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PSU fan placement (up or down) question

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Mikes95XLT

Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2003
Location
Bartlett
Okay guys here's my problem:

Normally I wouldn't even have to ask this question, because it's stupid. However, it's a problem for me nonetheless. I bought this case from Newegg, and I'm very impressed, except for one small factor. The power supply cutout on the rear. Here is an example pic:

11-164-042-04.JPG

My problem lies here with the cutout. I bought an Antec 350W PSU, which has the two fans on it. One on the back, and one on the bottom. What I've always done is place this fan on the bottom (facing the inside of the case) to pull air up and out through the PSU. However, with the way the cutout is on the back of the case, the only way to mount the PSU is with the fan facing the top of the case. Now my question:

Is this a problem? Can I leave it like that? Will it hurt the PSU? Because obviously there is no way I can reverse the fan on the PSU. So right now the fan is facing the top of the case. I could slightly modify the back of the case to fit the PSU facing the other way, but this is a last resort, because I must say the case is of a very sturdy design and material, and cutting would be a hassle, however doable.

So, what would be your recommendation?? Thanks guys.
 
Here are a couple pics to illustrate my problem.

In picture 1 (caseyes1.jpg), you can see how it fits nicely into the case. However, the second fan is facing up toward the top of the case. Not what I want.

In picture 2 (caseno1.jpg), I flipped the PSU so the second fan is facing down, however, you can see the conflict (red square) which prevents me from doing this.

So, what should I do?
 

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it doesn't look like the screw holes will line up if you do it the other way - i had to for one power supply and only two of the 4 screws fit.

however, looking at my boxes i see that yours is completely different. all of mine have the fan on the right side and the power on the left.

guess that is what you get for a $13 case :-D. oh, the fan on the top will not hurt the power supply, as there will still be airflow. but reading other people's reviews on the case in general, airflow seems to be a factor.

my two cents: flip it and cut out a bit of metal if you are worried (you could always drill new screw holes too), or just leave it the same if you don't worry about heat.
 
Zhoel is right. If I leave it with the fan facing the bottom, the screw holes will not line up anyways, and that's too much modding for me. What I will probably do is drill a series of holes in the top of the case for a vent for the fan, and be done with it.
 
If you've got a Dremel then just cut a little part out where the plug is. Also, it doesn't really matter if the PSU is screwed in or not unless you're moving your case a lot. I run my system without the PSU screwed in all the time and it doesn't hurt anything.
 
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