Can a psu be placed upside down ?

GreenDutchAlien · Sep 30, 2011

Hello.
Does anybody know for sure if a psu can safely be placed upside down ? The psu has the fan on the top and there is no room in the case for a good airflow then, so the fan has to go downwards.
Googled a lot and i think it's safe, but i have to be sure because it's not my psu and have to give advice to someone about this.
Psu ; Corsair gaming series gs 600W.
http://www.corsair.com/gs600w.html

delluser1 · Sep 30, 2011

When you are looking at a psu and the fan is on top, the psu is upside down.
Look at the back of your case, do the psu mounting holes even allow for mounting in either direction ? Probably not, very few top mount cases do and the ones that can are usually vented to allow for airflow.

GreenDutchAlien · Sep 30, 2011

Don't know about the mounting holes, like i said it's not mine.
This guy on the forum bought one according to my advice with the fan upwards and it has to be mounted in top of the casing. I did warn before buying that he has to make sure that there is enough ventilation room if it has to be placed in the top, but now, after buying, he discovers that there isn't enough room for ventilation.
So turning the psu should be an solution. If he can drill the holes himself and it's physicly possible would it be safe ? Isn't the fan going to give problems in the long run ?

x Heavy · Sep 30, 2011

I have mine upside down in the Haf X case. The floor of the case is specifically designed with a fan and dust filter to permit this kind of installation.

I think it's upside down but according to the bolt layout in the rear it's correctly positioned.

A bonus is less heat and no more bolts falling down into the fan cage.

vitornob · Sep 30, 2011

A PSU will only have problems if:
1- The PSU fan is blowing air to a closed part of the case. So, there isn't a airflow -> burn psu, top or bottom mounted.

2- The PSU is top mounted, blowing air upside down.. but a good amount of heat doesn't go down (some hot air gets imprisioned inside the PSU, heating the PSU EVEN with the fan working).
Happened with me: I had a generic case, with a top mounted XFX 750W PSU blowing air inside the case. This PSU was generating a huge amount of heat, much more than my huntkey 550w PSU

Results: almost burning my hand when touching top part of my case. Afraid of burning my new PSU, I bought a CM 690 II Adv. Case

Recommendation: Be sure there's room to ur PSU breath, and if u can, install it bottom in the case, it favors greately airflow.

GreenDutchAlien · Sep 30, 2011

Thanks for the replies, but they don't really answer the question.
As stated, the psu has to go in the top of the casing as i understand it from the op. He has almost no space left between the psu and the top of the casing. the fan is on top of the psu, so only solution imo is to place the psu upside down, so the fan is facing downwards, but still with the psu in the top of the case. Don't know about this psu, but mine has a fan on the bottom and blows hot air out through the backpanel so this doesn't heat up stuff inside.( though the psu sucks in hot air from the case, so the psu will become hotter )
If this is the case with his psu ( blowing air out through the backpanel ) is it safe for the fan pointing downwards, wouldn't it destroy itself because of vibration and so ?

GreenDutchAlien · Sep 30, 2011

Btw, this is the case he has ; http://www.zebronics.net/Zeb-aviator.asp

delluser1 · Sep 30, 2011

It's a low end top mount case, the only way to mount the psu is with the fan down.

leandrodafontoura · Sep 30, 2011

Are you guys crazy?????? Its just a marketing stunt

Friend, here is your answer, the fan HAS to go down. Period. Thats the way it was designed to be installed.

As a matter of fact, as some guy above stated, the screws will only allow the PSU to be mounted with the fan facing down. Again, thats the way it was designed to be installed.

The picture may have confused you cause ads for PSU usually have a picture of the item with the fan up, so the buyer can check the FAN, its better advertising, and because of that, some manufactures "write" their logos and specs upside down as well, so it looks better on the Ad. Having said that, the correct way to install it is with the fan facing down.

vitornob · Sep 30, 2011

leandrodafontoura :

I shall disagree with ur post Leandro.
Considering a top mounted, facing down fan. U must remember that above the fan, and under the top of the PSU resides all the circuitry. And THIS is what get hot. If the fan blow air inside the case we must conclude that the fan takes hot air out the psu by doing negative pressure, I must say it's not very efficiently since hot air is lighter than cold air, so it's easier to retire the COLD air from the PSU, since it's near the fan than the hot air. Doing this eventually ur psu shall get hot (the same way mine always gets before).

I'm saying this not by 'heard from a friend', it really happened with me. And my heat problems ended my bottom mounting my PSU with facing up FAN.

