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iyzmi   09-30-2007 at 07:06:31 PM

Are dual fans really that important? Do they help cooling noticeably or just add extra noise? I don't understand the ones with the 2nd fan on top, wouldn't that fan just be blowing into the top of the case or are you supposed to mount the PSU upside down?

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akhilles   09-30-2007 at 08:27:58 PM
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I suggest you google some atx case design articles.

To oversimplify, the most ideal case cooling is intake equals exhaust. 1 120mm intake fan in front & 1 exhaust in the back. The top-rear is a dead spot where heat doesn't escape easily. A top blowhole fan solves this problem. & heat does rise.

Reply to akhilles
iyzmi   09-30-2007 at 08:46:54 PM
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119094

That's the case I'm getting. If I got a dual fan PSU, wouldn't the top fan just be blowing into the top of the case making it completely pointless?

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smokedyou911   09-30-2007 at 08:56:45 PM
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No, that 2nd fan (120mm) would be facing downwards into your cp. It would be sucking hot air into your psu and then the 80mm fan would blow it outa the case.

Reply to smokedyou911
iyzmi   10-01-2007 at 12:57:33 AM
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This is the PSU I was thinking about with two 80mm fans:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817190011
Are you guys saying I should mount it so that the fan that is on top in those pics, would be facing downward?

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iyzmi   10-01-2007 at 01:24:30 AM
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Oh, I think I see what you're saying. Those pics are showing it upside down... Theirs one pic that shows the sticker on the back and the fan is on the bottom of the PSU. I get it now.

Reply to iyzmi
smokedyou911   10-01-2007 at 01:52:04 AM
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id stay away from xion psu's. Why not get +one from a company know for higher quality psu's? try antec, chrosiar, fsp group.

Reply to smokedyou911
iyzmi   10-01-2007 at 05:32:23 AM
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Why not XION? The reviews seem good and it's the cheapest dual fan 2 rail PSU right now at only $20. Do you have any other recommendations for under $30?

What do you think of this PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817165004
It's a single rail but it has 3 fans. Is 3 fans overkill?

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by iyzmi on 10-01-2007 at 05:43:06 AM
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jaguarskx   10-01-2007 at 05:49:45 AM
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There is a reason why that Xion is so cheap, they use cheap parts.

I've seen people devote $1,500 - $2,000 for a PC, but they only want to spend $50 - $75 on a power supply. To the uninitiated, the PSU is actually the most important piece of hardware in the PC. Why? Everything is powered by that PSU.

If a component like the CPU, sound card, or RAM fails, then all you really need to do is to replace it and you are done. The PSU supplies power to every single component in your PC. If it fails, it can potentially send a surge of electricity (power spike) to all your components, and thus destroy a few to every single component. It is rare, but it has happened.

If you are willing to take the risk, then by all means buy the Xion.

------------------------------ Q9450 |Corsair XMS 4GB DDR 800 | ABit IP35 Pro | HD 5850 | Audigy 2 | Seasonic S12 550 | Cooler Master Centurion 532 | NEC LCD2690WUXi and Planar PX2611w | WinXP

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 Reply to jaguarskx
mad-dog   10-01-2007 at 06:18:09 AM
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Quote :

If I got a dual fan PSU, wouldn't the top fan just be blowing into the top of the case making it completely pointless?


No, PSU's with 2 fans exhaust hot air from the case just like PSU's with 1 fan; the fans are simply setup in a push/pull configuration inside the PSU housing, one fan pulls air in and the other fan pushes air out.
You need 3 things to make a system run cool.............
Airflow, Airflow and Airflow.
In thru the lower front and out thru the upper rear, it doesn't take a lot of fans to get the job done, just a few strategically placed units.
I modified my Tt Armor to use 2-120mm fans in the front very similar to this Antec 900:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021
but in a Tt Armor instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811133021
The back-panel fans include a 120mm case fan and the PSU fan which is also 120mm.
Airflow in equals Airflow out....i think
There are 8 more dedicated hardware fans inside the case but they don't pull air in nor exhaust it out..they simply direct air inside the case around, over, under and thru the heatsinks.


Message edited by mad-dog on 10-01-2007 at 06:19:27 AM
------------------------------ How to build your own PC...
http://forumz.tomshardware.com/har [...] 12126.html
 Reply to mad-dog
mad-dog   10-01-2007 at 06:35:18 AM
- 0 +

iyzmi wrote :

Why not XION? The reviews seem good and it's the cheapest dual fan 2 rail PSU right now at only $20. Do you have any other recommendations for under $30?

What do you think of this PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817165004
It's a single rail but it has 3 fans. Is 3 fans overkill?


It it needs 3 fans to keep it cool I'd say the efficiency level is very low for starters.
Quality PSU's require a single 120mm fan for ventilation,
FYI; large fans are generally quieter than small fans at the same rpm.
There are 2 kinds of people that buy cheap power supplies,
those that have crashed their system and those that will.
I had what i thought at the time to be a quality PSU, it was a OCZ unit......when it flew south it had the motherboard and video card in tow; catastrophic hardware damage, had to RMA the mobo, vga card then i switched over to a FSP Group 750W unit and never looked back.
A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link and the PSU is responsible for supplying precisely measured voltages while ensuring there is nominal current flow in each rail.
i'm not gonna preach to ya anymore but if you buy a cheap PSU it'll come back and bite ya in the arse.

Side note: when i read the PSU you selected had 3 fans the first thing that came to thought was they must have left something important out to make room for 3 fans..........lol


Message edited by mad-dog on 10-02-2007 at 05:52:59 AM
------------------------------ How to build your own PC...
http://forumz.tomshardware.com/har [...] 12126.html
 Reply to mad-dog
mad-dog   10-01-2007 at 07:31:25 AM
- 0 +

Here is a great article on airflow: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article75-page1.html

------------------------------ How to build your own PC...
http://forumz.tomshardware.com/har [...] 12126.html
 Reply to mad-dog
iyzmi   10-02-2007 at 01:55:45 AM
- 0 +

Ok, well what's the cheapest PSU that you guys think is alright? It'll be going into a $400 nothing special PC.

BTW, here's my case/fans list. I'm putting a 120 in the back and an 80 on the side.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119094
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835106100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835220024


Message edited by iyzmi on 10-02-2007 at 02:03:46 AM
Reply to iyzmi
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