What is the best budget PSU for a quiet office workstation?

Question

I'm trying to put together a computer for my home office because my old laptop finally died on me. I really need it to be quiet though since I do voice recordings in my tiny apartment and any humming drives me crazy. I'm looking at power supplies and honestly I have no idea what any of these gold or bronze ratings even mean. I dont want to spend more than like 50 or 60 bucks if I can help it. Does anyone know a cheap one that wont make a ton of noise while I'm just typing or on zoom calls? Sorry if this is a really basic question but Im totally lost...

BrownieBootlegger · Accepted Answer

Jumping in here... @Reply #2 - good point on the wattage overhead, but unfortunately, many of those entry-level units still use sleeve bearing fans that develop an annoying clicking sound over time. I found the CX and GD series to be quite disappointing for critical recording environments because their fan profiles are way more aggressive than advertised. If youre doing voice work, you really need something that stays quiet at idle. At that $60 limit, its honestly tough to find total silence, but the Cooler Master MWE Gold 550 V2 550W 80+ Gold is frequently on sale and performs much better than the budget EVGA options I have tested. Another decent pick is the Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600W 80+ Gold. Its a bit basic and the component quality isnt world-class, but the fan is manageable for zoom calls and typing... just dont expect miracles if you start pushing the system hard.

OKDWLX · Answer

Honestly those efficiency ratings like Gold or Bronze basically tell you how much power is wasted as heat. Higher efficiency means less heat, so the fan doesnt have to spin as fast. If youre doing voice recording, I would suggest looking at the be quiet! Pure Power 11 400W 80 Plus Gold. It uses a silent-optimized 120mm fan and DC-to-DC conversion for better voltage stability. Be careful with something like the EVGA 500 W1 500W 80 Plus White tho. While it fits the budget, it uses a cheaper sleeve bearing fan that can develop a rattle over time. The Pure Power is significantly quieter because it hits about 92 percent efficiency at typical office loads. Make sure you check your total power draw... but for just typing and Zoom, 400W is more than enough. I would avoid the ultra-budget units since they usually have higher noise floors and higher ripple.