Antec - no tech support...

[Budfred]

I just spent about 10 minutes trying to reach Antec's tech support and each time I call I get a recording telling me to leave a message or use their FAQs. Well their FAQs are some of the most useless I have seen and they haven't responded to an email I sent 2 weeks ago or the follow up email I sent a week ago. I have a very simple question for them, but they won't answer. I don't care how good the product is, when they say they are going to support it, they need to support it. Their automated email promised a response in 24 hours - that is a joke.:mad:

Rant completed. Now my question...

I have a TruePower 330 watt power supply to install in a case. It has 2 fans, but when installed the way it is clearly supposed to be installed, the top fan is within about a quarter inch of the top of the case. Does anyone know if it is supposed to be installed this way. Do they expect me to cut a hole in the top of the case or what. It doesn't look like there is anyway to install it with that fan pointing down without having the power supply upside down or making some major modifications to the case.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Budfred:confused:

[Fruss Tray Ted]

http://www.mikhailtech.com/articles/psu/truepower330/truepower330-01small.jpg (http://www.mikhailtech.com/articles/psu/truepower330/)

It's called a "Blowhole" fan. As in whale? I would assume it would be vented through the top like this:

http://www.twistedinternet.com/gijoe/computers/desktop_gs/DCP_0008_small.JPG

Might even keep your coffee warm... Hmmm,,, :cool:

[gwallen4]

I think maybe the fan is supposed to be pointing down (toward the CPU).
The idea is to provide an air path over the CPU to help in cooling. If I'm not mistaken, the fan sucks air into the PSU drawing the air over the CPU..


By the way - good one, Fruss Tray Ted!

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Thanks.
But a 'blowhole' in your theory follows:

Heat rises. It would be against the grain to blow cooler air downwards... The blowhole fan draws air INTO the power supply FROM the interior of the case therefore removing air that has warmed from the CPU (plus others) which has it's (CPU, some cards) own fan to get the warmer air away from itself. Part of the duty of a fan that is vented to the outside of a case is to REMOVE the air (within the case) not pressurize it.

Front loaded intake fans are the exception. They are commonly setup to blow from the floor (proximity-wise), coolest air INTO the case "From The Bottom" in keeping with the convection theory.

Secondly,
Power supplies supply 'Current'. Current results in 'heat'. By pushing preheated air towards the CPU would be asking for trouble.

In effect, the extra fan aids in lifting the warmer air out of the case, with the aid of natural convection.

convection

n 1: the transfer of heat through a fluid (liquid or gas) caused by molecular motion 2: (meteorology) the vertical movement of heat or other properties by massive motion within the atmosphere
Source: WordNet ® 1.6, © 1997 Princeton University

[Budfred]

Thanks for the ideas. Unfortunately, both of your ideas are similar to what I thought of and neither are very practical for me. I would have to drill new holes to secure the power supply with the fan directed downward and I would have to cut away some metal. This would look very funky (and not in a good sense) as well as directing prewarmed air at the CPU.

The blowhole seems like a practical idea if you have one just over that spot, but the case that I have that comes with a blowhole is towards the middle of the case and the one that I plan to use the power supply in is an aluminum Raidmax that I would rather not butcher with my probably inept metal working skills.

The thing is that this is a standard configuration for TruePower power supplies, so it seems unlikely that they are selling them with the intention that everyone buying one is intending to customize the case for them and the rather minimalist manual doesn't say anything about this issue at all. I suspect that the final answer is that the fan blows into the top of the case, you put your coffee in that spot and it keeps it warm. I am just reluctant to set it up that way without some confirmation that this is the way to do it.

Any other thoughts??

Budfred

[gwallen4]

I'm sorry, I thought I was being clear when I said the fan in question sucks air into the power supply - not blows out.

AMD recommends this configuration (bottom hole in PSU) to allow air to be drawn over the CPU HS/fan.

