New PSU, not what I expected

[Mark Kaine]

So I got the new PSU a Bequiet straight power 11 650w GOLD, my old PSU was Bequiet pure power 10 500w SILVER (with the rest of the specs in my sig) , and I was actually expecting this new super PSU to run more silent and cooler... 

 

Well, it's not running more silent because I couldn't hear my old PSU and I can't hear the new one, but the new PSU actually gets *hot* more than 40C for sure, probably more than 50... it's actually *hot* on the outside at least, and also on top... 

 

I checked, my power draw actually didn't get more because I play with Vsync on so the system doesn't actually use that much power... 

 

I think it's maybe because the fan in the new PSU doesn't spin very fast, unfortunately, my old one was a lot faster thus lower temps... 

 

But my actual questionis: is this normal, PSUs get "hot"? My old PSU didn't even get warm (with few exceptions, but never this hot) so this is very weird and, unexpected... 

[jaslion]

They'll keep themselves in check. This one has MUCH higher end components and they tolerate heat much better so there is nothing to worry about here.

[flibberdipper]

Quote

But my actual questionis: is this normal, PSUs get "hot"? My old PSU didn't even get warm (with few exceptions, but never this hot) so this is very weird and, unexpected... 

I mean... Yeah. They're converting AC to DC and then in some manner getting different DC voltages out of that. How warm they get and feel can vary depending on component choice, how close hotter-running components are to the outside, fan speed, so on and so forth.

[JamesTheFolf]

16 minutes ago, Mark Kaine said:

So I got the new PSU a Bequiet straight power 11 650w GOLD, my old PSU was Bequiet pure power 10 500w SILVER (with the rest of the specs in my sig) , and I was actually expecting this new super PSU to run more silent and cooler... 

 

Well, it's not running more silent because I couldn't hear my old PSU and I can't hear the new one, but the new PSU actually gets *hot* more than 40C for sure, probably more than 50... it's actually *hot* on the outside at least, and also on top... 

 

I checked, my power draw actually didn't get more because I play with Vsync on so the system doesn't actually use that much power... 

 

I think it's maybe because the fan in the new PSU doesn't spin very fast, unfortunately, my old one was a lot faster thus lower temps... 

 

But my actual questionis: is this normal, PSUs get "hot"? My old PSU didn't even get warm (with few exceptions, but never this hot) so this is very weird and, unexpected... 

Well your new one probably has its fan curve tuned down since you're not pulling much power, so the fan probably doesn't turn on until it hits a certain temperature threshold.

[Mark Kaine]

11 hours ago, jaslion said:

They'll keep themselves in check. This one has MUCH higher end components and they tolerate heat much better so there is nothing to worry about here.

But it's only like 10 bucks or so more... I mean the biggest issue is the low fan speed I think, my old PSU naturally acted as an exhaust, the new PSU barely does, it's just creating more heat instead... overall temps got a lot higher too (~10C), so this is basically a downgrade to me... I wish I could make the fan run faster, like a lot faster... 

 

11 hours ago, flibberdipper said:

I mean... Yeah. They're converting AC to DC and then in some manner getting different DC voltages out of that. How warm they get and feel can vary depending on component choice, how close hotter-running components are to the outside, fan speed, so on and so forth.

Still, my old 500w (not so cheap) PSU could handle the 3070 +3600 just fine and didn't get that hot at all... at similar power draw, which was much better because it actually helped to keep the whole system cool (see above) 

 

10 hours ago, jrhaberland said:

Well your new one probably has its fan curve tuned down since you're not pulling much power, so the fan probably doesn't turn on until it hits a certain temperature threshold.

It's turned on but at very low speed, maybe 200 rpm or so and it's hot to the touch... I mean ya'll basically said that's normal, but I don't think so, the PSU specifically advertises low temps and that its "ideal operating temperature is 40C" but it's a lot hotter it seems, like I said more like 50C... it's not as hot as an oven plate, but damn close lol... 

 

And, again it's not even under full load, more like 75% or less if I had to guess... 

 

 

Maybe this PSU is just not suitable for being mounted on the top...? If that's the case A) I should probably know and exchange it and B) they really should warn you about that, I haven't seen anything... just how "cool and quiet" it supposedly operates...

[SavageNeo]

3 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

 

Maybe this PSU is just not suitable for being mounted on the top...?

No psu is really suitbale for that since it is getting already warm air form your other components, meaning it will run hotter. but if the performance of the psu is the same nothing to worry about.

