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I'm looking for PSU suggestions. I've got a Corsair 750D Airflow case, so the PSU is mounted in the bottom and isolated from the rest of the system. I've got a 4690K running at 1.3v with a H115i CLC and Geforce 1080. I'd guess under load with everything else thrown in I'm not using much more than 500W if that.

So I'm looking for a PSU that can satisfy the following:
1) Passively cooled (with no coil whine from the PSU; not sure if that's a potential problem) below a certain power draw. Hopefully a high enough threshold the CPU can be at 100% load without the fan kicking on.
2) Modular.
3) Enough wattage to throw in a second 1080 GPU (or some future ~300W single GPU), or a switch to an overclocked Intel HEDT chip, or both.
4) Gaudy RED (or programmable RGB I can make red) LEDs inside the PSU would be a tiny plus, but not really important.

That's a tough set of requirements. I'm not aware of anything fanless / passively cooled with those requirements, but there are PSUs that don't turn the fan on until needed.

For two examples, you could look at Seasonic SS-750KM3 or Siverstone SST-ST70F-TI.

Try the $175 SeaSonic Platinum SS-1050XP3 or SS-860XP2 or their flagship Prime Titanium SSR-850TD for $171-20MIR, reviewed here.  JonnyGuru doesn't give many products a full 10 out of 10.

I'm not sure I get the requirements. Most good modern PSUs make little if any noise even when extremely loaded down...at which point your GPU and CPU fans are going to be making a lot more of a racket.

Pretty common among high-end units is a 0rpm or a very low fan speed... eVGA SuperNOVA P2 units in particular are probably also worth a look in addition to the high-end Seasonic's, as well as the Corsair AX units.

Jonnyguru, SilentPCReview, and quite a few other quality PSU review sites are pretty good about indicating when the PSU fan is not spinning as well if memory serves.

I didn't mean a unit that had no fan and was entirely passively cooled, just that it would be inaudible because of the fan being off entirely or spinning at low RPM when the CPU and/or GPU aren't under heavy load and a lot of power is being used. I was aware the feature existed, but haven't been shopping for a PSU in a couple years and never was in the market for a 600W+ one, so I wasn't sure if there was like a Coolermaster EVO 212 of PSUs that's widely recommended, cheap, but effective and reliable and people would say "get this one!"

I'll check the reviews sites mentioned and see check the brands/series/models suggested on Amazon and Newegg. Thank you everybody. Any additional input's welcome.

EVGA's G2 lineup has been one of the better platforms lately.  They have semi-passive operation.  It looks like you could run a pair of GTX1080's with a 750W PSU, so the EVGA 750 G2 for $90 after MIR would fit the bill nicely.  Heck, it was recommended by TR in their December system build guide, what more is there to say?

Corsair has the RM series that features the 0 RPM mode until it hits a certain wattage and/or temperature. However earlier versions were a bit bugged where it could go into autoshut down before the fan was able to cool things off. You'd lose unsaved work but this did keep things intact where they could power on after everything cooled down again. A PSU is one of those things you want to invest in a reliable unit so I'd play it safe and avoid the Corsair RM series.

Check out the Seasonic power supplies. Very quiet. When my 'gold certified' unit failed after about 2 years they immediately sent me a new one (5 year warranty). Some even have a 7 year warranty. That's important because the power supply is the most likely thing to fail.

the wrote:

Corsair has the RM series that features the 0 RPM mode until it hits a certain wattage and/or temperature.  However earlier versions were a bit bugged where it could go into autoshut down before the fan was able to cool things off.  You'd lose unsaved work but this did keep things intact where they could power on after everything cooled down again.  A PSU is one of those things you want to invest in a reliable unit so I'd play it safe and avoid the Corsair RM series.

Not a fan of turning off the fan, but I've seen the Corsair models demonstrated with it and would second those. You're gonna pay a lot for a 1Kw or higher model that has it though as generally lower wattage PSUs won't support the feature.

I'll plop in another vote for Seasonic. I have the SS-660XP2 and have quite literally never heard it once.

They also have the PRIME series as already mentioned. I'm not sure I'd pay that much for a PSU considering the wealth of options on the market, but hey who am I to discourage quality product use.

FWIW, I don't think you should really be looking at a power supply in which you're going to be using only ~50 percent of its rated capacity (usually where the fan turns on in these hybrid mode fan curves). These newer power supplies are really very quiet, and you'll be better served all things considered with a power supply that fits your needs more closely. I think the 750W or at most 850W models would do quite well in this application.

evilpaul wrote:

I'm looking for PSU suggestions. I've got a Corsair 750D Airflow case, so the PSU is mounted in the bottom and isolated from the rest of the system. I've got a 4690K running at 1.3v with a H115i CLC and Geforce 1080. I'd guess under load with everything else thrown in I'm not using much more than 500W if that.

So I'm looking for a PSU that can satisfy the following:
1) Passively cooled (with no coil whine from the PSU; not sure if that's a potential problem) below a certain power draw. Hopefully a high enough threshold the CPU can be at 100% load without the fan kicking on.
2) Modular.
3) Enough wattage to throw in a second 1080 GPU (or some future ~300W single GPU), or a switch to an overclocked Intel HEDT chip, or both.
4) Gaudy RED (or programmable RGB I can make red) LEDs inside the PSU would be a tiny plus, but not really important.

For 100% quiet, I would go for fanless product, such as https://seasonic.com/product/platinum-520/
With the fan but almost silent, try Snow Silent 750 or 1050.
https://seasonic.com/product-category/c ... -products/

Going fanless with your case might be a bad choice. The requirement for fanless is convection, so side with the big fan which normal sucks in air should be facing up to allow heat to rise and escape. During load, your PSU would be getting hot GPU/case air forced throw it, which is fine only if you have dedicated fan or really good air flow setup.

As for silent operation during web browsing,... im very happy with my Corsair SF450. Have had since May of last year. Never seen the fan every come on during normal usage. I've pushed as high as around 200watts for extended periods of time w/o fan coming on. But i also have mine in good fanless setup, top of case, vent out of top...

In short, if you want good fanless operation, you need to have it setup in a proper fanless setup. If you have good airflow, you'll probably be OK for idle/browsing usage. Remember fanless, means vent up for convection. Read the manual for the PSU you are looking at for the fine print, for fanless operation, it likely has quite strict requirements.

Each line has its own pros and cons. Depending on the setup, we will use the right one, right? Currently, I'm using one fanless for my nude computer case, with water cooling. There was nothing I have to worry about heating up.

Based on my experience I would also reccomend the Seasonic Prime Titanium SSR-850TD. Definitely check it out.