PSU: Do you use semi-passive mode or always active fan cooling?

P4-630 · Nov 21, 2019

If you have this option on your PSU, as the title says.

DeathtoGnomes · Nov 21, 2019

Silent Cooling works well unless its on 24/7 and your constant load is over 70% or so. But it also depends what temp the fan kicks on.

Keullo-e · Nov 21, 2019

Semi-passive on my Focus+ Gold 750W. Though the fan is silent when there's not much load, but as this has this feature, why not use it.

Komshija · Nov 21, 2019

Automatic with fan curve on my PSU, depending on the load. Under 20% load it's silent.

tabascosauz · Nov 21, 2019

Hey, that's from the Focus Plus marketing materials :laugh:

My Focus Plus Platinum has that very button, and it's always on semi-passive. Works well, since that one serves HTPC functions, with the 4790K and 1070 at idle most of the time and the 1070 being semi-passive anyways. It's a whisper quiet setup.

The SF600 works a little harder, but is still zero RPM at low loads. It's the quietest part of the system regardless.

Vario · Nov 21, 2019

I run them all active. The EVGA 650P2 needs to be run active, from reading reviews these units fail if they use ECO mode. Seasonic 660XP2 runs active because it needs the cooling, the case is quite small. Seasonic Focus Plus 550 Gold active because I can't hear the fan anyway, it may as well run all the time and keep the power supply cool. All three are in Lian Li A05 cases so tiny cases, but the 660XP2 is in a gaming machine thats cramped with hardware.

Keullo-e · Nov 21, 2019

Well, with 10 year warranty, I'd say that the fan would rather fail than the PSU itself. I mean, the warranty isn't a MTBF, but I think you get my point.

P4-630 · Nov 21, 2019

Chloe Price said:
I'd say that the fan would rather fail than the PSU itself. I mean, the warranty isn't a MTBF, but I think you get my point.

I was just thinking about that and changed to semi-passive before I made this thread.
The other components inside the PSU probably last longer anyway, even in semi-passive mode and the components probably don't get that hot on low load. (with my Seasonic PSU).

Maybe I'll run it active again during Summer next year.

FreedomEclipse · Nov 21, 2019

Active because my hard drives are louder than 99% of things inside my case

oxrufiioxo · Nov 22, 2019

I run both mine active because even when I'm loading my GPU and CPU at 100% ( 550-600w ) artificially you can't hear them

Keullo-e · Nov 22, 2019

oxrufiioxo said:
I run both mine active because even when I'm loading my GPU and CPU at 100% ( 550-600w ) artificially you can't hear them

Me neither since I play games with headphones on. :toast:

Solaris17 · Nov 22, 2019

semi passive on my seasonic in specs

Mussels · Nov 22, 2019

Semi passive wherever possible - fans cant wear out if they're off at idle, and no dust buildup.

Zach_01 · Nov 22, 2019

Corsair HXi 750W Platinum on auto mode.
Fan always stopped and temp 35~36C (idle/browsing/videos, 110~130W output) and 38~40C (after 2 hours gaming 300~320W and peak 350W output). Ambient around PSU 27C.
If it starts, going to 740rpm (40%) min. It was starting when gaming back at August with 33C ambient. Still quiet.
I can set a custom fan curve to whatever temp but unfortunately the min speed is 740rpm (40%) also and the stop function is disabled, so I keep auto mode. Not worthing the custom to build dust.

I know its overkill for the system but I had it already (new) for something bigger that didnt build. Though I will add maybe 100~150W down the road (replace GPU/CPU) short and long term. Still will be a bit overkill...

basco · Nov 22, 2019

in all my years the fan never failed but the power supply did so for me always on

biffzinker · Nov 22, 2019

The power supply self regulates the fan speed.

EVGA said:
Quiet and Intelligent Auto Fan for near-silent operation

NoJuan999 · Dec 2, 2019

My Corsair RM650 uses Zero RPM fan mode so at low and medium loads the cooling fan switches off entirely for near-silent operation.
So there isn't any option to use the fan at low loads.
But with a 10 year warranty, I really am not concerned either way.

eidairaman1 · Dec 2, 2019

Mine has a physical switch. I prefer fan on.

