Does having PSU at the bottom of the case matter ?

[Spike99]

I have a CM Stacker 830 case. The PSU is mounted at the top. When gaming, case temp increases mainly due to my video card ATI 5870. I notice that case temp increases and it seems that the fan of PSU (Thermaltake 850W) increases and makes a lot of noise. When I stop gaming case temp decreases and PSU fan noise lowers.

My question is mainly on the position of PSU on the case. I have noticed other cases that stores PSU at the bottom of the case. I assume they do this to separate the case heat from the PSU ? I wonder if I decide to change case and have PSU at the bottom... Will I my PSU heat and case heat be separated from the PSU and possibly have PSU less noise ?

 

[MJinZ]

PSUs on the bottom make sense for overall airflow, because having it on top completely wastes the top which can be used for fans and radiators.

It doesn't make a huge difference however one way or another. It's your crappy power supply that's noisy.

 

[WoodButcher]

Your psu fan is ramping up for the heat. If mounted on the bottom the psu intake air will be cooler. If it will be cool enough to keep the fan at a slower speed I can't say. While gaming the psu has a greater load and may create enough heat on it's own to warrant the increased fan speed. One way to find out would be gaming with the side panel open, if the fan speeds up you'll have your answer. Your last option would be to replace the fan with a better one. From my experience TT fans are noisy bitches.

 

[theAnimal]

Well, heat rises and your PSUs fan is thermally controlled...

 

[Red Squirrel]

My server case is weird in that, everything is reversed, and the PSU is also at the bottom. No major issues. I prefer on top though just because it's exhaust fan can also help get rid of existing hot air that is rising to the top.

 

[Spike99]

Your psu fan is ramping up for the heat. If mounted on the bottom the psu intake air will be cooler. If it will be cool enough to keep the fan at a slower speed I can't say. While gaming the psu has a greater load and may create enough heat on it's own to warrant the increased fan speed. One way to find out would be gaming with the side panel open, if the fan speeds up you'll have your answer. Your last option would be to replace the fan with a better one. From my experience TT fans are noisy bitches.

This makes sense. I will test by gaming with side panel open if fans still loud then it's due load if not then it's the heat from case. If it's due heat from case then I guess PSU located at the bottom would have cooler air as intake and possibly make less fan noise. I can also look at possibly changing the PSU fan ?

 

[Infrnl]

with my systems if I want to keep the side panel on, its better to have the PSU on the bottom. even with a good psu, the fans will ramp up to exhaust all the hot air and depending on hardware/case can make a good psu spin up quite a bit.

 

[WoodButcher]

I can also look at possibly changing the PSU fan ?

Sure, but it voids the warranty. Looking ay newegg TT has 4 models of 850w, all with 140mm fans, which are available. The thickness might be a concern, I found 140 x25 and 20mm at a couple stores I would think they used a 20mm or thinner.
It is not difficult to replace the fan but you MUST drain the power from the caps before opening the unit. Unplug the unit from the wall, press and hold the power button on the computer for a count of ten and release and repeat. If you decide this is your course of action open the psu beforehand to measure the fan and check the amperage rating. You want a fan with similar ratings if possible. Post back if you go this route for help with a decent fan as I know more than a few of us here have done this.

 

[Leyawiin]

I have a Stacker 830 and there is a 120mm fan slot/blow hole on the top. Shouldn't matter (there's nothing to obstruct the exiting of the heat).

 

[Puffnstuff]

I like my ps at the bottom and my rad at the top.

 

[Alienwho]

I changed the fan on my 700W GameXstream PSU because it was so loud. All I did was remove the fan in there by cutting the wires, installed my replacement fan and instead of soldering the wires together I just ran the 3 pin connector out of the PSU with all the other cables and connected it to the motherboard. Worked great for me, but next time I'm just going to shell out the cash for a Corsair.

