power supply causes o/h

skimzzz

Distinguished
Nov 18, 2001
129
0
18,680
I noticed that a poor PS, esp in a case with a lot of components, can lead to fans spinning at lower speeds. I have a generic '300 W' PSU and always checked the fan RPM (on a SOYO board) when at idle. The fans always spun at advertised speeds. Then the other day, I checked the fan RPM while burning CDs and doing some other stuff. The fan RPM dropped significantly. This would explain why I would have decent idle temps, but high temps when my comp was doing something. And as it has been shown, air flow directly over the HS is the single biggest factor in CPU cooling (assuming decent HS, thermal paste, correct HSF installation, etc.).

So an investment in a good PS may be better than buying a fancier HSF.