Corsair power supply fan placement

[bleu]

Hello, I recently purchased the 2018 version of the RM750X and I only now realize this power supply is forced into hybrid mode without a switch which is a problem if I want to have the fan facing downwards based on what I have read the past couple years from Seasonic.

The power supply will mostly stay in Fanless Mode as most modern systems run in low loads. As hot air rises naturally, mounting the power supply with the top cover facing UPWARD (towards the direction of the motherboard) will ensure optimal heat dissipation when the fan stands still.

https://seasonic.com/how-to-position-your-power-supply

Aris Mpitziopoulos (amazing reviewer) also had something to say about this specific power supply

it'd be great to see Corsair implement a button for toggling the semi-passive fan mode on and off. That'd allow us to test the fan any time we wanted. Plus, it'd let us install the PSU with its fan facing downward, and not worry about heat building up inside the enclosure and damaging the electrolytic capacitors.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-rm750x-v2-psu,5585-12.html

As far as I can tell Corsair doesn't have any advice on this topic. In this specific NZXT H500 case which way should I place the power supply? Follow the advice above and let the heat radiate up into my video card or turn it upside down and let it cook?

My previous power supply even from 2012 had a switch for the hybrid fan mode so this wasn't a problem.

[SkyHound0202]

The fan on RM750X is configured to suck air in and exhaust the heated air though the mesh on its back, so it won't heat up the inside of computer case anyway (unless improperly oriented, see following).

NZXT H500 has a intake for the power supply on the bottom. So you should place the power supply fan facing downward to suck in cool air through the intake.

 

Besides, PSU normally generates considerably less heat than other components like graphic card and processor.

[fmarcoux96]

7 minutes ago, SkyHound0202 said:

NZXT H500 has a intake for the power supply on the bottom. So you should place the power supply fan facing downward to suck in cool air through the intake.

@bleu I agree with him. I have the H500 case for my build and I really recommended the PSU fan facing down!

 

WIth a RX570 and a Ryzen 5 2600X, I already have a lot of heat in the case. You don't want to complement that with the PSU under load!

 

Also, this case has air filters on the front, top and bottom. So your PSU and fans won't go dirty.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, bleu said:

As far as I can tell Corsair doesn't have any advice on this topic. In this specific NZXT H500 case which way should I place the power supply? Follow the advice above and let the heat radiate up into my video card or turn it upside down and let it cook?

That's because it's not a problem. 

 

You're worried over nothing.

 

This particular Corsair PSU is not made by Seasonic.  You can mount it fan pointing down.

 

Ever since HardOCP reviewed the original RM and it failed in their incubator which has no airflow when the PSU fan is not operating, Corsair has made sure the thermistor that operates the fan is on the main PCB in an area that is the hottest when there is no airflow.

 

HardOCP review:  https://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/11/13/corsair_rm750_750w_power_supply_review/

 

Corsair blog:  http://www.corsair.com/us/blog/rm750_and_850_thermal_issue/

 

Corsair forum:  http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=123484

 

A lot of PSUs put the thermistor for the fan controller on the top of either the primary or secondary heatsink, which is closer to the fan than the main PCB.  So while this is good at capturing the temperature of incoming air, it's not good at measuring the temperature of the air closest to the main PCB.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, SkyHound0202 said:

The fan on RM750X is configured to suck air in and exhaust the heated air though the mesh on its back, so it won't heat up the inside of computer case anyway (unless improperly oriented, see following).

NZXT H500 has a intake for the power supply on the bottom. So you should place the power supply fan facing downward to suck in cool air through the intake.

 

Besides, PSU normally generates considerably less heat than other components like graphic card and processor.

He's worried about mounting the PSU with the fan pointing up and having the heat from the PSU rise into the PC since the fan isn't spinning to push the air back down.  But as you point out, the actual heat generated by a PSU is minimal.

 

And he most certainly can mount the PSU with the fan pointing down without issue.

 

[bleu]

46 minutes ago, jonnyGURU said:

He's worried about mounting the PSU with the fan pointing up and having the heat from the PSU rise into the PC since the fan isn't spinning to push the air back down.  But as you point out, the actual heat generated by a PSU is minimal.

 

And he most certainly can mount the PSU with the fan pointing down without issue.

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question with such detail. It felt like nobody was reading the details of my question.