 

[jaslion]

4 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

But it's only like 10 bucks or so more... I mean the biggest issue is the low fan speed I think, my old PSU naturally acted as an exhaust, the new PSU barely does, it's just creating more heat instead... overall temps got a lot higher too (~10C), so this is basically a downgrade to me... I wish I could make the fan run faster, like a lot faster...

 

Maybe this PSU is just not suitable for being mounted on the top...? If that's the case A) I should probably know and exchange it and B) they really should warn you about that, I haven't seen anything... just how "cool and quiet" it supposedly operates...

That 10$ difference is a whole leap in quality from the old one. Again its fine the thing is smart enough to regulate and yes top mounted is not what these are expecting. All is fine dont worry.

[flibberdipper]

6 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

Still, my old 500w (not so cheap) PSU could handle the 3070 +3600 just fine and didn't get that hot at all... at similar power draw, which was much better because it actually helped to keep the whole system cool (see above) 

 

Maybe this PSU is just not suitable for being mounted on the top...? If that's the case A) I should probably know and exchange it and B) they really should warn you about that, I haven't seen anything... just how "cool and quiet" it supposedly operates...

Not every PSU is created equal. Hell now that we know it's actually being used as an exhaust, maybe it's just capable of doing a better job at sucking out all the heat from the rest of your system than the old one was.

 

Either way as long as it's not hitting a thermal limit and shutting down, it's not like you need to worry. The PSU in my PC gets pretty damn hot too since it sucks a ton of other heat out, and it's been fine doing this for a few years now.

[OrionFOTL]

20 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

but the new PSU actually gets *hot* more than 40C for sure, probably more than 50... it's actually *hot* on the outside at least, and also on top... 

Hello. Your Be Quiet Straight Power 11 650W has its secondary side +12V MOSFETs placed on the underside of the main PCB, and the PSU's case acts as their heatsink. This heats up the PSU's case more than cheaper power supplies.

The +12 rectifiers in your old PSU were cooled by an ordinary vertical heatsink, with the PSU's fan trying to exhaust it out of the PSU. This design doesn't allow to utilize the unit's case as a heatsink.

 

So, the reason your new PSU feels hotter to your human hands is because your new PSU is more efficient at removing heat from its most important components.

 

Ordinary users don't need to think or worry about what temps a PSU's case should be or how fast its fan should be spinning. Just let the PSU do its job - the engineers who designed it and programmed the fan curve know their stuff.

 

9 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

and that its "ideal operating temperature is 40C" but it's a lot hotter it seems, like I said more like 50C...

Operating temperature refers to the environment where the PSU is placed, and in your case it's around 22 degrees C (air temperature in your room) plus a few degrees for the warmer air inside the computer case, unless you live in a country where it's much colder or much hotter.

Components inside an operating power supply get as hot as 100C, in some cases even surpassing 125C. This is not the same thing as operating temperature.

[Mark Kaine]

1 hour ago, OrionFOTL said:

Hello. Your Be Quiet Straight Power 11 650W has its secondary side +12V MOSFETs placed on the underside of the main PCB, and the PSU's case acts as their heatsink. This heats up the PSU's case more than cheaper power supplies.

The +12 rectifiers in your old PSU were cooled by an ordinary vertical heatsink, with the PSU's fan trying to exhaust it out of the PSU. This design doesn't allow to utilize the unit's case as a heatsink.

 

So, the reason your new PSU feels hotter to your human hands is because your new PSU is more efficient at removing heat from its most important components.

Hello! yes the case really gets a lot hotter too, which obviously worried me, but that explains it I guess. 

 

1 hour ago, OrionFOTL said:

Ordinary users don't need to think or worry about what temps a PSU's case should be or how fast its fan should be spinning. Just let the PSU do its job - the engineers who designed it and programmed the fan curve know their stuff.

 

yeah. but the problem is. *all* parts in my pc are now around 10c hotter which isn't really good at all and not an improvement to me - at *same* power draw... 

 

1 hour ago, OrionFOTL said:

Operating temperature refers to the environment where the PSU is placed, and in your case it's around 22 degrees C (air temperature in your room) plus a few degrees for the warmer air inside the computer case, unless you live in a country where it's much colder or much hotter.

Components inside an operating power supply get as hot as 100C, in some cases even surpassing 125C. This is not the same thing as operating temperature.

Ah I see, that explains that as well I guess... still all components of my pc are now around 10c hotter, and that doesn't really make me happy, understandably? 

 

knowing *why* doesn't make my components cooler again either, I'm not sure what to do, but thank you for the explanation it makes sense (even though I really do not like it lol) 

[Mark Kaine]

@OrionFOTL umm, I just remembered, I noticed the top of the PSU doesn't really touch the case at all, like my old PSU did... it's slightly smaller obviously... so that is kinda double bad if I understand this correctly - because it will release the heat mostly into the case instead *in* the case's metal directly... there's like a 2 cm gap...?!  that's bad, isn't it?