This is illustrated in the following link to my website - I copied the picture from the AMD site - Builder's and Designer's Guide to PSU's.

http://webpages.charter.net/kayeallen/BuildersGuide.jpg

I'm pretty sure that Antec had this in mind when they designed this PSU.

[JUAN DOS]

Budfred,

The remedy re your case is solved with a Dremmel tool and drill. Tin snips make for a sloppy job and should be avoided. A Dremmel with a metal cutting disk will do a very respectable job. All components must be removed from the case prior to the surgery to avoid metal chips from getting into nooks & crannies of your system.

If you have no tools / skills or motivation re tin whacking, you cannot properly combine the PS and case.

[gwallen4]

Sorry. Posted this message to the wrong thread.

[Budfred]

gwallen4,

That makes sense except for the fact that the power supply is clearly designed to go in the case with the fan pointing up. The only way to have the fan down is to install the power supply upside down by drilling new holes and cutting away part of the case. I really have trouble believing this is their intent or that they would be able to sell many power supplies if it is. It is just too weird.

Juan Dos,

I have a similar problem with your solution. I really don't believe that most people are prepared to start hacking up their computer cases, so I think Antec has some other intention, but I don't know what it is. Since they don't seem to have any way to successfully contact them, it looks like I may never know and simply have to return the damn power supply.

Budfred

[gwallen4]

The illustration I have shows the holes to be in the correct position to mount the fan downward:

http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?image=17-103-906-04.JPG/17-103-906-05.JPG/17-103-906-06.JPG

When you get to the web page, click "next image" to see the mounting screw holes. It would work on all of my cases.

By the way, the bottom fan is redundant. You don't need a second fan to make the air go in the bottom and leave out the back - unless one fan fails.

[Budfred]

The illustration is accurate for what I have, but on the Raidmax aluminum case that it is in right now, it won't go in with the fan down unless I cut away metal and drill new holes. If you look at the illustration, it is sitting right side up and that puts the fan on top. Every picture they show of the ps shows the same perspective. The other cases that I have here all require the same pattern of screws and metal notches to install the power supply. Are the cases you are referring to not standard ATX cases?

I just sent another email to Antec tech support and a copy to their customer support. I'll let you know if I hear from them and what they have to say. I certainly cannot recommend them based on their customer service at this point.

Budfred

[gwallen4]

I'm sitting here looking at three standard ATX cases that would mount the PSU correctly with the fan down.

The illustration shows the PSU with the fan up so you can see it. If they turned it over you couldn't see it.

[Budfred]

I've been looking at pictures of cases on Newegg and some are set up to install it with the fan down and most seem to be set up to install with the fan up. I tried this one with the fan down and it just doesn't work without major changes to the case. The one sitting right next to it is the same. I'll have to wait and see what Antec says, cause it looks like they designed a power supply that works differently in different cases. I would have made more sense me if they had put the extra fan in the back and they should have at least included some more info about how to deal with it when it doesn't fit with the fan down.

Thanks for the feedback and I will let you know if Antec ever answers.

Budfred

[malcore]

I have never heard of an intake fan applied to the top of a case. All power supplies built with an intake fan are intended to be installed with the fan taking air from "inside" the case. gwallen is correct, this is an AMD spec. Most power supplies like this will say "AMD approved" and "Pentium 4 Ready".

I have a couple of Enermax PSUs and a Heroichi HEC PSU and they are designed with this second fan. They will fit either way into my Lian Li cases. I have never seen a case designed with a hole in the top to accomodate an intake on a PSU. Look at FTT s picture above, that would have to be a HUGE power supply for it's fan to lign up with that hole.

Your PSU is definitely meant to be installed with the fan down, even if this would mean any writing on the PSU would be upside down.

The label of the PSU should be facing out when in the case. This is usually a good way to dtermine the manufacturer's intent.

When you look at it from the back, the outtake or "blowhole" fan should be on the right hand side.