My gpu middle fan only comes on if hot lol

kapone32 · Dec 2, 2019

In my opinion you should always keep your PC as cool as possible until it becomes too loud. I run a quiet custom profile on my HX1200! and the fan idles in the high 20s and under load never goes above 50 C. I have never been a fan of zero fan policies on hardware as in my opinion (especially with PWM) you can make your session much more enjoyable if the ambient temp in your case is 10 C lower when you start and can be just as quiet. Most PSUs have at least 135MM fans which are inherently quiet.

EarthDog · Dec 2, 2019

Ready for TPUs head to explode in 3..........2...........1........

I run a 750W PSU on silent mode running a i9-7960x 16c/32t processor at 4.4 GHz all c/t along with an overclocked RTX 2080 Ti. I don't recall seeing the fan spin up while gaming.

(Evga Supernove G3 750W)

Rahnak · Dec 2, 2019

Semi-passive. Last time I looked at it, it still looked brand new, zero signs of dust. To the point where I'm not really sure if the fan actually did any spinning business in my previous build.

Deleted member 67555 · Dec 2, 2019

I had to look up if my PSU has a switch... It does lol
I really don't know what it's set to.
I never hear it tho.

cucker tarlson · Dec 2, 2019

Passive 24/7

newtekie1 · Dec 2, 2019

Always active here. I prefer there be at least a little airflow over the components in my PSU. The fans silent anyway.

System Name	AlderLake / Laptop
Processor	Intel i7 12700K P-Cores @ 5Ghz / Intel i3 7100U
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master / HP 83A3 (U3E1)
Cooling	Noctua NH-U12A 2 fans + Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme + 5 case fans / Fan
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Display(s)	23.8" Dell S2417DG 165Hz G-Sync 1440p / 14" 1080p IPS Glossy
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Audio Device(s)	Panasonic SA-PMX94 / Realtek onboard + B&O speaker system / Harman Kardon Go + Play / Logitech G533
Power Supply	Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 750W / Powerbrick
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Keyboard	RAPOO E9270P Black 5GHz wireless / HP backlit
Software	Windows 11 / Windows 10
Benchmark Scores	Cinebench R23 (Single Core) 1936 @ stock Cinebench R23 (Multi Core) 23006 @ stock

System Name	Dumbass
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7800X3D
Motherboard	ASUS TUF gaming B650
Cooling	Artic Liquid Freezer 2 - 420mm
Memory	G.Skill Sniper 32gb DDR5 6000
Video Card(s)	GreenTeam 4070 ti super 16gb
Storage	Samsung EVO 500gb & 1Tb, 2tb HDD, 500gb WD Black
Display(s)	1x Nixeus NX_EDG27, 2x Dell S2440L (16:9)
Case	Phanteks Enthoo Primo w/8 140mm SP Fans
Audio Device(s)	onboard (realtek?) - SPKRS:Logitech Z623 200w 2.1
Power Supply	Corsair HX1000i
Mouse	Steeseries Esports Wireless
Keyboard	Corsair K100
Software	windows 10 H
Benchmark Scores	https://i.imgur.com/aoz3vWY.jpg?2

System Name	4K-gaming
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X up to 5.05GHz
Motherboard	Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite
Cooling	Custom loop (CPU+GPU, 240 & 120 rads)
Memory	32GB Kingston HyperX Fury @ DDR4-3466
Video Card(s)	PowerColor RX 6700 XT Fighter OC/UV
Storage	~4TB SSD + 6TB HDD
Display(s)	Acer 27" 4K120 IPS + Lenovo 32" 4K60 IPS
Case	Corsair 4000D Airflow White
Audio Device(s)	Asus TUF H3 Wireless
Power Supply	EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse	Logitech MX518
Keyboard	Roccat Vulcan 121 AIMO
VR HMD	Oculus Rift CV1
Software	Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores	It runs Crysis remastered at 4K

System Name	1.21 gigawatts!
Processor	Intel Core i7 6700K
Motherboard	MSI Z170A Krait Gaming 3X
Cooling	Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Slim with Arctic MX-4
Memory	16GB G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4 3000 MHz
Video Card(s)	Palit GTX 1080 Game Rock
Storage	Mushkin Triactor 240GB + Toshiba X300 4TB + Team L3 EVO 480GB
Display(s)	Philips 237E7QDSB/00 23" FHD AH-IPS
Case	Aerocool Aero-1000 white + 4 Arctic F12 PWM Rev.2 fans
Audio Device(s)	Onboard Audio Boost 3 with Nahimic Audio Enhancer
Power Supply	FSP Hydro G 650W
Mouse	Cougar 700M eSports white
Keyboard	E-Blue Cobra II
Software	Windows 8.1 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores	Cinebench R15: 948 (stock) / 1044 (4,7 GHz) FarCry 5 1080p Ultra: min 100, avg 116, max 133 FPS