 

I also put cables on top, because I thought why not, my old psu never got hot so I obviously didn't expect this one to get hot either... 

 

Should I remove the cables? 

 

and should I maybe put something under the psu so it actually touches the case? (not sure what) 

because it doesn't right now as said... 

[OrionFOTL]

Power supplies don't need to touch the computer case to work, there's nothing wrong with your build whatsoever.

 

29 minutes ago, Mark Kaine said:

but the problem is. *all* parts in my pc are now around 10c hotter

This just means you're measuring temperature wrong, or did something else that made them heat up more, because power supplies can't do that.

 

Did you really take temperature measurements of every single computer component before you got a new PSU, using some sort of accurate measurement tool, and then took the same measurements again with a new PSU?

[Mark Kaine]

7 minutes ago, OrionFOTL said:

This just means you're measuring temperature wrong, or did something else that made them heat up more, because power supplies can't do that.

I mean that's how physics work though... 

old power supply = case was always cool too touch, fan was running fast removing excess heat out of the case. 

 

new PSU = heats up the whole case, therefore the motherboard, ram etc, and also the case itself which now radiates heat into every direction, plus the fan is spinning at very low speed, not doing anything to remove excess heat at all = the cpu, gpu, ram, motherboard are now about at least 10C hotter... 

 

This psu is not suited at all for my build obviously - they didn't even think about cases that are designed differently... 

 

7 minutes ago, OrionFOTL said:

Power supplies don't need to touch the computer case to work, there's nothing wrong with your build whatsoever.

yeah, I'm not keeping this psu, I'll need one with a fast spinning fan that doesn't abuse the rest of my pc as "heatsink" tyvm, but it's a fail design in my opinion. 

 

 

ps: don't get me wrong, I'm honestly grateful, because I would have never figured that out on my own... 

 

[OrionFOTL]

Let me get this straight - you think your new PSU is so much hotter, that its heat travels from the PSU's case, to your computer case (which the PSU doesn't even touch, as you mentioned), then from your computer case to your motherboard, then from your motherboard to the RAM modules, and there's still enough energy left on the train to heat them up by entire 10 degrees? And not only RAM, but every other object in the case as well?

[Mark Kaine]

3 hours ago, flibberdipper said:

Hell now that we know it's actually being used as an exhaust, maybe it's just capable of doing a better job at sucking out all the heat from the rest of your system than the old one was.

That would be great but apparently this psu, as we now know, is designed to do specifically the opposite, that's also why the fan is spinning so slow... 

 

I've said this repeatedly in other threads my PC has been always *very* cool and the main factor was the psu actually working as second exhaust, as designed by the makers of this case... I understand now that this doesn't work with every PSU, would have been nice either inwin or Bequiet would tell this their customers, but ultimately they probably think that's something everyone has to figure out themselves (which is of course not reasonable) 

 

I've seen tests for this case, all complaining about "high temps" and I never understood it because my pc was always super cool! like GPU 60C max, now its sometimes 70C... 

 

 

 

 

[Mark Kaine]

36 minutes ago, OrionFOTL said:

Let me get this straight - you think your new PSU is so much hotter, that its heat travels from the PSU's case, to your computer case (which the PSU doesn't even touch, as you mentioned), then from your computer case to your motherboard, then from your motherboard to the RAM modules, and there's still enough energy left on the train to heat them up by entire 10 degrees? And not only RAM, but every other object in the case as well?

see my post above. 

 

Also check the OP, I made this topic specifically because it was clear something is wrong with this psu and that it's heating up my pc unreasonably, this case isn't designed for a low spinning psu fan... that's the main problem... 

 

 

Wanna bet if I put the old PSU back I will immediately get the same low temps I had previously? 

 

 

I don't really understand why you don't see the issue here, it was you who explained how the psu works... and I told you that's exactly what I'm noticing, the whole case gets hot now! (even the front) 

 

hot pc = bad 

cool pc = good. 

 

 

that isn't exactly rocket surgery, just common sense. 

 

 

 

[--SID--]

InWin 301, psu above the motherboard and is part of the airflow in de case. Do you have a casefan in the back for exhaust?

 

Edit: how many casefans are in the case and where are they located?

[Mark Kaine]

28 minutes ago, --SID-- said:

InWin 301, psu above the motherboard and is part of the airflow in de case. Do you have a casefan in the back for exhaust?

