have very sensitive hearing and the tiny bit of noise I currently hear is just loud enough to bug me.

I have seen them reviewed on silentpcreview but I can't seem to find them here. My setup will use a max of 100w under load as it currently stands so I don't need something with a big watt rating.

Any ideas guys?
Click to expand...

Passive? Geez.. OK look in the world of electronics, truly Passive PSU able to supply approx 100W to 150W would need to dissipate about the same amount of energy meaning a heck of a large heat-sink especially if by your desire you do not want a fan.

I would recommend you find your self a FAN-LESS PSU which is at least 80PLUS Bronze or 80PLUS Silver certified so that it can operate without a fan at the power levels you're thinking about and then you just disconnect the fan...
Like this one: http://www.sybaritic.co.za/store/product_info.php?products_id=47404

Ideal would be an 80Plus Gold certified which are truly built to be fanless.
Like perhaps the Corsair AX series (an AX400 would be ideal) or the Seasonic X series (X400 also the same) Or even a
Zalman fanless HP series ( http://www.sybaritic.co.za/store/product_info.php?cPath=73_269&products_id=11236 )

But they're not cheap...
Vendor supplied as an example place to find things... you are welcome to shop up your own supplier(s)
 
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EffKay said:
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Um... fanless = passive... And in both of the links you provided the PSU does have fans. :confused:

In addition, you do realise that laptop power bricks are essentially passive power supplies and they range from 45W-150W. Also gold series power supplies have nothing whatsoever to do with being fan-less. Its only about power efficiency and tolerances on outputs.
 
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bin3 said:
One thing I can say: The bigger the fan the less the noise, to a certain degree anyway.
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Actually, that's "the bigger the fan, the lower the frequency of the fan noise" (we're restricting ourselves to PC fans here) and, as such, the less obtrusive and less likely to be noticed ..it just seems like there's less noise. ;)
Shayd said:
I need to get a passive power supply capable of handling my i3 HTPC setup ... The PSU is the only this that makes a sound and I am aiming at perfection here ... Any ideas guys?
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Fair 'nuff; I know how horrible it is to latch onto a sound, and PC fan noise is particularly egregious, so you have no choice but to Do It Right(tm) :p

So, get yourself over to Newegg and get your bad self a Seasonic X400 fanless PSU ... job done! :D
 
Archer said:
Um... fanless = passive... And in both of the links you provided the PSU does have fans. :confused:

In addition, you do realise that laptop power bricks are essentially passive power supplies and they range from 45W-150W. Also gold series power supplies have nothing whatsoever to do with being fan-less. Its only about power efficiency and tolerances on outputs.
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Of course I know what 80 Plus means....

Please Re-read my reply where it says in perhaps a mangled tense that: the best bet would be to find a reasonably efficient supply that AT THE STATED POWER CONSUMPTION WOULD BE ABLE TO OPERATE WITHOUT THE FAN... and then to DISCONNECT THE FAN!

This would be likely an 80 Plus Silver and or 80 Plus Bronze certified efficiency which would dissipating approx 40W~50W or so at the stated 100W load.
This kind of heat can be handled by natural convection cooling .... let's stop using terms like PASSIVE which in electronics means something completely different.

The IDEAL would be one that is 80 Plus GOLD certified and there are some namely the Seasonic X400 that are so efficient they are built without a fan. We can't get these locally though.
 
EffKay said:
Please Re-read my reply where it says in perhaps a mangled tense that: the best bet would be to find a reasonably efficient supply that AT THE STATED POWER CONSUMPTION WOULD BE ABLE TO OPERATE WITHOUT THE FAN... and then to DISCONNECT THE FAN!
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Interesting gambit, and one I would be bloody-minded enough to try (too). Thing is, that's an automatic warranty-voider (and we are all SOOO conditioned to fret over our precioussss warranties!) :rolleyes: and frankly (and just as well, all things considered), people are leery of opening up a power supply - there's some scary shiz in there, yo!

... let's stop using terms like PASSIVE which in electronics means something completely different.
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Well yes, and there's hardly something LESS 'passive' than a switch-mode power supply! You're entirely correct about the (ab)use of 'passive' there but you err in thinking in electronics terms; here 'passive' is more taken to mean 'without a fan', id est there's no moving part to circulate air, it just *cringe* 'passively' sits there...
 
Archer said:
In addition, you do realise that laptop power bricks are essentially passive power supplies and they range from 45W-150W.
Click to expand...

Laptop Power Supplies are SINGLE VOLTAGE output where it's MUCH easier making a power supply VERY efficient. A PC power supply must supply 4 different voltages at higher tolerances and with different characteristics.

And a Laptop power brick is typically Switchmode regulator power supply and neither a passive nor linear nor resistive voltage regulator. There's nothing PASSIVE about it... Stop using Passive.
 
bdt said:
Interesting gambit, and one I would be bloody-minded enough to try (too). Thing is, that's an automatic warranty-voider (and we are all SOOO conditioned to fret over our precioussss warranties!) :rolleyes: and frankly (and just as well, all things considered), people are leery of opening up a power supply - there's some scary shiz in there, yo!

Well yes, and there's hardly something LESS 'passive' than a switch-mode power supply! You're entirely correct about the (ab)use of 'passive' there but you err in thinking in electronics terms; here 'passive' is more taken to mean 'without a fan', id est there's no moving part to circulate air, it just *cringe* 'passively' sits there...
Click to expand...

Well for the record I had and still have a perfectly working PC running from a power supply where the damned internal fan began making a "grrrrinding" noise. So this widget was FAR out of the "full (operating) lifetime warranty" of 1-year, 1 minute, 59 seconds so being too lazy to hunt up a fan, I judged that since the PC was a bog standard "receptionist class" machine (Celeron + HDD + Motherboard and 512MB RAM) taking about 110W off a 400W PSU (not a fancy one I might add) then it would be OK to just open the PSU and disconnect the fan from the board and well the damn thing still works FINE!

Remember the heatsinks and fan assisted airflow of the PSU are designed for the 400W output. At a quarter that you need ... a quarter the airflow to maintain the same internal temperature of around 30degrees (PSU design guidelines)
And if you allow for a bit less than double ambient temperatures... (you're not going to stick your fingers in there are you?) or 50degrees, you can get away with 1/8th the airflow ... which is like blowing on them with your mouth or ... convection cooled.

The main barrier to this entire thing is the chassis selected for the HTPC... if it's got the PSU mounted in a place where you can achieve good natural convection flow where some holes can be drilled to the sides and / or bottom and then also on the top.
It's doable... OR have the PSU sitting outside the main PC chassis (connected by cables and mount the thing on the wall with the intake "front" facing down and the output "rear" facing up... After all if it's all hidden in a nice wall-unit then who cares what it looks like behind the nice HTPC chassis.
 
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