System Name	ab┃ob
Processor	7800X3D┃5800X3D
Motherboard	B650E PG-ITX┃X570 Impact
Cooling	PA120+T30┃AXP120x67
Memory	64GB 6000CL30┃32GB 3600CL14
Video Card(s)	RTX 4070 Ti Eagle┃RTX A2000
Storage	8TB of SSDs┃1TB SN550
Display(s)	43" QN90B / 32" M32Q / 27" S2721DGF
Case	Caselabs S3┃Lazer3D HT5
Power Supply	Corsair HX1000┃HDPlex

PSU: Do you use semi-passive mode or always active fan cooling?

P4-630

DeathtoGnomes

Keullo-e

S.T.A.R.S.

Komshija

tabascosauz

Moderator

Vario

Keullo-e

S.T.A.R.S.

P4-630

FreedomEclipse

~Technological Technocrat~

oxrufiioxo

Keullo-e

S.T.A.R.S.

Solaris17

Super Dainty Moderator

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator

Zach_01

basco

biffzinker

NoJuan999

eidairaman1

The Exiled Airman

kapone32

EarthDog

Rahnak

Deleted member 67555

Guest

cucker tarlson

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder

System Name	Computer of Theseus
Processor	Intel i9-12900KS: 50x Pcore multi @ 1.18Vcore (target 1.275V -100mv offset)
Motherboard	EVGA Z690 Classified
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15S, 2xThermalRight TY-143, 4xNoctua NF-A12x25,3xNF-A12x15, 2xAquacomputer Splitty9Active
Memory	G-Skill Trident Z5 (32GB) DDR5-6000 C36 F5-6000J3636F16GX2-TZ5RK
Video Card(s)	EVGA Geforce 3060 XC Black Gaming 12GB
Storage	1x Samsung 970 Pro 512GB NVMe (OS), 2x Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB (data 1 and 2), ASUS BW-16D1HT
Display(s)	Dell S3220DGF 32" 2560x1440 165Hz Primary, Dell P2017H 19.5" 1600x900 Secondary, Ergotron LX arms.
Case	Lian Li O11 Air Mini
Audio Device(s)	Audiotechnica ATR2100X-USB, El Gato Wave XLR Mic Preamp, ATH M50X Headphones, Behringer 302USB Mixer
Power Supply	Super Flower Leadex Platinum SE 1000W 80+ Platinum White
Mouse	Zowie EC3-C
Keyboard	Vortex Multix 87 Winter TKL (Gateron G Pro Yellow)
Software	Win 10 LTSC 21H2

System Name	Codename: Icarus Mk.VI
Processor	Intel 8600k@Stock -- pending tuning
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strixx Z370-F
Cooling	CPU: BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 {1xCorsair ML120 Pro\|5xML140 Pro}
Memory	32GB XPG Gammix D10 {2x16GB}
Video Card(s)	ASUS Dual Radeon™ RX 6700 XT OC Edition
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo 512GB SSD (Boot)\|WD SN770 (Gaming)\|2x 3TB Toshiba DT01ACA300\|2x 2TB Crucial BX500
Display(s)	LG GP850-B
Case	Corsair 760T (White)
Audio Device(s)	Yamaha RX-V573\|Speakers: JBL Control One\|Auna 300-CN\|Wharfedale Diamond SW150
Power Supply	Corsair AX760
Mouse	Logitech G900
Keyboard	Duckyshine Dead LED(s) III
Software	Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores	(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

System Name	His & Hers
Processor	R7 5800X/ R9 5950X Stock
Motherboard	X570 Aorus Master/ROG Crosshair VIII Hero
Cooling	Corsair h150 elite/ Corsair h115i Platinum
Memory	32 GB 4x8GB 4000CL15 Trident Z Royal/ 32 GB 3200 CL14 @3800 CL16 Team T Force Nighthawk
Video Card(s)	Evga FTW 3 Ultra 3080ti/ Gigabyte Gaming OC 4090
Storage	lots of SSD.
Display(s)	LG G2 65/LG C1 48/ LG 27GP850/ MSI 27 inch VA panel 1440p165hz
Case	011 Dynamic XL/ Phanteks Evolv X
Audio Device(s)	Arctis Pro + gaming Dac/ Corsair sp 2500/ Logitech G560/Samsung Q990B
Power Supply	Seasonic Ultra Prime Titanium 1000w/850w
Mouse	Logitech G502 Lightspeed/ Logitech G Pro Hero.
Keyboard	Corsair K95 RGB Platinum/ Logitech G Pro