 

Edit: how many casefans are in the case and where are they located?

yes... that's exactly my problem... I was wary when I read "only 400rpm" but then I thought it can't be so bad (I think I even asked here, but a lot of people apparently don't really understand how airflow works in this case, including reviewers lol) 

 

 

I have 4 case fans including the exhaust fan... that's not the problem, the problem is the top exhaust is now missing due to this weird low rpm / high temps design of this psu... 

 

I mean the annoying part is I now have to figure out which psu is even suitable and has a normally fast spinning fan... the joke is I've never heard the fan of the pure power anyway so the whole low rpm for less noise seems superfluous at best... 

 

I take it a pure power (700w) should do the trick, or I just keep using my old psu lol... I don't really feel comfortable doing that, but then again I used it for a month now and it ran *perfectly* not a single crash or anything, and *very* good temps...!

[Mark Kaine]

20 hours ago, --SID-- said:

InWin 301, psu above the motherboard and is part of the airflow in de case. Do you have a casefan in the back for exhaust?

Hm, do you have any suggestions? my problem is really most PSUs have low / zero rpm fans and that's just not gonna work... 

 

 

I found the SuperFlower Leadex III, which looks great for my needs, but I don't know if it's compatible with the 3070... any Infos about that? 

 

 

I think I'll really just change back to my 500w Bequiet otherwise... 

 

Already had 3 BSODs with this "straight power" now, it's clearly not a good power supply at all.

 

All this high end stuff is in the end just marketing and more cause for failure (seems obvious to me) 

 

 

[--SID--]

No problems with 3070 on Leadex III 650w.

 

BSOD is not a psu fail.

 

Maybe get a new case instead of the InWin with old fashioned layout.

[Guest]

21 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

I mean the annoying part is I now have to figure out which psu is even suitable and has a normally fast spinning fan... 

There's two options:

 

1.  You get a different case.

2.  You get a PSU that allows you to program the fan curve (RMi, HXi, AXi, for example).

[Mark Kaine]

48 minutes ago, jonnyGURU said:

There's two options:

 

1.  You get a different case.

2.  You get a PSU that allows you to program the fan curve (RMi, HXi, AXi, for example).

I thought of that too. but I've been looking through tons of reviews and for example the leadex has a pretty high fan curve at what I suspect is the default (they call it active) so I think that would be an option too? 

 

Tbh I don't want to change my case, I just want my old, low temps back - and also tbh I feel kinda stupid for even trying, my old Bequiet 500w worked *flawlessly* with my setup - I just really think I shouldn't even think of overclocking with it.... and I don't really need to currently... 

 

So I think my 'alternative' alternatives are :

leadex III (if it really has a fast spinning fan) or my old PSU?

 

Btw what happened to jonnyGURU site...?? it's not available currently... I really wanted to look and 'fact check' with other reviews.... the only other site that seems ok and thorough is techpowerup.

 

 

 

EDIT: I mean the issue with this leadex test is, I think they only tested the passive mode?? 

 

 

 

I would need to see the fan curve for "active" mode... 

 

 

Edit2:  the G2 also has a 'nice' curve 600 at 300w...?

 

 

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, Mark Kaine said:

So I think my 'alternative' alternatives are :

leadex III (if it really has a fast spinning fan) or my old PSU?

Ah.. I forgot about PSUs that have "hybrid on/off" button.

 

17 minutes ago, Mark Kaine said:

Btw what happened to jonnyGURU site...?? it's not available currently... I really wanted to look and 'fact check' with other reviews.... the only other site that seems ok and thorough is techpowerup.

No idea.  My guess is they didn't the bills.

 

[Mark Kaine]

8 minutes ago, jonnyGURU said:

.. I forgot about PSUs that have "hybrid on/off" button.

Yeap, exactly! that's why I picked that one out - but it's really difficult to find this info for many PSUs... 

 

Also I edited the post, the G2 would maybe be also an alternative? 

 

I dunno if it's ok for a 3070 tho... 

 

I mean I get what you're saying, a programmable fancurve would fix this issue, but those are expensive and I think there are alternatives, like the leadex... perhaps, maybe... possibly...  

 

8 minutes ago, jonnyGURU said:

No idea.  My guess is they didn't the bills.

 

hmm, ok!  

[--SID--]

24 minutes ago, Mark Kaine said:

 

 

I think they only tested the passive mode?? 

Quote

That's correct. Position 0 of the hybrid button has got a huge passive mode.

 

 

 

I would need to see the fan curve for "active" mode... 

Quote

I have a Leadex III 550w. Can't read the rpm but position I generates a bit of airflow coming from the back of the psu. Position II increase the airflow a lot and I can hear the fan lightly.