SeaSonic PSU question?

[bdk74]

So I've decided that I want to go with Seasonic Focus 550 currently at 99+tax.

 

I have found local listing for new Seasonic Focus Gold 750FM at $90 with no taxes.

 

Looking for a quiet system PSU. Let me know your thoughts!

[homeap5]

Quiet? Then choose BeQuiet. I have Seasonic Prime Gold and it's silent - until fan starts. Then noise is not loud, but sound is unpleasant. Check on youtube.

[bdk74]

4 minutes ago, homeap5 said:

I have Seasonic Prime Gold and it's silent -

They have the fanless mode and I believe quality and warranty is far more superior on Seasonic don't you think?

[homeap5]

6 minutes ago, bdk74 said:

They have the fanless mode and I believe quality and warranty is far more superior on Seasonic don't you think?

No. After few years I don't think so. I'm not taking about fanless mode, that is obvious is silent then. And quality? I trusted more BeQuiet (not cheapest serie of course). I must plug my internal hotswap enclosure to another cable to prevent voltage spikes (big enough to freeze my PC once or twice). But of course it's your choice - if you want advice, I give you my advice. If you want only confirmation that your choice is good - ok, buy SeaSonic. Is not bad, I'm just prefer BeQuiet.

[Oalei]

12 minutes ago, bdk74 said:

They have the fanless mode and I believe quality and warranty is far more superior on Seasonic don't you think?

I have a be quiet U9 400W the fan isis always running but it's on low. The reason it's running cause of be quiet motto iirc not because they can't use a silent mode. Quality depends on what models are we comparing it, not a the brand name. 

[bdk74]

3 minutes ago, Oalei said:

I have a be quiet U9 400W the fan is running 100% but it's on low. The reason it's running cause of be quiet motto iirc not because they can't use a silent mode. Quality depends on what models are we comparing it, not a the brand name. 

So what model (beQuiet) would you recommend for 500 or 650 watt req?

[Oalei]

8 minutes ago, bdk74 said:

So what model (beQuiet) would you recommend for 500 or 650 watt req?

Pure power or straight power line up is good. Honestly the GX is good, if you consider other options like TXm, Whisper M, etc etc then you can check the psu tier list. 

[bdk74]

1 hour ago, homeap5 said:

I must plug my internal hotswap enclosure to another cable to prevent voltage spikes (big enough to freeze my PC once or twice). But of course it's your choice

what do you mean here?

[homeap5]

7 hours ago, bdk74 said:

what do you mean here?

Nothing that most of people use every day. :)

[Guest]

9 hours ago, bdk74 said:

I believe quality and warranty is far more superior on Seasonic don't you think?

Umm... Not necessarily.

 

[Juular]

13 hours ago, homeap5 said:

Quiet? Then choose BeQuiet. I have Seasonic Prime Gold and it's silent - until fan starts. Then noise is not loud, but sound is unpleasant. Check on youtube.

PRIME Gold has Hong Hua FDB fan, i wouldn't say it would be noisy or smth, are you talking about some specific type of noise that isn't just fan working noise ? Like ticking or smth.

Be quiet! SW3 fans they use in their high-end PSUs are certainly good but don't base your choice only on one manufacturer. Seasonic Focus GX which is currently one of the cheapest options in US are semi-fanless too and depending on OP's workloads it might not even ever spin it up so nothing to hear. If it's gaming for example as it would draw about 300-400W depending on build.

[bdk74]

6 hours ago, Juular said:

PRIME Gold has Hong Hua FDB fan, i wouldn't say it would be noisy or smth, are you talking about some specific type of noise that isn't just fan working noise ? Like ticking or smth.

Be quiet! SW3 fans they use in their high-end PSUs are certainly good but don't base your choice only on one manufacturer. Seasonic Focus GX which is currently one of the cheapest options in US are semi-fanless too and depending on OP's workloads it might not even ever spin it up so nothing to hear. If it's gaming for example as it would draw about 300-400W depending on build.

Peak gaming for rx 5700 red dragon is about ~200 + everything else.

 

With Silent mode staying till 50% on the GX version there is a good chance fan will be almost stealth

 

[bdk74]

10 hours ago, jonnyGURU said:

Umm... Not necessarily.

 

As far as the quality goes which company is far more superior (reliability, components etc..)? I i.e: Seasonic gives 10 years warranty vs 7 with BQ.

[Alan G]

I can only tell you my experience.  I've done maybe 15 builds over the years, all with Seasonic PSUs.  I had one failure after warranty with a G-360 on my HTPC that stopped giving the power good signal on coming out of sleep (I no longer put the HTPC to sleep, keeping it on 24/7; same with my workstation).  My workstation sits on a small desk and is maybe 10 inches away from my seat.  My new build is in a Fractal Define R6 with a Seasonic Focus Gold 650 W PSU that I run in hybrid mode.  It's totally silent.  I don't game but do a fair amount of programming and financial calculations.  Maybe these don't stress things as much but I've been happy with how quiet it is.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, bdk74 said:

As far as the quality goes which company is far more superior (reliability, components etc..)? I i.e: Seasonic gives 10 years warranty vs 7 with BQ.