System Name	Rocinante
Processor	I9 14900KS
Motherboard	EVGA z690 Dark KINGPIN (modded BIOS)
Cooling	EK-AIO Elite 360 D-RGB
Memory	64GB Gskill Trident Z5 DDR5 6000 @6400
Video Card(s)	MSI SUPRIM Liquid X 4090
Storage	1x 500GB 980 Pro \| 1x 1TB 980 Pro \| 1x 8TB Corsair MP400
Display(s)	Odyssey OLED G9 G95SC
Case	Lian Li o11 Evo Dynamic White
Audio Device(s)	Moondrop S8's on Schiit Hel 2e
Power Supply	Bequiet! Power Pro 12 1500w
Mouse	Lamzu Atlantis mini (White)
Keyboard	Monsgeek M3 Lavender, Akko Crystal Blues
VR HMD	Quest 3
Software	Windows 11
Benchmark Scores	I dont have time for that.

System Name	Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor	Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard	Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling	Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory	2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s)	Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage	2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s)	Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) \| Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) \| Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case	Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G560 \| Corsair Void pro RGB \|Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply	Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse	Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard	Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD	Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software	Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores	Nyooom.

System Name	PC on since Aug 2019, 1st CPU R5 3600 + ASUS ROG RX580 8GB >> MSI Gaming X RX5700XT (Jan 2020)
Processor	Ryzen 9 5900X (July 2022), 150W PPT limit, 79C temp limit, CO -9~14
Motherboard	Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro (Rev1.0), BIOS F37h, AGESA V2 1.2.0.B
Cooling	Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420mm Rev7 with off center mount for Ryzen, TIM: Kryonaut
Memory	2x16GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo GTZN (July 2022) 3600MHz 1.42V CL16-16-16-16-32-48 1T, tRFC:288, B-die
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Nitro+ RX 7900XTX (Dec 2023) 314~465W (387W current) PowerLimit, 1060mV, Adrenalin v24.3.1
Storage	Samsung NVMe: 980Pro 1TB(OS 2022), 970Pro 512GB(2019) / SATA-III: 850Pro 1TB(2015) 860Evo 1TB(2020)
Display(s)	Dell Alienware AW3423DW 34" QD-OLED curved (1800R), 3440x1440 144Hz (max 175Hz) HDR1000, VRR on
Case	None... naked on desk
Audio Device(s)	Astro A50 headset
Power Supply	Corsair HX750i, 80+ Platinum, 93% (250~700W), modular, single/dual rail (switch)
Mouse	Logitech MX Master (Gen1)
Keyboard	Logitech G15 (Gen2) w/ LCDSirReal applet
Software	Windows 11 Home 64bit (v23H2, OSB 22631.3155)

System Name	ibuytheusedstuff
Processor	5960x
Motherboard	x99 sabertooth
Cooling	old socket775 cooler
Memory	32 Viper
Video Card(s)	1080ti on morpheus 1
Storage	raptors+ssd
Display(s)	acer 120hz
Case	open bench
Audio Device(s)	onb
Power Supply	antec 1200 moar power
Mouse	mx 518
Keyboard	roccat arvo

Processor	Ryzen 9 5900X
Motherboard	MSI B450 Tomahawk ATX
Cooling	Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition
Memory	VENGEANCE LPX 2 x 16GB DDR4-3600 C18 OCed 3800
Video Card(s)	XFX Speedster SWFT309 AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT CORE Gaming
Storage	970 EVO NVMe M.2 500 GB, 870 QVO 1 TB
Display(s)	Samsung 28” 4K monitor
Case	Phantek Eclipse P400S (PH-EC416PS)
Audio Device(s)	EVGA NU Audio
Power Supply	EVGA 850 BQ
Mouse	SteelSeries Rival 310
Keyboard	Logitech G G413 Silver
Software	Windows 10 Professional 64-bit v22H2