[Fruss Tray Ted]

With JUST the power supply and NOTHING else connected, plug it in and short the green and black points in the plug that goes to the motherboard.

With a match or candle smoke if necessary see which way the fan blows = End of Confusion.

It may BE an intake fan, but would need to be 'upside down' if so. Only ONE way to know for sure.

[YODA74]

If you can read the label on front of the fan thats the direction of the air flow.
http://www.mikhailtech.com/articles/psu/truepower330/truepower330-01small.jpg

if this is the pic of what you have then both of those fans Blow out apparently that PSU gets pretty warm this will be installed with the blow hole facing up so plane on cutting a hole in the case.

[Whyzman]

Budfred,

I've been doing the same, checking around looking for pictures of installs. It appears that there are also proprietary PSUs. Antec also has case lines?? So, it seems that their PSUs will have the mountings set to accommodate.

This (http://www.modthebox.com/review71_3.html) individual seems to have an understanding of the problem.

If one would desire a dual fan on certain cases it appears that when you turn them it's gonna be "Thar she blows!" We'll call 'em the AHAB installs..... :rolleyes:

Might want to try a Google search for "Harpoon Cases"

Had a NASCAR dream last night that I was a muffler....woke up totally exhausted! :p Fan discussions easily exhaust me too....cannot believe I just said that...:D

[Alejandro]

Well, there i go again: (unintentionally erased all i wrote when just about to post!) :mad:
In my opinion the fan pulls hot air from the case INTO the PS and then out through the back fan.
In my own case (and also in the ones i have here at hand) the PS goes mounted on its side and the extra fan would point (according to mounting holes on the pic) to the m/b, so if it would push hot air into the case the CPU would raise it's temp skyhigh.
Also in one case i'm looking at in which the PS goes horizontally the fan would point DOWN.
The holes go like this (please forgive me for what i'm gonna do :) ):

* *
Horizontally --->
* FAN *

*
Vertically ---> *
FAN

* *

Or maybe it's for a case like this (http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/02q3/020904/images/aufmacher.jpg) keeping the hot air up in the case? don't think so.

BTW good one Fruss tray ted, i ran into the same idea.

just FORGET about the crappy ascii art :(

[malcore]

http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?image=11-129-107-01.JPG/11-129-107-02.JPG/11-129-107-03.JPG/11-129-107-04.JPG/11-129-107-05.JPG/11-129-107-06.JPG/11-129-107-07.JPG/11-129-107-08.JPG/11-129-107-09.JPG
If you look at the 5th image on this page you will see an Antec True Power 330 watt PSU installed. There is clearly no fan pointing up, and the label with the ratings is facing out.

[Whyzman]

Malcore,

The other images show that the PSU is mounted on a rail system...the second fan would then be point down?

Also, looking at the picture of the back of the case...the PSU appears to sit much lower than in most cases. If the unit was installed with the fan facing upwards in a similar sized case it would provide sufficient clearance to exhaust properly?

[malcore]

Whyzman,
Compare the picture of the PSU in the case with gwallen's picture of the PSU out of the case. It is clear that the second fan faces down and is an intake fan. My Lian Li case has rails for the PSU also, and yes the PSU fan faces downward.
We know there is definitely a second fan on the True Power 333. Can you see it in the 5th picture in my link? The fan is not facing up.

While Yoda's labelling explanation is generally true, when fans come mounted "inside" a piece of hardware, the label will face out no matter which way it is blowing.

[Whyzman]

Malcore,

Yes, I realize the dual fans on this unit...where I was attempting to go with this is developing my premise that there appear to be proprietary fans that are designed for specific case manufacturers...as the Antecs... Caveat Emptor!

It would then be a situation when purchasing a PSU to determine if there is a "fit" with one's case.

Even without the rails in the link you provided, if the screw holes matched up, the 330 could mount upsidedown (facing the top of the case)and the fan would have enough clearance to operate.