I don't want to throw any brand under the bus or look like I'm shilling for anyone, but this list gives you a good idea:

 

https://www.hardware.fr/articles/962-3/alimentations.html

 

Sorry it's so old.  I'd like to see it updated some time.

 

It's not a very complete list, but it does give a good idea that perception of "quality" is sometimes only portrayed in the (professional) reviews you see.  And that end user reviews are often incomplete since some companies move much greater volume than others, it's more likely for a user to post a negative review than a positive review, and there's no accounting for user error (i.e. people not using the cables that came with their PSU, etc.)

 

Also, length of warranty is not a gauge either.  Any PSU company can give a PSU a 10 year warranty if their support system can handle it.  beQuiet is a relatively small company and tends to do things fairly conservatively.

 

 

[bdk74]

2 hours ago, jonnyGURU said:

Any PSU company can give a PSU a 10 year warranty if their support system can handle it. 

Its not the support system can or can't handle - its the confidence. 10 years tells you something about the product and company vs 5 or 7. Being able to get a replacement near 10 years of service is a nice perk. My current build is 8+ years and knock on the wood the psu is still breathing but already 3 years past.

 

2 hours ago, jonnyGURU said:

beQuiet is a relatively small company and tends to do things fairly conservatively.

For me it seems like BQ is focusing strongly on the marketing imho. Sometimes that doesn't go along with the quality/reliability or performance/$ i.e one of their heatsinks (slim vs hyper 212) being $30 more for the same performance - just one example...  Don't get me wrong, their products look "cool" and catchy but.. I've found that products without fancy names and/or covers are far more superior and thus they don't have to push marketing that hard....

[bdk74]

2 hours ago, Alan G said:

Fractal Define R6

Thanks for your feedback. Btw how do you like the case? I was leaning toward h510 but the R6 looks pretty nice as well.....

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, bdk74 said:

Its not the support system can or can't handle - its the confidence. 10 years tells you something about the product and company vs 5 or 7.

No.  You're wrong.  Sorry.

 

It's marketing.

 

Here's an example:  Toyotas are known for reliability.  They have a 3 year bumper-to-bumper warranty (5 year drive train).  

 

I have nothing against Hyundai, but they're definitely not known for reliability (although the Genesis line is getting a lot of praise lately) and they have a 5 year (10 year drive train).

 

Hyundai's long warranty has enticed a lot of people to buy their cars... but they didn't necessarily last any longer than if they bought a Toyota.

 

 

 

[bdk74]

1 minute ago, jonnyGURU said:

No.  You're wrong.  Sorry.

 

It's marketing.

 

 

true but I rather see this type of marketing than a cool logo.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, bdk74 said:

Peak gaming for rx 5700 red dragon is about ~200 + everything else.

 

With Silent mode staying till 50% on the GX version there is a good chance fan will be almost stealth

 

Like most PSUs (but not all), the Seasonic fan controller is actually controlled by temperature.  Not load.  That's why they note that this particular curve was measured with the PSU sitting in a 25°C environment.  

[bdk74]

2 minutes ago, jonnyGURU said:

Like most PSUs (but not all), the Seasonic fan controller is actually controlled by temperature.  Not load.  That's why they note that this particular curve was measured with the PSU sitting in a 25°C environment.  

Wow that's not something I've noticed. Good call.

[bdk74]

10 minutes ago, jonnyGURU said:

Like most PSUs (but not all), the Seasonic fan controller is actually controlled by temperature.  Not load.  That's why they note that this particular curve was measured with the PSU sitting in a 25°C environment.  

hold on i take it back, it is controlled by the load (x axis) and fan speed (y axis). i.e up to 30% load is fanless...

[seon123]

2 minutes ago, bdk74 said:

hold on i take it back, it is controlled by the load (x axis) and fan speed (y axis). i.e up to 30% load is fanless...

No, it's not. Higher load means higher temperatures. If you test the PSU at a higher temperature, the fan speed at each load will change. Check Cybenetics for actually relevant test data. 

[OrionFOTL]

7 minutes ago, bdk74 said:

hold on i take it back, it is controlled by the load (x axis) and fan speed (y axis). i.e up to 30% load is fanless...

Seasonic making a chart with fan speed and load on the axes doesn't mean fan speed is controlled by the load. It's just an observation put into visual form.

 

If I see you being happy on one day, wearing a red shirt, and then I see you being sad on another day, wearing a green shirt, that doesn't mean your mood is controller by your shirt.

[bdk74]

5 minutes ago, seon123 said:

Higher load means higher temperatures.

Obviously so load == temperature, higher load/temperature the faster the fan.