FSP Aurum Xilenser AU-500FL 500W
by Martin Kaffei on April 20, 2012 4:45 AM ESTConclusion
We'd like to make a comparison as always, but we have to wait for more information on pricing and availability first. However, the FSP Aurum Xilenser AU-500-FL offers a good performance and a modular connector panel as well. The worst thing we can say about the performance is that it has higher ripple results than Seasonic (X-460FL) and the electronics could be more silent.
The AU-500FL reached up to 92% efficiency (230V), with no more than 25mV ripple and noise on the smaller outputs and tolerable voltage regulation. There's no fan for cooling, but the electronics made an audible noise this time. Even so the PSU is close to what we'd expect: almost silent. But we should keep in mind that there's some serious competition from Seasonic's product line.
The AU-500FL has four PCIe connectors—quite nice for a passively cooled PSU. All of the cables are longer than 55cm as well, so you can safely use this unit in some larger cases. All the chosen components are upscale and the design and topology is flawless. There is a well equipped filtering behind the entrance and Japanese capacitors are used throughout the PSU (except some all solid caps). The transistors are well dimensioned and FSP offers all the expected safety functions. It should be noted that this PSU looks exactly like a X-460FL without a line filtering stage but multiple +12V outputs.
We definitely look forward to seeing FSP's fanless series in all markets, as passively cooled PSUs are rare. FSP is able to provide a good product that is nearly as good as the solution from Seasonic. In summary, it can be stated that the AU-500FL is recommendable for most PSU enthusiasts if they charge a good price.
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Pappnaas - Friday, April 20, 2012 - link
but i found no information included about the size of the unit. Would be nice, if the dates could be added.ggathagan - Friday, April 20, 2012 - link
From FSP's website:http://www.fspgroupusa.com/aurum-gold-500-au500/p/...
5.90” (W) x 5.51” (D) x 3.38” (H)
5.51" is 139.95mm
ggathagan - Friday, April 20, 2012 - link
My apologies, that was the fanned version.Looks like 160mm for this version
http://www.fsplifestyle.com/product.php?LID=1&...
Dimensions(L x W x H)mm: 160 x 150 x 86
sgtpokey - Friday, April 20, 2012 - link
What are the dimensions of the PSU 150mm long, 160mm long, or what? This is actually important for those of us with actual experience running fanless pc builds (fot HTPC's).Many fanless enclosures have non-standard formats and may have space restirctions when choosing a fanless psu. In my case the "long" PSU of >160mm will not fit in my case, 160mm would work but leaves me no wiggle room and i would prefer a "standard" size of 150mm.
ggathagan - Friday, April 20, 2012 - link
Call it 140mmggathagan - Friday, April 20, 2012 - link
Or call me stupid and call it 160mmKTGiang - Friday, April 20, 2012 - link
My most recent computer component I bought was a fanless PSU. Specifically, it was a Kingwin STR-500 and I don't have a single regret on the purchase. I had no need for a new PSU but I wanted to change the PSU because the "silent" fan was still audible to my ears in a quiet setting. I love that manufacturers are creating more efficient and fanless power supplies for us consumers to choosefrom.
The one positive side effect of having a single fan PC that I had not realized until recently was the fact that I had almost no dust in my tower after 5 months of heavy usage.
As of right now, my current setup only has 1 Noctua 120mm fan mounted onto a massive Prolimatech cooler. It is on a fan controller that I only turn up when gaming. When idle, the 2 loudest things in my room are the HDD that I have in a removeable bay and the next loudest thing is the power current going through my monitor.
Hints for making the quietest PC:
What I found to be most useful in making a "silent" pc is a case that is well ventilated. The cases that are "silent" and are often laced with tons of "noise dampening foam" tend to hold in heat and don't go very well with fanless equipment. I had previously had the Hush from NZXT and I found that the PC ran about 5c warmer when the side panel was on. I am currently using the NZXT Vulcan which has never been touted as a "silent" case but I bought it and removed both of the included fans. Most of the case is covered in a mesh grill that allows for any heat to dissipate out. I had tried to go completely fanless but it wasn't practical when gaming. As my GTS450 is fanless, there would be absolutely no airflow. The solution was to add a single Noctua fan between the GPU and the CPU to have a "push" of air straight up and out of the case. The main OS is on a SSD to eliminate any vibration noise that may come from the HDD. The storage HDD is on a removeable HDD tray so it can be easily disabled when not needed.
If anyone knows of a quieter fan that has quite a bit of CFM feel free to recommend it. I'd like to find a quieter option if they're available.
jwilliams4200 - Friday, April 20, 2012 - link
I don't know of any fans that are significantly quieter than the Noctua.But I thought you might be interested in a HDD silencer that I have tried, the Smart Drive Neo. It is expensive, but it silences your HDD and keeps it cool. It mounts a 3.5" HDD in a 5.25" bay.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/hdd-noise-sile...
Iketh - Friday, April 20, 2012 - link
DONT CLICK THE LINKPlease ban this a$$hole.
JarredWalton - Friday, April 20, 2012 - link
Done! Hint: putting in links (even redirected links) to a site that sells something will get your account banned, ScottKPickering.