Which comes back to Budfred's initial problem...appears that the PSU and case are not a "fit." It could work, but would involve an "Ahab" modding of the case.

I've a Leadman POWMAX 500W I purchased a bit ago and it is designed with the dual fans...however, the internal fan is mounted on the rear, opposite, the rear exhaust. The arrow on inside fan show the air being drawn from the case. This would be pulling warm case air across the PSU and then out...

Which makes for an interesting scenario...I guess I would prefer to mod the case with a blow hole, except that if others are setup as my POWMAX it would not be a blow hole, but rather an intake...which would seem to make more sense. Pull in cool air across the PSU and then exhaust??

As Budfred pointed out, there's not much information supplied. Most are made where English is at best a second language...

[malcore]

Where's BigBlue66 when you need him.

He da man. He has one of these power units. He's the Antec guru here.

What say'st thou BB ?;)

I believe when interior PS fans were first introduced, it was with the intention of helping to cool the CPU. In fact some were built with only an interior fan. But it was soon realized that the rear exhaust fan was a better idea. AMD ( as gwallen pointed out before) specified the interior fan to pull air from or across the cpu and then exhaust it out the back. The interior fan was not intended for better PSU cooling but for better CPU cooling and overall system cooling.
In fact it was part of the new ATX standards(2.02, 2.03) that the PSU be located quite near the CPU for this purpose.

In my searching I have yet to come across a dual fan PSU in which both fans were active. All are passive and active cfc combinations.

I don't see the logic in dual active fans, both drawing air out in different directions. Would this not cause a vacuum effect and at least cause the fans to be duelling dual fans?

[Budfred]

Ok, here are pictures:

http://members.tcq.net/balfred/psup.jpg

and

http://members.tcq.net/balfred/psdown.jpg

Thanks for all the info and effort,
Budfred

[Whyzman]

Budfred,

Definitely looks like "not a fit" situation. If you elect to use, it appears that you'll be doing the "Ahab" modding! :(

However, if you're internal fan is pulling air thru and then out the exhaust fan, then the hole you will be putting in really sucks! :D

Seems like a pretty good idea though, as heat is a PSU's nemesis also. Drawing in outside air would make more sense?

I'll certainly be a bit more savvy when looking to purchase after your encounter. Is the PSU generic (will fit most applications), or proprietary.....resulting in modding my case to achieve a "fit?"

Malcore,

Would be interesting to know the cooling efficiency differences, if any, between exhausting (drawing air across) and forcing air through.

Specifically, we were having a similar conversation a while back with BB and his venting his CPU. Is it more effective to force air through the fins and out, or draw air away. It would seem that forcing air through the fins would be more efficient...at least it when I put my hand in front of a box fan....???? :confused:

[YODA74]

Bud good pic !! Malcore all fans when you are looking at the MFG label that is the way the wind blows!!

Both fans on that model PSU are exhaust fans to pull air away from the inside of the PSU!!

It does not have an intake fan so the top fan will be facing UP NOT down why in the world would you want to blow hot air down into the case?? Hot air rises You want to exhaust as much hot air as possable without creating a vaccum.


I don't see the logic in dual active fans, both drawing air out in different directions. Would this not cause a vacuum effect and at least cause the fans to be duelling dual fans?

The logic is this is a high performance PSU which with todays equiptment gets a little hot this is why only exhaust not intake

[Whyzman]

Yoda, Right...ought to be pulling in from the internal fan. A quarter inch clearance at the top would not affect it's air drawing capability.

I would mod the thing though, and forget it's "alternate" use of case cooling....letting the PSU cool itself with outside air.

Just use a couple case fans pushing and pulling to cool things down in there...

At the very top of the case it would be intaking all the warm air from inside and exhausting it across the PSU's internals....:eek:

[malcore]

Dang Budfred. Look at this (http://www.a-pro.com/ASP228SD.htm) page. Is this your case or similar? Look at the bottom of the page, it states that due to case design the Enermax and TTGI power supplies do not fit correctly. Neither will an Antec True Power I presume.

