PSU Location - Important?

Hammer100

Hammer100

Hammer100

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Joined
17 Mar 2011
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139
Location
Spain
While I now have a good idea about what I will have inside of my new pc I am looking again at cases but just wondered if their is any benefit whether the PSU is located at the top or bottom of the case.
Been years since I bought a case and when I last did most of them had the PSU at the top but now most seem to be at the bottom.
Cheers
 
I think the theory with PSU's at the bottom is that that way they can take air in from outside the case, and expel it straight away which keeps the PSU cooler, whilst also allowing the heat from the CPU to get out of the case faster/easier at the rear or even top of the case (the hot air at the top of the case isn't having to go through a PSU)..

I had to move my brothers system to a new case last week, and the new case had the PSU at the bottom and as well as the normal rear fan behind the CPU, a top exhaust fan which seems to be letting it run cooler.
 
I would have though that the PSU (heat producer) and CPU (heat producer) being so close to each other would be a problem for the cooling of the device, and also obviously prevents your ability to fit a large extractor fan at the top of the computer if the PUS is located at top.

Because hot air rises, it's important to have a large extractor fan up top in order to easily push out the hot air and keep the case cool.
 
Yep, i prefer a case with the psu mounted on the bottom as the air is expelled a lot quicker. Doesnt rise higher up into the case.

@Werewolf, sounds similair to the layout on my lian li a70f, dual rear fans, one in the topmost section of the case, which can house the psu as well if required.
 
With a bottom mounted PSU you don't get all the dust in the system going through it either. I wouldn't buy a case that had a top mounted psu again, unless it was a seperate compartment.
 
PSU is probably the only thing on the back of the case which draws air in, graphics cards/cpu/other fans are likely pulling air from the front of the case instead. If the PSU was mounted at the top then it would just end up sucking in all the air which was just exhausted from the cpu/gpu.
 
Kotu said:
PSU is probably the only thing on the back of the case which draws air in, graphics cards/cpu/other fans are likely pulling air from the front of the case instead. If the PSU was mounted at the top then it would just end up sucking in all the air which was just exhausted from the cpu/gpu.
Click to expand...

Not really as PSUs usually work by drawing air from inside the case and venting it out the back. The only time a PSU will take air from outside is if it's positioned with the fan sitting on top of a hole.
 
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