Is it normal for PSU's to get hot?

[Valion]

Is it? nothing more than curiosity! I have a Cougar CMX 700w and yes i know it's not the best of PSU brands but it does it's job but lately it's getting quite hot when gaming, and the fact that the climate is Hot as well inst helping aha

It only gets quite hot when gaming, and does cool down when i stop so just wondering if that's how they work.

And in case someone asks my specs are i5-3550/ASUS P8z77-V/GTX 570/4GB DDR RAM/500GB HDD

Thanks guys!

 

[dokk2]

Somewhat warm yes,, but HOT,, never, remember "you get what you pay for" , or not as the case may be, AND if your PSU does go south it could/might do serious damage to your system, myself I use OCZ PSU"s and am content , never any trouble..

 

[Pinhedd]

Yes PSUs do get very hot.

The amount of heat that a PSU creates is the difference between the total power demanded by the components in your PC and the total power drawn from the power grid. In a perfect world with 100% efficient PSUs this would be zero, but some PSUs can have remarkably low efficiency. If you want a PSU that runs cooler and provides more stable power to your components then you need to get a PSU with an 80 PLUS certification.

Your PSU is 80 PLUS Bronze certified which means that it has an efficiency of at least 82% at 20% load, 85% at 50% load, and 82% at 100% load. If your components are drawing all 700 watts of rated output power (or more) then your PSU will be generating a little over 150 watts of heat, about as much as a high end graphics card. So yes, they do get quite hot at times.

 

[Valion]

Yes PSUs do get very hot.

The amount of heat that a PSU creates is the difference between the total power demanded by the components in your PC and the total power drawn from the power grid. In a perfect world with 100% efficient PSUs this would be zero, but some PSUs can have remarkably low efficiency. If you want a PSU that runs cooler and provides more stable power to your components then you need to get a PSU with an 80 PLUS certification.

Your PSU is 80 PLUS Bronze certified which means that it has an efficiency of at least 82% at 20% load, 85% at 50% load, and 82% at 100% load. If your components are drawing all 700 watts of rated output power (or more) then your PSU will be generating a little over 150 watts of heat, about as much as a high end graphics card. So yes, they do get quite hot at times.

exactly the reply i was looking for! informative and to the point! good to know it's nothing unusual.

Thanks!

 

[Valion]

Best answer selected by Valion.