I think Whyzman may be right in his proprietary idea, but I think your case is more proprietary. I think they would like you to buy one of the snazzy blue, silver or gold aluminum Raidmax PSUs to go with this case.

If you look at the back of all of the raidmax steel cases sold at newegg you will see that the PSU screw holes are reversed, and an Antec or Enermax WILL fit in these.

Did you get the PSU from Newegg? RMA maybe and get a compatible one?

Luck

PS_ your pictures just slowed down the PCGuide again:D (this page only)

Yoda, it is an intake fan. We'll see what BB66 says, as he has one. If I am incorrect, I apologize in advance.Or maybe Budfred himself can tell us whether or not it is an intake fan.

[Budfred]

Unless I hear otherwise from Antec (still no response), I will probably just leave the case as is and install with the fan up. Hopefully the small clearance there will be enough. This case will have several more fans in it, including one in the side. Hopefully this will be enough to compensate for any issues the power supply might create. This thing is for my sister who lives about 1000 miles away, so maintenance is going to be a bugger if there are problems. I will try to get it together and run it for a while to see how it goes.

Thanks again,
Budfred

[Budfred]

malcore,

That is similar to my case, but not quite the same. I have another case sitting on the same table that has the same config for the power supply and I looked at pictures on Newegg for several cases that are the same, so it appears the power supply set up is not standardized at all, even though they are all atx cases. I picked the case up at a computer show, so I can't take it back. However, if I have a problem with it, I will just switch to a power supply that has only one fan or the right config.

Thanks again,
Budfred

[Whyzman]

Speaking of coffee warmers.....I was in the Caribou Coffee the past couple days heading down to the job I'm currently working on. I had you paged but you must have been minding the store :)

My vehicles are all on auto-pilot...Caribou Coffee...Large White Chocolate Mocha....yum yum! :D

Shucks Yoda...I missread your post...My follow-up answer could be seen as sarcastic....My Apologies!!! :(

My fan arrow shows "intake" on the internal fan. My POWMAX 500W would be air starved if both were exhausting...there's only a very small vent on one side....it would whistle if both were pulling air out.

Perhaps we'll have to wait for BB to let us know the setup. Although, I think our concerns are the same...why would you want to blow hot air from the case across the PSU's internals!! ;) As mine apparently will be doing..... :(

[Alejandro]

Got really curious about this one and began looking at the different ATX cases around the office. My conclusion is that out of 9 or so ATX cases i've found only ONE that if equipped with that PS would left the second fan pointing to the outside (that is, to the right if you look at the case from the back, because the PS is vertically mounted).
I guess it's the case you have that's not standard and not the PS.
For me, the fan should point down (or point to motherboard) because it's function is to extract hot air from inside the case, then the back fan blows out both the PS heat and the extracted from the case.
I'm pretty sure i've read this specification somewhere.
Of course it's just my opinion!

[malcore]

why would you want to blow hot air from the case across the PSU's internals!! As mine apparently will be doing.....

The warm air from inside the case is still cooler than the Power Supply. But again, the main purpose of the intake fan is to pull warm air out of the case, and exhaust it out the back along with the warmer PSU air.

[BigBlue66]

Howdy Gang,

I just replied with a longwinded explanation to a PM from Malcore, but thought I would step in here to see what the heck is up.

OK, from what I have seen, that Raidmax case is not the norm for cases. Some cases even have a reversible PSU plate that helps to accomodate any kind of PSU. Unfortunately, from the pics I've seen in this thread, that is not the case with the Raidmax.

I am running both a 330 and a 430. I'm at work right now, but I'm 99% sure that the internal fans on both of them are set to intake, and of course they fit correctly in my Antec cases, facing down. However, I have a generic case sitting around home that I got from Kommax way back when the IBUILTIT bug hit and it, too, will take the TP as they were intended to fit. That is, the interior fan should be installed facing down and since it's supposed to be set to intake, it would then suck hot air from the CPU area and send it out the back of the PSU.

