Mod of Sparkle/Fortron PSU w/120mm

[Stupid Boy]

I would like to mod my system in such a way that I would need to reverse the direction of airflow through the PSU. The PSU is a Sparkle (Fortron) 350W unit with a 120mm fan. I'm not worried about modifying the PSU, but I'm worried about cooling.

Is the PSU likely to overheat if if I reverse the direction of the 120mm fan?

Thanks

[Turd Furguson]

So you are wanting to pull cold air thru the PSU and back into your case or exhaust the air thru some kind of duct?

Shouldn't kill your PSU but may increase your case temps by a significant margin.

[Stupid Boy]

So you are wanting to pull cold air thru the PSU and back into your case or exhaust the air thru some kind of duct?

Shouldn't kill your PSU but may increase your case temps by a significant margin.

In through the back, out through the top of the case

[FIZZ3]

The 120mm fan is on the bottom of the power supply though. Reversing its airflow direction will mean you'll be blowing hot air onto the CPU area pretty much directly. The initial ATX spec was designed this way, coincidentally. They changed it when it became obvious that a PSU fan blowing through a moderately powerful unit wasn't helping the CPU anymore.

One mod that might help is to have a classic 80mm on the back of the unit sucking air in and making sure this air is exhausted on the opposite side of the PS, after which you could exhaust it with a top blowhole.

[huneycutt]

"In through the back, out through the top of the case." Those blow holes do a darn good job. Reversing the PSU air flow would certainly result in the PSU running about 20C cooler, but, spin off would be like the other replies said, hot air being introduced inside the case rather than PSU fan acting as exaust.

Sure fire test you can do both ways so you'll know exact cause and effect of reversing PSU fan; Take a mercury thermometer and put in top of case about two inches from the top mid way front to back, wedge or tape it between wires or cables and don't let mercury bulb touch anything. Close it up and run for couple hours with all fans in normal configuration and then check temp. (Mine runs around 20C warmer than ambient room temp.) Now put the thermometer back exactly where it was before and do the reverse fan on the PSU and run the same temp test and you will have cold hard facts to deal with rather than guessing.

Curious as to what temp test reveals so please report back and let us know what gives. I think your saving grace is the blow hole and if you didn't have it no way I'd do the reverse air thing. Never know 'til you try . . . Huney.