Top mounted PSU's, now I remember why I liked them so much

[magellan]

I was removing my video card to de-dust it and the screw fell right down into the PSU. I had to partially remove the PSU and disassemble it just to get the screw out. On the flipside, I'll try to remember to put something over the PSU intake port now.

 

[Silver_Pharaoh]

PSU's are bottom mounted now?
That doesn't seem like a logical choice to me.

Hope the PSU was off when the screw fell in!!!!

 

[jaymz9350]

Well usually bottom mounted PSU'S still have the intake on the bottom so that's not an issue

 

[magellan]

Well usually bottom mounted PSU'S still have the intake on the bottom so that's not an issue

On my case I could've mounted my PSU that way, and maybe I should've. I just didn't want to have one more filter to vacuum out.

 

[wingman99]

That reminds me of the fact I have not cleaned my filter on the bottom since 2011, Oh well.

 

[Vishera]

Well usually bottom mounted PSU'S still have the intake on the bottom so that's not an issue

On my case I could've mounted my PSU that way, and maybe I should've. I just didn't want to have one more filter to vacuum out.

I always thought that PSU fans were used for exhaust? Mine blows air out of itself with the fan on it, so that's just how I thought they all work.

 

[jaymz9350]

That is how the PSU works. In the days when they were too mounted they pulled air from the case and exausted it out the back. Now with most bottom mount cases they pull outside air from under the case through a hole in the bottom and exaust it out the back. This gives the PSU cooler air instead of using the warm case air.

This all assuming the PSU has a bottom mount fan which almost all do now.

 

[EarthDog]

On my case I could've mounted my PSU that way, and maybe I should've. I just didn't want to have one more filter to vacuum out.

So drop a screw in it instead...seems like a good trade off to me!

Flip it over. Prevents this from happening. Most quality PSUs don't need a lot of airflow. Some don't even have their fan turn on until a certain load/temperature.


EDIT: For Pete's sake, you still haven't updated your signature Magellan?

 

[Tech Tweaker]

PSU's are bottom mounted now?
That doesn't seem like a logical choice to me.

Hope the PSU was off when the screw fell in!!!!

Yeah, bottom-mounted PSU cases have been the norm now for probably 6 years. Maybe more?

So drop a screw in it instead...seems like a good trade off to me!

Flip it over. Prevents this from happening. Most quality PSUs don't need a lot of airflow. Some don't even have their fan turn on until a certain load/temperature.

I've had my new system up and running for ~5 months now. The fan has only ever turned on once when under the normal fan profile, that I'm aware of. It doesn't turn on until it hits something like 485W system load, but I've never seen over 370W of system load (gaming). It appears it may also react to temperature changes as well though, as the one time I did see it come on it was around 30°C but the power draw was only around 300-350 watts. And the power draw is even lower when just stressing it with Prime95.

Never seems to get over 30°C according to Corsair Link, though I'm not sure how accurate that number is.

 

[caddi daddi]

we have bottom mounted psu's so we can shove rads in the top......

 

[Silver_Pharaoh]

Hmm. Guess it's been a while since I last had an actual PC case.

I wonder though, do bottom mounted PSU's accumulate more dust that top mounted ones?

 

[EarthDog]

Not if they are mounted with the fan down and filtered. I've honestly never worried about it, filtered or not, up or down.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Hmm. Guess it's been a while since I last had an actual PC case.

I wonder though, do bottom mounted PSU's accumulate more dust that top mounted ones?

Typically, no. Most cases with a bottom intake for a PSU have a filter.

 

[Silver_Pharaoh]

Ahh right, most cases have intakes on the bottom. I forgot about that

 

[caddi daddi]

some of mine do and some don't.
the bottom mounted also help to hide our cables to the 4 and 8 pin cpu power connectors and fan headers by placing the motherboard higher in the case.

 

[Tech Tweaker]

Hmm. Guess it's been a while since I last had an actual PC case.

I wonder though, do bottom mounted PSU's accumulate more dust that top mounted ones?

I would say it depends on multiple factors. Where your case is (on a desk/table/counter, on the floor, somewhere else? (up high vs. down low)), what brand or type of case, filtered or not filtered, positive or negative pressure in your case, etc.

My previous case I got a good amount of dust in the power supply, and it was bottom mounted with the power supply pulling air in from the bottom/outside of the case with a filtered intake. The flip side though was that I kept my case on the floor for the last two or three years because I simply didn't have room for it on my desk any more.

I would clean the dust out of my case once every two or three months, and there always seemed to be plenty of it, including in the power supply. Surface dust mainly, usually not giant dust balls.

 

[magellan]

we have bottom mounted psu's so we can shove rads in the top......

My old Thermaltake Armor+ (w/a top-mounted PSU) had fittings to install a radiator in the bottom.

 

[caddi daddi]

now that's sweet.
most of mine that are bottom mounted have filtersexcept the 2 corsair air540 and 240, they are on the bottom but the psu mounts on it's side.
the thermaltake core p5 i guess you might call it bottom mounted, but that's a fully exposed system case.

 

[magellan]

now that's sweet.
most of mine that are bottom mounted have filtersexcept the 2 corsair air540 and 240, they are on the bottom but the psu mounts on it's side.
the thermaltake core p5 i guess you might call it bottom mounted, but that's a fully exposed system case.

The Thermaltake Armor+ weighs probably 50 pounds w/all my hardware installed. Dragging it to any LAN party is hell because of the gigantic size of the case. Leaving a LAN party is even worse because by then I'm beat up after some 16 hours of gaming. The last LAN party I went to I was so tired after hauling the case out I was just about ready to leave everything else behind and come back and get it later.

Are watercooled systems generally heavier than aircooled systems? Is it a significant difference?

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Are watercooled systems generally heavier than aircooled systems? Is it a significant difference?

Yes. Yes.

If you want something like build an mITX machine.