[Tyberious Funk]

After weeks of procrastinating, I've finally started to plan my build. I wanted something relatively silent, energy efficient and cheap. The media itself is stored on a central server (my trusty HP N40L). I'd notionally set myself a benchmark of $400 (Aussie dollars, that is). Here is what I have so far;

Motherboard - AsRock A55M-HVS A55 HDMI Glan FM1 Socket DDR3 $59
CPU - AMD A6 3500 Triple Core Fusion - $65
HDD - Patriot 32GB TORQX-2 $49
Case - Silverstone ML03 Black Slim HTPC Case - $75
RAM - Spare 4GB stick leftover from server build - $0

This brings me up to $248, quite nicely short of my $400 limit. So I've been tossing up between a PicoPSU (say, around $100), which is small and relatively efficient, but apparently the fan on the 120w brick can be quite loud. Maybe I can get away with a lower rated PicoPSU? ie, one that uses a fanless brick.

Alternatively, I can "splurge" on something like the Seasonic X-400 Gold ($169), which is the cheapest Gold certified PSU I can find around here, and being fanless should be pretty quiet. I'm concerned, though, that being fanless it might generate a bit too much heat. The ML03 isn't the smallest of cases, but it's not exactly huge either. I can't really go any larger because I don't have the physical space.

[wsume99]

I have the adapter you are talking about and the fan is loud but it does not turn on until you are drawing more than about 85 watts. So you'll likely never even hear it turn on with your setup - I know I never do with mine. If you are that concerned about it then get a different adapter. I think the next largest one does not have a fan just check the picoPSU website.

[Dougie Fresh]

Since you have the budget get the picoPSU 120-WI-25 and a 19V adapter.
picoPSU 120-WI-25
Anker 19V 6.3A 120W AC adapter

See this article: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?nam...9&reid=207 (go down to picoSPU 120-WI-25 and 19V adapter conclusion)

You'll also need a molex-to-P4 adapter and perhaps a molex or SATA power splitter if you plan to add more drives. You also should consider what to do with the empty PSU bay and where to mount the picoPSU power jack: http://www.ecosmartpc.com/atxnofan.html

This PSU works very well in the ML03. It's smaller than an ATX so it's much shorter and it comes with an adapter plate to fit the ATX PSU bay:
FSP Group FSP300-60GHS-R 300W SFX12V 80 PLUS Certified Power Supply

[Tyberious Funk]

I have the adapter you are talking about and the fan is loud but it does not turn on until you are drawing more than about 85 watts. So you'll likely never even hear it turn on with your setup - I know I never do with mine.

Are you referring to the htpc in your sig? If so, I reckon you'd have a higher power requirement than me...

I was getting a little bit paranoid because the power requirements I calculated here suggested I was going to need a bit more grunt than the low-end PicoPSU's could handle. Maybe they are overestimating.

[Whitehead685]

Ask any good computer technician what the most important component is in your PC and the likely answer will be the power supply so chose it wisely.It would be better for your PC.

[Dougie Fresh]

I build A6-3500/A75 HTPCs all the time with 120W PSUs. Measuring power draw at the wall they max out at 80W. In normal usage it's around 40W.

[bluray]

How about "SilverStone Strider 400W, 80 PLUS, Active PFC Power Supply ST40F-ES"? It is designed for ML03. The owners of ST40F-ES and ML03 likes it......

You'll never have to worry about under power, and you'll have plenty of room for future upgrades.....

[wsume99]

I have the adapter you are talking about and the fan is loud but it does not turn on until you are drawing more than about 85 watts. So you'll likely never even hear it turn on with your setup - I know I never do with mine.

Are you referring to the htpc in your sig? If so, I reckon you'd have a higher power requirement than me...

I was getting a little bit paranoid because the power requirements I calculated here suggested I was going to need a bit more grunt than the low-end PicoPSU's could handle. Maybe they are overestimating.

Yes, I was referring to the HTPC in my sig. I have never found PSU calculators to be very accurate and they almost always overestimate the power requirements. The best way is to look at real world measurements of similar systems (like what Dougie Fresh provided above). His numbers just confirmed what I said before and show that you'd have no problem with using the 120w adapter. I would follow his advice and get the 120w wide input picoPSU and the 19v adapter because from the look of things it is fanless and basically the same cost.

[Dougie Fresh]

Here are the actual readings from testing the "A6-PACK" buld (A6-3500/ASRock A75M-ITX/4GB/SSD/BD-ROM/120W DC-120W AC PSU) ... a little lower than I remember.

From this thread: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=132351

[RaggSokk3n]

You can't go wrong with the Seasonic X-400 Gold, it's probably one of the best PSUs out there :-)

[Dougie Fresh]

Something to note about efficiency ratings (80 PLUS Gold, etc.) is that the efficiency is measured at 20%, 50% and 100% of load. If you have a 400W power supply and you draw 30W, that's 30/400 = 7.5% of load. There is no guarantee what the efficiency is at 7.5% of load. It's likely to be pretty low. On the other hand, 30/120 = 25% of load or when I measure it with an 84W AC adapter, 30/84 = 35% of load. Although power bricks are measured on a different scale (not 80 PLUS) the same principal applies.

There's a nice chart here: http://www.ecosmartpc.com/ei7intel.html

Good article here: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/U...cation/742

Also notice that the efficiency depends a lot on the temperature as well.

[beetlesnack]

If you want to save some money, you can get the high-quality Corsair CX430 from newegg AC/AR for the amazing price of 20 dollars.

Not sure what size limitations you might have in your case though.

[bluray]

Before you suggest a PSU, you need to make sure that it fit his Silverstone ML03 case. It is a special case with the ventilation facing downward and 140mm dept limit.....

[bluray]

If you are going with Pico PSU, you migth want to consider ordering blank plate too-

Mount a picoPSU jack in an ATX PSU opening: mounting plate prototype

non-ATX Power Supplies

[RaggSokk3n]

Before you suggest a PSU, you need to make sure that it fit his Silverstone ML03 case. It is a special case with the ventilation facing downward and 140mm dept limit.....

That only matters if you're going with a dvd or blue ray drive, which is a real waste of money.
But if you're going with one stay away from modular ones due to the extra length from the cables (about 0,5 to 1cm)