If you live in the UK, the range of TFX power supply units is very limited, particularly if you want one with an output greater than 300W.
The only option is to ship a good quality psu in from the States, but the lofty shipping fees are prohibitive. To me at least.
I purchased the EZCool 400W TFX Power Supply Unit as part of an upgrade I was doing to my Dell Slimline 540s to replace it's original 250W psu. As part of this upgrade I had installed a ASUS 1GB GeForce GT430 PCI graphics card, which required more power than the original psu could deliver.
My PC is used as a HTPC (Home Theatre), so noise levels from the PC's case have to be relatively quiet, else it spoils it's use.
The original Dell psu was whisper quiet. Yes, it could be heard if you tuned your ears to it and listened for it intently, but it couldn't be heard above the sound of the TV, even at very low volume levels. At night, when most things were switched off and the TV was at it's quietest, the psu fan could still not be heard. You'd really have to put your ear against the PC case to detect it. It was that quiet.
The first time I powered on the PC with the EZCool 400W Power Supply inside I was taken aback. The noise from the thing was incredible. The noise was comparable with a vacuum cleaner. I took the PC apart to check my installation and everything was fine. The problem was the fan in the psu.
I've got a Dolby Digital amplifier. I played a film in 5.1 surround sound at approximately two-thirds the output of my 100W amplifier. The fan noise could still be heard.
Now ordinarily, I would have sent this back for a refund; not fit for purpose.
But as I've already stated, options for these types of psu are limited in the UK.
So I took the decision to buy a quality fan and swap the fan over. That did the job. Acceptable noise levels once again.
But I shouldn't have had to do it and I wouldn't have done it if there had been more choice.
This is a cheap and nasty item. Stay clear if you can.
Consider better quality replacements with but lower wattage output. What I've learnt since, is that careful selection of a 300W psu with enough wattage on twin 12V rails could have done the job just as easily for me. And these items are available in the UK and boast whisper performance. Check out the relevant forums for further help. They're easy to find.
| Brand | EZCOOL |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | EZCool |
| Wattage | 400 watts |
| Power Source | AC |