As I understand it, both fans in a TruePower are thermostatically controlled. They may seem passive but they are probably just spun down because of the heat they sense or do not sense.

This is a situation where it's clear there are only two maybe three alternatives. Either modify the case to fit the TP or get a different PSU. Simple as that. Or get a new case.

I told Malcore that my curiosity is getting the best of me now, so I will for sure be checking the airflow on both units over the weekend. However, I'm pretty double damn sure when I installed them that I at that time checked for proper airflow and they were both sucking air into the PSU.

[BigBlue66]

Don't forget that with fans that have a restricted airflow, it will seem like both sides of the fan are blowing air out.

For example, consider a fan set to exhaust in the rear of the case. If the stamped fan grill is not cut out, it will feel like air is getting blown back into the case, simply because of the back pressure created by the grill.

This is a common problem that I've seen on other forums that have discussed the airflow characteristics of the Antec SmartPower or TruePower internal fan. Even though there is air felt coming out of the fan, chances are that it's set to intake, as it should be, because of the back pressure from the internal guts of the PSU.

Ok, back to work. :)

[YODA74]

Whyzman Didn't look sarcastic to me?? And seems we don't have audio and video I don't pay attention unless it is a blantent remark.:D No need to apoligise for nothing were all just trying to get this right. opinions are different, Both of my Antec Blow out neither have an intake fan just exhaust. all I can go on is the pics that have been posted and no fan that i know of when you are looking at the mfg. tag on that fan.. is not sucking air it is blowing air at you?.. so in short if you see the tag then air is hitting you in the face if you do not see the tag the air is blowing away from you?

Now how it fits in the case is the dilema I can see no reason for that top fan to be blowing in towards the cpu or the case personall i would open it up and turn the fan around so it sucks in and exhaust out the back? Thats my story and iiii'm sticken to it.

:D


For my own sanity... I just pulled the Psu from one of my comps. which is Antec pp-412x 400w took it apart and fired up the fan (stand alone) looking at the label the air is forced towards me and that is the way it is installed from factory (at least on this model)

[BigBlue66]

As a general rule, the side with the label is the exhaust. But, I never go by that. I always check the edge of the fan casing for the diretional arrows. That's the only sure way to tell. I've even seen fans with labels on both sides, so it's even more imperative to check the directional arrows.

[Fruss Tray Ted]

How many of you are unaware that the pic I put in my post (that is also in YODA'S) is actually a link to a review on the power supply we are talking about?

Taken from article:

Although not really necessary, there are two sets of additional intake vents: a large grating in the front and a few holes on the side.

If they are intake vents, then the fans MUST be output fans.

Click on the pic in my post,,, please!!!

In my opinion, I would rather take the risk of pulling warm air into a PS and risk burning that out than blowing warm air into the case and risk overheating the most crucial (and more expensive) component in the pc (the CPU).

Unless you can reverse the direction of the fan, my vote is with Jonah and the whale... :D

[Budfred]

FTT,

I hadn't realized that was a link and I just started reading it. On the second page it refers to the second fan as an INTAKE fan, so that seems to answer the question about how it works. I think that makes it safer for me to use it even with only minimal clearance, but it may whistle while it works...:D

Thanks,
Budfred

[gwallen4]

Budfred,

Since your rig will only mount the PSU upside down with the fan up, I would send it back and get a conventional power supply - one fan, hole in the front.

The Antec PSU is only meant to work with the intake fan down. Using it with the fan at the top may actually work against you and pull needed ventilation away from the CPU, or worse yet, not work at all with the intake that close to the top of your rig.

Enlight makes a 340 watt PSU with one fan, AMD and Intel approved, that seems pretty hefty and well built (if weight is an indication). I have two of them - about $40-45 US.

