• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

PSU placement

R

rverhas

Weaksauce
Joined
Jan 17, 2008
Messages
102
Is it better to get a case with the PSU on the top or the bottom? What are the different advantages and disadvantages to each location? I had always assumed it was better to have the PSU above the motherboard because hot air rises.

Thanks.
 
I have Lian Li V2100 and have the PSU on the bottom. The case have a divider that separate the psu heat and mobo/GPU heat so it doesn't come in contact with each other. It keeps the psu cool, but for the GPU on the hand is a different story. I would go with the bottom, because then you would have more space to get you hand into.
 
I prefer on the top but being on the bottom is nice too, as long as the case has top exhaust fans its no issue and the PSU is gonna run cooler being at the bottom. The drawback is many PSUs have cables too short to be placed at the bottom.
 
i have a lian li v1000 with the psu on t he bottom. it is also separated by a panel from the rest of the system. it has a front 120mm intake fan which blows over the hd bays and then thru my psu which doesnt have a bottom fan, just an 80mm on each end so its a pretty good arrangement.
 
sprak74 said:
I have Lian Li V2100 and have the PSU on the bottom. The case have a divider that separate the psu heat and mobo/GPU heat so it doesn't come in contact with each other. It keeps the psu cool, but for the GPU on the hand is a different story. I would go with the bottom, because then you would have more space to get you hand into.
Click to expand...

So you are saying that the PSU on the bottom makes a noticible difference in GPU temps even with a divider? That suprises me a little.
 
It shouldn't, since you have to realize that most cases don't have airflow at the top of the case. Of course, that only applies to Lian Li's inverted ATX cases. (And some people don't use the little side fan).

Personally, I prefer top mounted PSU. It exhausts air for me, and its less of a hassle to cable everything. With bottom mounted PSUs and regular ATX cases, your EPS12V cable more often than not ends up being too short. Not a problem with inverted ATX.
 
personal preference. I don't really care where the PSU is as long as I can have pretty cable management.

My p180 has the PSu on the bottom, and the only bad thing with it is I had to extend the 8 pin power connector. the 24pin, however, fits like a champ.
 
heat rises but since almost all case rear fans are toward the top it doesnt really matter.

i like the psu on the bottom because i feel like i have more control of the cables. if i have unused cables i don't' have to worry about finding somewhere to tuck them aside or tie them up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top