Quieter PSU!!

[xroyal]

Far from original, but I saved a noisey Sparkle 400 PSU by exchanging the loud Nidec fan for a Coolermaster DAF-B82 thermal controlled fan. Simple change, but so soothing to my ears!

[drzaius2]

ya.. i'm going to get a 2000rpm 80mm fan for my PS soon enough.. then vold mod it to 7v so it would run around 1200-1300rpm.. whisper quiet ..

the PS itself (250w) could probably run without a fan.. but i'd rather not do that.. as i tried it, and it got hot and made squeeling noises at me.

[Todd a]

I get a little worried about lowering the cooling in a power supply. I have the destinct impression they can fail easier if not cooled and I have gone through a few power supplies over the years.

[drzaius2]

what be me at ease about that are the total silent PSU's by zalman and a few others.. they probably use better parts and big heatsinks, but it shows the concept is possible.. and even a 80mm fan at 1000rpm can do ~15cfm.. so it's not that bad to have slow fans.

[Todd a]

But remember those quite power supplies are designed around the lower airflow. Modding the fans in a powersupply will raise the heat. You push a power supply that does not have enough cooling and you will fry it. I like the Antec True Power ones. They are also VERY quiet. They also can take better loads than most "quiet" power supplies like Zalman.

[drzaius2]

touche

[xroyal]

Here's a link to the fan, and note it'll go from 1000-2500 RPMs via the thermal sensor. Their pic isn't accurate w/respect to wires. The power connector goes just fine to PFAN1 on my MB. I mounted the probe between the BIG heatsinks. Comes w/3-4 pin adaptor too. $8 shipped via Newegg, and well spent for me!

http://www.coolermaster.com/index.ph...B82+Case%20Fan

P.S. I already use 2 manually adjustable 80x80 Enermaxes on my CPU and exhaust, but preferred auto control for the PSU. This fan was suggested by an engineer (Moderator) I respect at another forum.