Your main complain is noise, but your table indicates 20dB up to 50% load, 22dB at 80% and you complain because it becomes louder (35dB) when you overload??
Form a table I got from other site:
TYPICAL SOUND LEVELS Jet takeoff (200 feet) 120 dBA Construction Site 110 dBA Intolerable Shout (5 feet) 100 dBA Heavy truck (50 feet) 90 dBA Very noisy Urban street 80 dBA Automobile interior 70 dBA Noisy Normal conversation (3 feet) 60 dBA Office, classroom 50 dBA Moderate Living room 40 dBA Bedroom at night 30 dBA Quiet Broadcast studio 20 dBA Rustling leaves 10 dBA Barely audible
So you are saying it is louder than expected because its sound level - up to more than 50% load (this is 500W what would require an i7 920 OC at 4.0 GZ with an HD5970) - is similar to a Broadcast studio?
Its loud compared to the manufacturer's claim of silence. There are plenty of PSU's that are silent. They should have called it the "CoolerMaster Nearly Silent Pro"
You also have to remember that different frequencies of sound are perceived differently to the human ear. There can be some very annoying quiet sounds (high frequency can be horrible), while some loud sounds (especially low frequency) can't even be perceived. Take your home theater sub; below about 15-20Hz can no longer be heard, but can be physically felt.
When calibrating my SVS PV-10 with a single tone drop from 150-0Hz it got to a point where I heard nothing but the walls were shaking. Really creepy and cool at the same time. I'm kind of shocked more horror movies don't put some odd inaudible noises in just to make your house moan. :)
Another 1000W PSU is great for those running overclocked hex-core quad SLI set-ups, however what I would really like and what nobody seems to offer is an 80 Plus Gold or Platinum 300W PSU that runs near enough silent.
I guess consumers only care about huge wattage ratings that they don't even come close to using whilst the quality low watt PSUs go to the large OEMs?
You're just not going to find a 300w quality supply. 400-500 yes and that is where I normally shop, but everything does tend now to be above that range.
And as for your second statement, quality OEM PSU's? Thanks for the laugh.....:)
Actually, this PSU wouldn't work for hex-core quad SLI. Oh, there might be 4 SLI capable video cards that it could power, but I highly doubt it.
There really is use for the high end PSUs. Consider the person who installs 2 Geforce 480s in SLI. That person needs 42A for each card for a total of 84A, which automatically makes this PSU unsuitable, because it is rated to supply a maximum of 80A @ 12V, and that's not including anything else that runs on 12V. A person considering 2 480s in SLI needs to consider a 1200W PSU, and needs to pay close attention to the rails on the one he/she buys, so that each the cards don't try to draw more power from a rail than it is rated to supply.
The fact is, Anandtech rates lower power PSUs on as regular a basis as much as they do the higher end units. True, I haven't seen them rate any 300W PSUs in quite awhile, but it takes very little these days to need more than that, considering modern CPUs and video cards (the CPU alone would take up 1/3 to 1/2 the power). Anandtech was started as and I think still is primarily a site for enthusiasts, and there aren't many people who are going to build with a 300W PSU.
Maybe there's some apps for them though; HTPC? Still, it seems to me that a suggestion could be made in a positive tone rather than one that bashes people for being interested in the high end market.
Consider too, that review sites often tell us about the products that manufacturers send them for evaluation, and manufacturers send flagship models. What the manufacturer tends to think is if you read a good review about their top end PSU, you'll buy a lower end unit thinking it's built with the same care. Unfortunately, that's often not the case, especially with PSUs, so your point is quite valid, they should be tested on their own.
You clearly have no Idea what you are taking about in regards to the GTX 480's in SLI. The maximum powerdraw of a single GTX 480 is 250 watts / 12V rail = 21A not 42A. Now Two GTX 480's in SLI would use a Total Max of 42A there by saturating slightly more than 50% of the 12V Rail.
Now if you look the CPU side even the power hungry Hexa Core i7-990X is rated at 130 Watt TDP. Doing some simple match 130W / 12V = 10.8 A.
So in total without overclocking we only just used up 63 A out of the available 80A leaving 17A more headroom to play around with overclocking as you need it. And that's only if everything is working at 100% load which isn't a likely scenario unless you are running multiple benchmarks at a time.
I agree with cactusdog. Of course we have seen worse results. But in this case, the manufacturer is using the word "Silent" in his name. So it shouldn't be louder than the smaller Silent Pro, which are very quiet.