 

[Spike99]

Update: I have a corsair H50 CPU cooler and I was inhaling air from the rear as manufacturer recomends and this in turn heats up case temp. As the temp rises a higher RPM kicks in for PSU causing higher noise. I am now exhausting heat from the rear and as I'm gaming I did not notice RPM kicking in. CPU temp is a few degrees lower when inhaling from the rear but It's not worth the noise.

 

[Spike99]

Sure, but it voids the warranty. Looking ay newegg TT has 4 models of 850w, all with 140mm fans, which are available. The thickness might be a concern, I found 140 x25 and 20mm at a couple stores I would think they used a 20mm or thinner.
It is not difficult to replace the fan but you MUST drain the power from the caps before opening the unit. Unplug the unit from the wall, press and hold the power button on the computer for a count of ten and release and repeat. If you decide this is your course of action open the psu beforehand to measure the fan and check the amperage rating. You want a fan with similar ratings if possible. Post back if you go this route for help with a decent fan as I know more than a few of us here have done this.

OK, so I am now pushing air out from the rear instead of air coming in as intake. Doing this, my case temp is not as high and higher RPM for PSU fan does not kick in... but to be honest even while PSU is idle and temp is low, fan noise is noticeable. I would replace PSU but I'm afraid that fan noise will still be there.. I'm considering maybe trying replacing fan.

When you replace PSU fan, does the fan have a connector and can be easily replaced ? or is there some wire cutting involved ? How do I know what is the right fan to replace it with ?

Update: I opened PSU and fan details are as follows
Thermaltake TT-1425B DC 12V 0.70A, D14BH-12(L-SSS)

Fan has a 2pin header that connects to a board.

 

[WoodButcher]

Odds are yes you'll need to splice wire. Not a big deal, they are easily identified and connected. I like to solder my splices or if a plug in on ihe circut board replace the plug on the fan.
What you need to do first is crack it open and identify the fan, measurements and specs. The fan should have a sticker on it, like the pic of this one
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/svcompucycle_2096_11507557
You will see DC 12V 0.30A
that's it, you want a fan w/ similar amp rating, close, it does not need to be exact.
Next you need measuments, metrics. It will be 140x 20 or 25 I think but you need to measure. Look for screws under stickers when you open the PSU, often they hide one under a sticker that can't be lifted so they can tell if you have opened the case. While you are in there check the wires to the fan, take good pics if your not sure and post up here. most of the fans Ive replaced are 2 wire w/o the RPM sensor, the replacement may have this but it won't be used.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

just get a new PSU and get rid of that thermaltake toy junk

 

[Spike99]

Odds are yes you'll need to splice wire. Not a big deal, they are easily identified and connected. I like to solder my splices or if a plug in on ihe circut board replace the plug on the fan.
What you need to do first is crack it open and identify the fan, measurements and specs. The fan should have a sticker on it, like the pic of this one
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/svcompucycle_2096_11507557
You will see DC 12V 0.30A
that's it, you want a fan w/ similar amp rating, close, it does not need to be exact.
Next you need measuments, metrics. It will be 140x 20 or 25 I think but you need to measure. Look for screws under stickers when you open the PSU, often they hide one under a sticker that can't be lifted so they can tell if you have opened the case. While you are in there check the wires to the fan, take good pics if your not sure and post up here. most of the fans Ive replaced are 2 wire w/o the RPM sensor, the replacement may have this but it won't be used.

I opened PSU. I'm not sure how post a pic but the fan details are as follows
Thermaltake TT-1425B DC 12V 0.70A, D14BH-12(L-SSS)

This fan is a 2 wire and it has a 2pin header that connects to the board.
I did not measure fan but looking up D14BH-12, it's a Yate Loon fan

Size:140x140x25, RPM: 2800, CFM:140.0, NOISE:48.5db

I don't know what RPM fan PSU runs at when idle... is there a way to tell ?
What site do I go to find a fan replacement ? Do you recommend a fan replacement ?