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 3700x
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X470-F Gaming
Cooling	Scythe Ninja 5
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB (2 x 8GB) (F4-3600C16D-16GVKC) @ 3733 MHz 16-19-19-19-36-56
Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 2060 Super Armor OC 8GB
Storage	1x Samsung 970 EVO 500GB / 3x Crucial MX500 / 4 HDDs
Display(s)	Dell 23" LCD S2316M
Case	Rosewill Rise Glow
Power Supply	CORSAIR RM650
Mouse	Cooler Master MS120
Keyboard	Cooler Master MS120
Software	Windows 10 Pro x64

System Name	PCGOD
Processor	AMD FX 8350@ 5.0GHz
Motherboard	Asus TUF 990FX Sabertooth R2 2901 Bios
Cooling	Scythe Ashura, 2×BitFenix 230mm Spectre Pro LED (Blue,Green), 2x BitFenix 140mm Spectre Pro LED
Memory	16 GB Gskill Ripjaws X 2133 (2400 OC, 10-10-12-20-20, 1T, 1.65V)
Video Card(s)	AMD Radeon 290 Sapphire Vapor-X
Storage	Samsung 840 Pro 256GB, WD Velociraptor 1TB
Display(s)	NEC Multisync LCD 1700V (Display Port Adapter)
Case	AeroCool Xpredator Evil Blue Edition
Audio Device(s)	Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply	Seasonic 1250 XM2 Series (XP3)
Mouse	Roccat Kone XTD
Keyboard	Roccat Ryos MK Pro
Software	Windows 7 Pro 64

System Name	Best AMD Computer
Processor	AMD 7900X3D
Motherboard	Asus X670E E Strix
Cooling	In Win SR36
Memory	GSKILL DDR5 32GB 5200 30
Video Card(s)	Sapphire Pulse 7900XT (Watercooled)
Storage	Corsair MP 700, Seagate 530 2Tb, Adata SX8200 2TBx2, Kingston 2 TBx2, Micron 8 TB, WD AN 1500
Display(s)	GIGABYTE FV43U
Case	Corsair 7000D Airflow
Audio Device(s)	Corsair Void Pro, Logitch Z523 5.1
Power Supply	Deepcool 1000M
Mouse	Logitech g7 gaming mouse
Keyboard	Logitech G510
Software	Windows 11 Pro 64 Steam. GOG, Uplay, Origin
Benchmark Scores	Firestrike: 46183 Time Spy: 25121

System Name	Blackbox
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Motherboard	Asus TUF B550-Plus WiFi
Cooling	Scythe Fuma 2
Memory	2x8GB DDR4 G.Skill FlareX 3200Mhz CL16
Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 3060 Ti Gaming Z
Storage	Kingston KC3000 1TB + WD SN550 1TB + Samsung 860 QVO 1TB
Display(s)	LG 27GP850-B
Case	Lian Li O11 Air Mini
Audio Device(s)	Logitech Z200
Power Supply	Seasonic Focus+ Gold 750W
Mouse	Logitech G305
Keyboard	MasterKeys Pro S White (MX Brown)
Software	Windows 10
Benchmark Scores	It plays games.

System Name	Purple rain
Processor	10.5 thousand 4.2G 1.1v
Motherboard	Zee 490 Aorus Elite
Cooling	Noctua D15S
Memory	16GB 4133 CL16-16-16-31 Viper Steel
Video Card(s)	RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio
Storage	SU900 128,8200Pro 1TB,850 Pro 512+256+256,860 Evo 500,XPG950 480, Skyhawk 2TB
Display(s)	Acer XB241YU+Dell S2716DG
Case	P600S Silent w. Alpenfohn wing boost 3 ARGBT+ fans
Audio Device(s)	K612 Pro w. FiiO E10k DAC,W830BT wireless
Power Supply	Superflower Leadex Gold 850W
Mouse	G903 lightspeed+powerplay,G403 wireless + Steelseries DeX + Roccat rest
Keyboard	HyperX Alloy SilverSpeed (w.HyperX wrist rest),Razer Deathstalker
Software	Windows 10
Benchmark Scores	A LOT

Processor	Intel Core i7 10850K@5.2GHz
Motherboard	AsRock Z470 Taichi
Cooling	Corsair H115i Pro w/ Noctua NF-A14 Fans
Memory	32GB DDR4-3600
Video Card(s)	RTX 2070 Super
Storage	500GB SX8200 Pro + 8TB with 1TB SSD Cache
Display(s)	Acer Nitro VG280K 4K 28"
Case	Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s)	Onboard is good enough for me
Power Supply	eVGA SuperNOVA 1000w G3
Software	Windows 10 Pro x64