Power Supplies this strong are made for CF and SLI gymnastics, right? So if you've got 2 or 3 high end graphic cards stacked how are you going to cool them? Passively?....I don't think so. Now, I dont know how load those coolers are going to be but one can bet they're gonna be loader than 20dba......so this fuss about 20dba being too load is irrelevant or should we say ridiculous... If you're building audio workstation...that's another story....but you're not gonna need 1000W, thats for sure...
Who needs 1000W PS anyway.... 99,9999% of people get nothing with it but bragging rights... My 625W Enermax is more than I will ever need and even with that I often ask myself if I ever am gonna need that much power.... taking into consideration that my i7 920 and HD 4870 are not exactly 'power saving components'....
Agreed. 1kW is far too much for most PCs. One of my PCs has 380W PS and the other has 330W PS. Both have a video card installed. If you have only one video card (read: 90% of PC owners), you don't need over 350W.
My 5870 is silent when idling, most of them are these days so 2X silent is still silent. Fan noise is annoying to me(and others) i spend carefully to avoid noise and i have a silent highend gaming rig. If the manufacturer claims the PSU to be silent it needs to silent.
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22 Comments
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pg55555 - Sunday, September 5, 2010 - link
Your main complain is noise, but your table indicates 20dB up to 50% load, 22dB at 80% and you complain because it becomes louder (35dB) when you overload??Form a table I got from other site:
TYPICAL SOUND LEVELS
Jet takeoff (200 feet) 120 dBA
Construction Site 110 dBA Intolerable
Shout (5 feet) 100 dBA
Heavy truck (50 feet) 90 dBA Very noisy
Urban street 80 dBA
Automobile interior 70 dBA Noisy
Normal conversation (3 feet) 60 dBA
Office, classroom 50 dBA Moderate
Living room 40 dBA
Bedroom at night 30 dBA Quiet
Broadcast studio 20 dBA
Rustling leaves 10 dBA Barely audible
So you are saying it is louder than expected because its sound level - up to more than 50% load (this is 500W what would require an i7 920 OC at 4.0 GZ with an HD5970) - is similar to a Broadcast studio?
cactusdog - Monday, September 6, 2010 - link
Its loud compared to the manufacturer's claim of silence. There are plenty of PSU's that are silent. They should have called it the "CoolerMaster Nearly Silent Pro"cactusdog - Monday, September 6, 2010 - link
My experience with fans is 20dB is just audible in a quiet room. 22dB(80% load) is clearly audible so it cant claim to be silent.7Enigma - Monday, September 6, 2010 - link
You also have to remember that different frequencies of sound are perceived differently to the human ear. There can be some very annoying quiet sounds (high frequency can be horrible), while some loud sounds (especially low frequency) can't even be perceived. Take your home theater sub; below about 15-20Hz can no longer be heard, but can be physically felt.When calibrating my SVS PV-10 with a single tone drop from 150-0Hz it got to a point where I heard nothing but the walls were shaking. Really creepy and cool at the same time. I'm kind of shocked more horror movies don't put some odd inaudible noises in just to make your house moan. :)
sonicology - Monday, September 6, 2010 - link
Another 1000W PSU is great for those running overclocked hex-core quad SLI set-ups, however what I would really like and what nobody seems to offer is an 80 Plus Gold or Platinum 300W PSU that runs near enough silent.I guess consumers only care about huge wattage ratings that they don't even come close to using whilst the quality low watt PSUs go to the large OEMs?
7Enigma - Monday, September 6, 2010 - link
You're just not going to find a 300w quality supply. 400-500 yes and that is where I normally shop, but everything does tend now to be above that range.And as for your second statement, quality OEM PSU's? Thanks for the laugh.....:)
Sabresiberian - Wednesday, September 8, 2010 - link
Actually, this PSU wouldn't work for hex-core quad SLI. Oh, there might be 4 SLI capable video cards that it could power, but I highly doubt it.There really is use for the high end PSUs. Consider the person who installs 2 Geforce 480s in SLI. That person needs 42A for each card for a total of 84A, which automatically makes this PSU unsuitable, because it is rated to supply a maximum of 80A @ 12V, and that's not including anything else that runs on 12V. A person considering 2 480s in SLI needs to consider a 1200W PSU, and needs to pay close attention to the rails on the one he/she buys, so that each the cards don't try to draw more power from a rail than it is rated to supply.
