What's the verdict?

[Aerocube]

Hello there,

 

I made a topic yesterday under "Troubleshooting", pertaining to the noise coming from my computer.

We narrowed it down to my stock fans on my H80i, but that does not seem to be the culprit after all. I exchanged the stock fans for quiet edition SP120s, and nothing changed.

 

I've come to the conclusion, that it is my PSU.

How did I come to that? Well, I tried booting without my H80i pump running, my HDDs, my GPU, my 140mm fans, and it's still loud, so the only thing left running, is the PSU.

If I were to exchange the PSU, I need some information about what "the right stuff is".

Corsair's PSU range from 120$ - 250$+

The CX750M for example, from Corsair, is 95$ in my country, and is very well rated on the site from which I can buy it.

 

What I need to know, is what is the bare minimum you should pay for a decent PSU? I know you ought to invest heavily in it, because you want quality, but I'm not sure how the price:quality ratio is now, compared to when I bought my current PSU, some 5 years ago.

 

I appreciate any and all input

 

Thanks,

[ImBleu]

If you're after quiet, I'd recommend the Corsair RM750, 850 or 1000, depending on your needs.

 

As for which PSU is better, 80+ Silver/Gold/Platinum is great, Modular is Tidy, and JonnyGuru.com is the best place for PSU reviews, I'd recommend looking up different PSUs on the site.

[DeViLzzz]

You can get good psus for as low as $59 Canadian if you find the right deal.  It is always about finding the deal.  I have an Antec Earthwatts psu 650 watts that rates really well and yet was cheap.

You can also pay more for crap and that is what I did when I took a chance on a Mushkin Joule 1000 watt psu some time ago. LOL I paid $99 for the thing and it was crap the first day I used it.

Point is you can find many expensive psus out there that are just crud.  It is more about choosing a reliable brand than how much you spend.  Visit that website ThatCoolBlueKidd mentioned as JonnyGuru.com is the best place for PSU reviews but I will say of course they don't review them all but what they do review they do a good job of reviewing.

If you can find an affordable SeaSonic then of course you go for it.  Despite my dislike for Corsair for personal reasons they seem to be putting out loads of good quality psus so go for them too.  As for Antec people mention they made crud in the past but I haven't seen complaints about their psus for years now.  They are definitely in my top 2.

[AlwaysFSX]

While I agree you can chuck out your current PSU for another if it's loud, just replace the fan?

[Aerocube]

The RM750 is only $140, that's pretty cheap, but I suppose the low price is not indicative of it's quality?

Regarding my needs, I assume you mean wattage needs, and in that case, the 750 should be sufficient, as I am currently running with 650w, and my system only draws about 400w~

[Aerocube]

Indeed, I guess I could replace the fan, but the PSU is 5 years~ old after all, it doesn't have modular cables, which clutters my cable management, and it also surges quite a bit, and vibrates the case.

I've never been inside a PSU before, so I'm on unfamiliar turf regarding that, maybe I could watch a YouTube video or something..

I did watch one recently, but the guy removed the cable from the original fan, and soldered it onto the new fan, can I expect to do the same thing? How simple is the replacement procedure?

[Liam-McShane]

Indeed, I guess I could replace the fan, but the PSU is 5 years~ old after all, it doesn't have modular cables, which clutters my cable management, and it also surges quite a bit, and vibrates the case.

I've never been inside a PSU before, so I'm on unfamiliar turf regarding that, maybe I could watch a YouTube video or something..

I did watch one recently, but the guy removed the cable from the original fan, and soldered it onto the new fan, can I expect to do the same thing? How simple is the replacement procedure?

Some need to be soldered whereas others just plug into a daughter board. Where a fan plugs directly into a PSU they normally use a 2 pin and a standard 3 pin fan connector will not fit so you would need an adapter. Since your PSU is so old i think it is worth replacing the whole PSU for a more reliable and modern PSU.