[Budfred]

Actually, I bought this power supply a couple of months ago on clearance sale, so it is too late to take it back unless Antec themselves are willing to do something about it and they don't even return messages. I also bought an Allied power supply that is set up the same way and both cases I intended to use them for are set up so that they are fan up. I am hoping that Antec will get back to me eventually and let me know if the ps can be installed fan up safely. If not, I will just have to keep these power supplies around as spare parts.

Thanks,
Budfred

[malcore]

FTT

From your link, paragraph before your quote:

To my knowledge only Enermax (and now Antec) feature a belly mounted one, with the exception of some third-party manufacturers who's PSUs are re-branded for each vendor (like a triple-fan one I saw not too long ago). At any rate, Enermax still had the big share of the market. An intake fan at the bottom proved useful in not only keeping the power supply cool, but it also managed to pull hot air away from the processor along with lowering case temperatures a tad

I have two Enermax PSUs and an Heroichi HEC. All three have a "belly" or interior fan. These fans' stickers are all facing out, but all three are clearly marked as intake.

Edit- http://www.mikhailtech.com/articles/psu/truepower330/truepower330-06.jpg
If we look at this picture, the label is actually facing inward and Yoda is right that the the air blows in this direction.

http://www.mikhailtech.com/articles/psu/truepower330/truepower330-04.jpg
This picture shows what we thought was the label , but actually isn't.
My PSUs are the same.

[malcore]

sorry guys

I get a little obsessive about "facts" and getting the "right" answers. Maybe sometimes to a fault. Drives people around me crazy sometimes.

Too fastidious;), or so I've been told.

Hope I haven't annoyed anyone.:(

[YODA74]

cool good learning for all still BB is right about the arrow direction and duel labels annoying NAAAAAAAA were all learning I would hate to see or be around the person that thinks he/she knows it all about puters. seems they change so quickly and different mfg's do different things with the same style product.

Thats the diff. between us and M$ were learning and can figure it out pretty fast they think they know it all and are stuck in a rut.:D

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Well my apologies to anyone offended. I was wrong and I stand corrected. A little red faced but that is already fading...

I still wonder about air flow when both fans are at full speed especially at the grilles in the PSU housing. If the fan at the rear (near the switch and power receptacle) does not have equal or greater CFM ability than the other fan, then there would be a positive pressure inside the PSU resulting in warm air being directed out of the PSU through the grilles back into the case where the heat is NOT wanted.

Yeah, Yeah, I know,,, "Enough, Already!" ;)

[Whyzman]

Well, lets throw a wrench into the monkey...I forget how that goes! :rolleyes:

How about THIS (http://www.tweak3d.net/tweak/airflowtweak/)?

[YODA74]

Whyzman,.... good link! I'm always concerned about temps and if the flow is right seems i have 7 fans it seems like i'm always tampering with them, Glad I have switches, speed control, and temp guages.Now if I could find a way to install seperate RPM guages on each Fan control i would be happy!:) But have not been able to find any digital read out guages to do this. Anyone have any Idea's !!!

or have seen one. Either that or we'll all have to get together with some Idea's and desighn one would be great modding fun, could be a money maker to.

[Whyzman]

Yoda, are you running MBM5 (http://mbm.livewiredev.com/)? I cannot remember how many RPM gauges are available, but it seemed like quite a few.

Only thing is, it needs to read them from the MB headers. Unless you're talking about a way around that? Like something all fans could be plugged into just for the sake of monitoring.....

[mjc]

My $0.02 and a couple of minor "wrenches"

1. Power supplies are somewhat more heat tolerant than a CPU is, so the little temp increase of pulling case air through it won't really make that much difference to it.

2. If you are going to play around with the fans....make sure that the connector gets re-connected correctly. These are 12v DC fans and reversing the connector will not harm the fan, but it will reverse the direction of flow.....