 

[Spike99]

just get a new PSU and get rid of that thermaltake toy junk

I think I'm gonna try out replacing fan... but in the scenario that it doesn't work out and I wanted to replace PSU, what is the best silent PSU you recommend ?

At the moment I have a 850W. I am no longer interested in SLI/Crossfire (bad experience). So I guess I may not need a 850W PSU... maybe a 750W ?

 

[LOUISSSSS]

Corsair PSU's with 120mm fans, Seasonic S/M series, OCZ PSU' with 120mm fans,

 

[Spike99]

Corsair PSU's with 120mm fans, Seasonic S/M series, OCZ PSU' with 120mm fans,

Oh, crap... I screwed up my PC. I opened my case and was moving a 8pin connector from PSU and it looks like it touched MOBO and looks like it shorted out my MOBO. Now PC is not turning on. I really don't know if the problem is the MOBO or the PSU. Just in case, In the process of RMA'ing MOBO since it's only 2 weeks old. Since I don't know if the problem is the PSU... probably best to replace PSU too.

I'll start looking into your suggestions.. but I'll also post for any other suggestions on "Power Supplies"

 

[JulesMaximus]

I think I'm gonna try out replacing fan... but in the scenario that it doesn't work out and I wanted to replace PSU, what is the best silent PSU you recommend ?

At the moment I have a 850W. I am no longer interested in SLI/Crossfire (bad experience). So I guess I may not need a 850W PSU... maybe a 750W ?

I have a Corsair 650W power supply with the 120mm fan and it is near silent. I have i7 860 with a Radeon 4670, 4GB RAM, 1TB hard drive and a DVD RW drive so 650W is overkill but I wanted stable and quiet.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I opened PSU. I'm not sure how post a pic but the fan details are as follows
Thermaltake TT-1425B DC 12V 0.70A, D14BH-12(L-SSS)

This fan is a 2 wire and it has a 2pin header that connects to the board.
I did not measure fan but looking up D14BH-12, it's a Yate Loon fan

Size:140x140x25, RPM: 2800, CFM:140.0, NOISE:48.5db

I don't know what RPM fan PSU runs at when idle... is there a way to tell ?
What site do I go to find a fan replacement ? Do you recommend a fan replacement ?

What size fan does it have? Smaller fans will make more noise, plain and simple. Replacing an 80mm fan with another 80mm fan isn't going to make much difference quite honestly.

 

[jtisgeek]

I like my ps at the bottom and my rad at the top.

Me to. :twisted:

 

[Spike99]

Update:

Looks like it was my MOBO that is caput. I had an old MOBO and it turn on fine... but decided to replace PSU all together. I decided to go with Corsair 750W HX & I hate cable management on my case... and pull the trigger on Corsair case 800D.

 

[faxon]

What size fan does it have? Smaller fans will make more noise, plain and simple. Replacing an 80mm fan with another 80mm fan isn't going to make much difference quite honestly.

read what he posted, it says 140x140x25. as for answering his question, my PSU's fan runs at 500RPM unless i load it under OCCT PSU tester, and it's using an enermax 139x139x25 fan that enermax made special for this PSU. that yate loon fan is stupid fast even for a yate as well, the 140x140x25mm low speed yate i use in the back of my case is only 1000RPM ~46CFM 25dBA, and it moves a good bit of air on its own. that 2800rpm fan in comparison is a screamer

 

[LOUISSSSS]

Oh, crap... I screwed up my PC. I opened my case and was moving a 8pin connector from PSU and it looks like it touched MOBO and looks like it shorted out my MOBO. Now PC is not turning on. I really don't know if the problem is the MOBO or the PSU. Just in case, In the process of RMA'ing MOBO since it's only 2 weeks old. Since I don't know if the problem is the PSU... probably best to replace PSU too.

I'll start looking into your suggestions.. but I'll also post for any other suggestions on "Power Supplies"

quoted for nub assholeness RMAing a product that he broke. USER ERROR FTL