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Reverse mounting powersupply

D

diduknowthat

n00b
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
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So I'm using a Coolermaster Elite 340 case and a Coolermaster Real Power Pro powersupply. I'm thinking about cutting a 120mm hole on the top of my case, and reverse mounting my powersupply so it can draw fresh air from the top. How does this sound? Has it been done many times before (i tried googeling but didn't come up with much).
 
Bad idea, since hot air rises. Your case will have an air flow problem/conflict.
 
s1ngular said:
Bad idea, since hot air rises. Your case will have an air flow problem/conflict.
Click to expand...

hot air only rises in the absence of moving air. And PSU's aren't designed to be use to venting the whole case.

OP, go for it. Having cooler air in the PSU is always good. Just make sure the rest of your case has enough airflow that isn't relying on the fan in the power supply.
 
That's a bad idea.

First of all, you will get lots of dust in your PSU.

Secondly, your PSU fan is supposed to exhaust hot air from inside the case. A good PSU will never overheat (unless it's run at 100% for a long time, which shouldn't happen); however, every CPU is prone to overheating, especially if you are overclocking. Cooling your CPU is far more important than cooling your PSU.
 
jbz7890 said:
That's a bad idea.

First of all, you will get lots of dust in your PSU.

Secondly, your PSU fan is supposed to exhaust hot air from inside the case. A good PSU will never overheat (unless it's run at 100% for a long time, which shouldn't happen); however, every CPU is prone to overheating, especially if you are overclocking. Cooling your CPU is far more important than cooling your PSU.
Click to expand...

You'll get lots of dust in your PSU regardless. And most cases comes with a case fan that move far more air than the PSU fan does.

Hell, newer cases that mount the PSU at the bottom face the fan down to draw air from under the case. This would be no different.
 
The cooler you get your PSU, the longer it'll last and the better it'll perform. It's a good idea as long as you execute it right (I suggest you put a filter over the intake to prevent anything from falling in).
 
Zero82z said:
The cooler you get your PSU, the longer it'll last and the better it'll perform. It's a good idea as long as you execute it right (I suggest you put a filter over the intake to prevent anything from falling in).
Click to expand...

A decent PSU has a MTBF of 100,000 hours. Do you realize how long that is?
 
jbz7890 said:
A decent PSU has a MTBF of 100,000 hours. Do you realize how long that is?
Click to expand...
Most PSUs aren't rated at the temperature they would actually run at inside a computer case. The lifetime decreases greatly at higher temperatures. Running the PSU at a lower temperature will only have positive effects on its lifetime.
 
Idea being good or bad? I personally think your all looking at this the wrong way.

OP if you need to do what you are suggesting to get some cool air in to your power supply then your case isn't ventilated well enough.

So regardless of the effect this will have on the power supply (good or bad) it will with out a doubt further increase your case temperature since the PSU will no longer be assisting in the removal of hot air.
 
Along with this I am also switching out both my CPU and GPU heatsink from passive ones to active cooling ones. The main reason I decided to flip the PSU around is that once the temperature increases at all in my case, the power supply starts an annoying buzz / coil whine.
 
Thats a very nice power supply and it shouldn't run hot, I would just reverse mount it in the bottom and see if that works better for you. Thats how I mounted mine in my Cooler Master Scout case. It would run cooler than the CM designed way with it drawing through the bottom. (Poor design in my opinion due to it having 1/4 inch stand feet...) Being reversed on the bottom it shouldn't be drawing very warm air if you have good ventilation in your case.

IMG_0388.jpg


IMG_0473.jpg
 
PureFLCL said:
Thats a very nice power supply and it shouldn't run hot, I would just reverse mount it in the bottom and see if that works better for you. Thats how I mounted mine in my Cooler Master Scout case. It would run cooler than the CM designed way with it drawing through the bottom. (Poor design in my opinion due to it having 1/4 inch stand feet...) Being reversed on the bottom it shouldn't be drawing very warm air if you have good ventilation in your case.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee99/PureFLCL/IMG_0388.jpg

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee99/PureFLCL/IMG_0473.jpg
Click to expand...

His doesn't mount in the bottom.
 
Are you sure the noise your hearing is related to it pulling in warm air and not the load it's being placed under at the time?

Try running the system with the PSU connected out side the case and see if the noise persists at load.

If your currently getting away with running passive coolers on your hardware then I have to assume your case is reasonable well ventilated. And I just can't see a minor increase in the temperature of the air your power supply is pulling in having enough impact on it's operating temperate to be the cause of your problems.

How old is your PSU? If it's still brand new it may “break in” and stop making noise. I had similar noise coming from my Seasonic when I first bought it but after a month or 2 it went away. On the other hand if you have had it for some time have you tried blowing the dust out of it? I would think dust will have far more impact on the PSU operating temperature then a slight increase in case temp.

In the end if your PSU noise is really caused by heat not load and your 100% sure your case is adequately ventilated I would contact the manufacturer for an RMA since you should not have to do as you suggest just to have it operate properly.
 
I know it's caused by the heat as the power supply doesn't produce the sound in the winter, when my room is much colder.

The unit is about 2 years old and has been making sounds ever since I first got it.
 
OK but just because it happens in the summer and not winter doesn't mean it is heat related.

Power grids tend to be put under a lot more strain in the summer time and this could degrade the power signal coming in to your house. Your current PSU could be sensitive to this degraded signal. If so then you would be looking at a UPS with a line conditioner that will output a proper sine wave.

But if you just want to assume it's heat then at least do your self a favor and make sure fresh air from out side the case will solve your problem. It's aa simple as what I suggested before. Test the system with the PSU out side the case. At least then you know your not hacking your case up for no reason. Also if you go through with the mod your probably going to want to make sure you build a shroud for the fan to insure the air is coming from out side the case. If you just flip the PSU and cut a hole in the case and have a gap between the PSU and top of the case like most cases do you will end up sucking a lot of hot air from the case in to the PSU anyway.

Though I personally wouldn't go through any of this since I would RMA it for one that works as it should.
 
I have actually tried using a UPS before to no avail, but I shall try running the system outside the case for a bit. The reason I am deciding to do this now is because I'm completely rebuilding my system. This way i can do a better cable organization and replace all my heatsinks and thermalpaste.
 
Err sorry if I wasn't clear but I meant only remove the PSU from the case not the whole system. Your system especially if it's got all passive sinks will not like running out in the open with no case or fans to aid in airflow.

Just remove the PSU place it on top of your case and carefully run the wiring through the hole where the PSU use to be.

Also I have no idea what kind or model UPS you tried but I don't believe every UPS is capable of conditioning poor power in to a proper sine wave.
 
I see, well i have rather limited knowledge of UPS so I won't get into that. Thanks for your help and suggestions, I will run the PSU by itself outside of the case in a few days when I have the time.
 
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