3. While it is nice having the extra air flow, if the CPU fan is a high volume one ti will blow most of the air a way from this fan, to the side of the case and it will then bounce all over the place, turbulance problems. The fan on the PSU will not really make all that much difference. Now if you have the CPU fan going to a "blow hole" and exhausting the hot air from the CPU directly outside, the belly mounted PSU fan will do a lot to cool the case/mobo.

4. BB has already touched on the grill issuses......and yes they do make a big difference.

5. I think MBM can handle upto 10 fans.......

[Whyzman]

Yep, 10 Fans...question is, what MotherBoard carries that many sensors on it for fans? Or, what's the most anybody is familiar with one carrying?

It appears from the custom selection that there could be external sensors tied to programs that MBM5 might be able to incorporate into its monitoring...????

[Reid]

Originally posted by mjc
These are 12v DC fans and reversing the connector will not harm the fan, but it will reverse the direction of flow.....
That is true for series-wound motors, but PC fans use a brushless design and have a circuit to switch the coils on and off, and are only designed to run in one direction. A good one should have reverse polarity protection. See cooling fans (http://www.sensorsmag.com/articles/0600/83/main.shtml).

[YODA74]

YA I want to go around any software, I like building things and it would be nice to build something that works and is catching to the eye. Hardware especially for modding is the way to go (visual products) People love hardware more, or at least in my opinion. Toy's and tinkering Keeps the mind occupied.

Of course trying to keep M$ products running is fun, but gets boring after awhile. :D

[Whyzman]

Yoda, did you say "Eye Candy?"

Did a little poking around to see if there was a hardware monitoring device that was capable of multiple fans. Looks like it will do 8 fans...backlit display...

DigitalDoc3 (http://www.trainwrecker.com/Reviews/digdoc3/DigDoc3.htm) looks like it might fill the bill! ;)

Oops, looks lik they are up to Doc5 (http://www.inflowdirect.com/thermalsensors.html) now! :p

Just checked it with Pricewatch and it's there for as low as $39.00 which includes shipping....Hmmmmm...

[YODA74]

Appreciat the effort.. Doesn't give the RPM though thats what I'm looking for, say the fan was 7200 rpm i want to see that and be able to adjust that and see the speed. Kind of like my Rheobus with lites when i turn it down the lite s get dimmer up they get brighter. Same as i would like with the same setup just in RPM mode.I would like it to display either 7200 rpm or 2300 rpm for each fan. I havent ever seen one but would like to.
Something maybe for the development stage? Of course I DO Dream a lot :rolleyes:

[Whyzman]

Yoda,

Sorry about the Doc5 link it was still the Doc3 link I had on the clipboard.

Just checked the Doc5 on NewEgg and read a review there that says it monitors RPMs also.

Whoa, Yoda have a look at THIS (http://www.virtual-hideout.net/guides/digidoc5_blueled_mod/index.shtml) modding of the Doc5...pretty cool! :cool:

Or, someone already has it in a couple of different colors, HERE (http://).

I'm going to keep checking until I verify the RPMs from a second source. I'm looking for myself too.... ;)

Ok Yoda, confirmation PCAbusers (http://www.pcabusers.com/digidoc/dc.html)...Under Specs: "Scans all temperatures and RPM continuously"

[mjc]

Ok, Reid......since these are speed controlled fans most likely the will be IC controlled and not seires wound.


In which case they can be plugged in backwards and damaged, if the is no reverse current protection....

[Budfred]

:rolleyes: Antec finally responded and guess what (drum roll).....

This power supply is supposed to be installed with the fan pointing down since it is an intake fan!! (anticlimatic isn't it:D )

I wrote back again asking if they want the power supply since it is too late to return it to the store since they took so long responding. I probably will hear from them again in a month or so....

I plan to order a new power supply from NewEgg. They advertise a couple of ps with dual fans that have one in the back and one in the front. I figure that will work in this case.

Thanks again for all the consultation,
Budfred