Bottom-Mounted PSU Cases

[owensdj]

I'm thinking of building a computer using the Antec Three Hundred case, which has the PSU on the bottom. Are they potential problems I need to watch for with a bottom-mounted PSU, such as ATX power cable length? Also, is a bottom PSU installed so that the PSU fan is pointing toward the top of the case?

 

[Kenmitch]

Yes if you choose a power supply with short cables it could pose a problem. Might still work fine but could cause cable management problems.

I'm not familiar with that case but as long as the bottom of the case below the power supply is well vented I'd just mount the fan down. This way the power supply will draw in fresh air and run cooler. Also this way the power supply is kinda isolated from the rest of the system and will add very little if any heat to overall temps inside your case.

 

[zagood]

The 300 does not have a PSU vent. There is a space of a little more than half an inch between the PSU and the floor of the case. If you have both optional 120mm fans mounted in front, the bottom one usually provides enough fresh air to feed the PSU. If not, I'd recommend facing it up, but you might just want to test for yourself. You can also drill/cut holes in the base, but if you do it wrong can affect structural integrity. Not by too much, just don't torque the case after.

If you're looking to route the 12v ATX cable around the back of the mobo, 99% of PSU cables are too short. You can usually go over the top but may have to route underneath video card etc. I'd highly recommend an extension, they're pretty cheap and make life much easier.

8-pin: http://www.svc.com/cbl-extend-8p.html
4-pin: http://www.svc.com/cbl-extend-12v.html
More options (sleeved versions etc): http://www.svc.com/atx-motherboard-adapters.html