Power Supply Is it possible to run a PSU fanlessly?

[1461748123]

So I was thinking, if I get a 650w SFX PSU and only draw a maximum of 400w from it, can I get away without using a fan?
I know that Corsair's PSU's fans stop spinning if it's not under heavy load. Will this apply to other manufacturers like Silverstone?

 

[BernardoZ]

I wouldn't recommend it. It may work well for some time, but should cause problems after some weeks of usage.

BUT, it's possible that it works if the case you will use it in gives enough ventilation around the psu.
Also, I would email Silverstone, asking for their Fan/Noise tests of the unit (something like this). They usually have those documents, and will give you a better idea of when the fan starts to get really necessary, based on the wattage load.

I guess that if it was doable, they would have done it as a stock feature. But may be worth a try, good luck

 

[ebc92]

My current build is a Raijintek Metis with a 450W Corsair SF450 SFX PSU. It is modded with 2 additional 120mm fans, a plexiglass side panel, and not once, under full load (read: PUBG) or idle, have i seen the PSU fan spinning. It is powering the following:

• GTX 970
• i5-4670K
• 16GB DDR3
• 1 HDD, 1 SSD
• 4 120mm fans

I also believe the fan was not spinning before i modded the case, but i cannot confirm this. I can however confirm it still does not spin if i disable the additional fans. So it is definitely possible

 

[Phuncz]

Silverstone's passive SFX-L PSU is based on the SX800-LTI internals (SFFN article), you can't expect a 400W passively from a 650W 80+Gold-rated PSU. I recommend you wait for the NJ-450SXL if your load is going to exceed 300W.