GreenDutchAlien · Sep 30, 2011

leandrodafontoura :

This could be the answer i was looking for indeed !!! Taking a better look at the pics, the last pic shows the letters the right way up and ; NO FAN on top ! Yeah !
I'll check it with the op to see if this is right. Very helpfull and good info this, i gave advice to some other people in the past who had to place the psu in the top and spend a lot of time to look for a good one with the fan on the bottom . . . waisted some time there i believe :lol:
I'll tell the op to get a good airflow in the rest of the system because of what Vitornob says, he has a point there. ( i have a psu in my case with a fan on the bottom so i'll have a look into mine also ! )
Thanks a lot you guys !

delluser1 · Sep 30, 2011

vitornob :

That's nice, care to explain to robjordy, and the rest of us, how to bottom mount a psu in the top mount case being discussed in this thread ?

GreenDutchAlien · Sep 30, 2011

Best answer selected by robjordy.

GreenDutchAlien · Sep 30, 2011

"That's nice, care to explain to robjordy, and the rest of us, how to bottom mount a psu in the top mount case being discussed in this thread ?"

Maybe closed the thread to soon, would like to here that yeah.
Mod, can you keep it open for just a bit longer ?

Btw, thanks Delluser for your reply, your reply was about the same as leandrodafont so it was hard to decide to who the best answer went, leandrodafont had the more detailed answer tough so even a noobie like me understood it.

ram1009 · Sep 30, 2011

I've never seen a PSU that knew up from down. Your original question depends entirely upon what case the PSU is mounted in. I've seen cases with air holes in the top surface where the PSU fan would be and I've seen cases where the PSU mounts in the bottom of the box instead of the top. As long as there are no airflow restrictions and the hole patterns allow mounting there should be no problem.

x Heavy · Sep 30, 2011

It then comes down to a personal choice.

I prefer my PSU's on the bottom. I used to have them up top in the old Antecs and other cases years ago, caused me no end of hassles with cable management back then.

Heat rises and so, cooling forces cold into bottom and up it goes. I would not have any issue slapping down a sink to draw heat off the top and remove it with a PCI slot blower. Something to consider.

leandrodafontoura · Sep 30, 2011

The big fan of the PSU always gets air, and pushes out the back of the PSU. If its gonna be mounted on the top of the case, or the bottom of the case, it depends solely on the case.

If a case has the PSU mounted in the bottom, as most modern cases are built nowadays, it will have holes in the bottom, so it gets air beneath the case.

However, most cases currently out there still have the PSU mounted on top and no holes on the top. Its obvious that the fan cant get air from a wall, so it must get air inside the case, right? Again, the mounting holes will only allow the PSU to be installed 1 way.

It is createvelly possible for a manufacture to create a case wich has holes on top and the psu would be mounted upside down, but I haven seen them, I got my case 5 years ago and Im still happy with it.

ltrazaklt · Oct 1, 2011

it always amazes that in this day an age ..the Cases and PSU's , still dont seem to have grasped the basic concepts , of Hot Air rises to top , and Cold Air sinks to bottom..and that to push air from one direction to another ..would you ..swim upstream or downstream ? ideally your case should have fans at the bottom pushing up and to the left, (if have a case that is precut for a fan on the very bottom , ir fan laying flat and pushing up..or you mod your case for 1 or 2, I have mine modded for 1 nice 120 fan laying at bottom pushing stright up (with a dust filter and grill too)) and fans at the top pushing out and to the left ...(and by to the left I mean if your facing your case with side panel open , and the power on button on the front bezel of case is on your right handside)

leandrodafontoura · Oct 1, 2011

But todasy case have the best design in my opinion, with the PSU on the bottom. For ages, the PSU was on the top, and it was part of the case air flow, however, it received already heated air.

With the PSU on the botom, it gets air directly straight from the outisde, not only this is a cool air, but the air doesnt go into the case, not interfering the cooling of the remaining parts

ltrazaklt · Oct 1, 2011

your assuming the PSU isnt vented ..and doesnt push up from bottom , in which SOME air from PSU will get into the case ..it really depends on the design and flow of the PSU if Bottom mount is better, imho ..if the PSU is bottom mounted and pushes up , then Top mount seems like a better option ...again these things depend on the design and flow of PSU and case , imho

Can a psu be placed upside down ?

Splendid

Splendid

Splendid

Distinguished

Distinguished

Splendid

Splendid

Splendid

Distinguished

Distinguished

Splendid

Splendid

Splendid

Splendid

Distinguished

Distinguished

Distinguished

Distinguished

Distinguished

Distinguished

Share this page