The fact is, Anandtech rates lower power PSUs on as regular a basis as much as they do the higher end units. True, I haven't seen them rate any 300W PSUs in quite awhile, but it takes very little these days to need more than that, considering modern CPUs and video cards (the CPU alone would take up 1/3 to 1/2 the power). Anandtech was started as and I think still is primarily a site for enthusiasts, and there aren't many people who are going to build with a 300W PSU.
Maybe there's some apps for them though; HTPC? Still, it seems to me that a suggestion could be made in a positive tone rather than one that bashes people for being interested in the high end market.
Consider too, that review sites often tell us about the products that manufacturers send them for evaluation, and manufacturers send flagship models. What the manufacturer tends to think is if you read a good review about their top end PSU, you'll buy a lower end unit thinking it's built with the same care. Unfortunately, that's often not the case, especially with PSUs, so your point is quite valid, they should be tested on their own.
r3quiem - Tuesday, December 20, 2011 - link
You clearly have no Idea what you are taking about in regards to the GTX 480's in SLI. The maximum powerdraw of a single GTX 480 is 250 watts / 12V rail = 21A not 42A. Now Two GTX 480's in SLI would use a Total Max of 42A there by saturating slightly more than 50% of the 12V Rail.Now if you look the CPU side even the power hungry Hexa Core i7-990X is rated at 130 Watt TDP. Doing some simple match 130W / 12V = 10.8 A.
So in total without overclocking we only just used up 63 A out of the available 80A leaving 17A more headroom to play around with overclocking as you need it. And that's only if everything is working at 100% load which isn't a likely scenario unless you are running multiple benchmarks at a time.
7Enigma - Monday, September 6, 2010 - link
Article seems a bit odd without any introduction, just jumping right into the contents of the product. Me thinks a page is missing!Martin Kaffei - Monday, September 6, 2010 - link
Sry, you're right. Fixed!I agree with cactusdog. Of course we have seen worse results. But in this case, the manufacturer is using the word "Silent" in his name. So it shouldn't be louder than the smaller Silent Pro, which are very quiet.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2613/8
FinBenton - Monday, September 6, 2010 - link
I have this PSU, it has been working ok but computer cannot go to sleep with this psu and fan is definitely audible even when no stress on hardware.Beenthere - Monday, September 6, 2010 - link
Don't care for the flat cables at all. They are a PITA and obstruct airflow. With quiet fans available there is little need for noise these days.hsew - Monday, September 6, 2010 - link
It's too bad we don't see more PSU reviews from this site more often. This is one of the few sites that properly tests PSUs.redwolfe98 - Tuesday, September 7, 2010 - link
every review of a "cooler master" power supply that i read mentions some defect..having half of the air-intake blocked is stupid..
pkoi - Tuesday, September 7, 2010 - link
Heatsinks have way too little surface area.pkoi - Tuesday, September 7, 2010 - link
What a piece of S...Imagginer - Tuesday, September 7, 2010 - link
Power Supplies this strong are made for CF and SLI gymnastics, right? So if you've got 2 or 3 high end graphic cards stacked how are you going to cool them? Passively?....I don't think so. Now, I dont know how load those coolers are going to be but one can bet they're gonna be loader than 20dba......so this fuss about 20dba being too load is irrelevant or should we say ridiculous...If you're building audio workstation...that's another story....but you're not gonna need 1000W, thats for sure...
Imagginer - Tuesday, September 7, 2010 - link
PS.Who needs 1000W PS anyway.... 99,9999% of people get nothing with it but bragging rights...
My 625W Enermax is more than I will ever need and even with that I often ask myself if I ever am gonna need that much power.... taking into consideration that my i7 920 and HD 4870 are not exactly 'power saving components'....
jdietz - Tuesday, September 7, 2010 - link
Agreed. 1kW is far too much for most PCs. One of my PCs has 380W PS and the other has 330W PS. Both have a video card installed. If you have only one video card (read: 90% of PC owners), you don't need over 350W.Martin Kaffei - Tuesday, September 7, 2010 - link
Hi,for my next review I got an Antec Earth Watts Green 380W. Hope, you'll like it.
Imagginer - Thursday, September 9, 2010 - link
No worries... Even when I say I don't need it, I still don't mind reading about it :)cactusdog - Tuesday, September 7, 2010 - link
My 5870 is silent when idling, most of them are these days so 2X silent is still silent.Fan noise is annoying to me(and others) i spend carefully to avoid noise and i have a silent highend gaming rig. If the manufacturer claims the PSU to be silent it needs to silent.