Upside-Down PSU

[Crazydog]

My PSU was making a strange rattling noise, and I discovered it was coming from inside the PSU, not from it vibrating against the case.

I took the PSU out of the case, and noticed the noise only happens when the fan grating is facing down.

Now here's my question:
Instead of risking my warranty and opening the PSU,
Is it safe to have the PSU in my case with the fan grating facing the top of my case? There is about 1 - 1.5 cm between the PSU and the case.
Is this ok, or will there be overheating problems?

[RAID]

Welcome to HL!

Opening the power supply not only voids your warranty, it can be dangerous as some of the components within it may still hold a charge. As long as there is room for the psu fan to draw air then I personally don't think it is a problem but you might just be putting off the inevitable. If something is rattling loose within the psu, I would RMA it.

[polobunny]

Originally Posted by RAID

Welcome to HL!

Opening the power supply not only voids your warranty, it can be dangerous as some of the components within it may still hold a charge. As long as there is room for the psu fan to draw air then I personally don't think it is a problem but you might just be putting off the inevitable. If something is rattling loose within the psu, I would RMA it.

Very well said. I agree with that, and wouldn't recommend putting the power supply upside unless it has enough room to breathe. I understand it's hard to judge though. You said 1cm to 1.5cm. That's very tight and I'm not sure it's enough for your power supply to suck air in properly to cool itself.
First and foremost, I would suggest you to put your system specifications in your signature. This way, one might be able to help you with your problem and give you more specific indications or at least have a clearer idea whether or not s/he thinks it's safe for you. ;)

[Stormcrow]

Originally Posted by Crazydog

There is about 1 - 1.5 cm between the PSU and the case. Is this ok, or will there be overheating problems?

Thats not enough for the fan to properly draw in air to cool the components. Overheating could definitely become a possibility with the PSU mounted in such a fashion, and it wouldn't bode well for your system should the caps blow. Like RAID said, RMA is a good option and the best in this scenario I believe. The second would be to open it up and replace the fan, but as mentioned theres the risk of electrocution. You could also bore a hole into the top of the case for an intake, but RMAing the unit makes the most sense and least amount of work.

[Reloadron]

Originally Posted by Crazydog

My PSU was making a strange rattling noise, and I discovered it was coming from inside the PSU, not from it vibrating against the case.

I took the PSU out of the case, and noticed the noise only happens when the fan grating is facing down.

Now here's my question:
Instead of risking my warranty and opening the PSU,
Is it safe to have the PSU in my case with the fan grating facing the top of my case? There is about 1 - 1.5 cm between the PSU and the case.
Is this ok, or will there be overheating problems?

I would RMA the PSU. Discounting the well covered issues of safety (opening it) and airflow restrictions, there is another concern.

The noise is a result of the fan. The fan originally did not make noise and now it does. Good fans have ball bearins supporting the rotating shaft, lesser fans use a brass sleve. The shaft also has end play on its axis. The noise you hear is likely a result of premature wear on a bushing or bearing for any number of reasons.

Running the unit upside down will only quiet it for a short period of time. The noise will likely return but worse with no more options. I vote for the RMA.

Ron

[gvblake22]

What specific PSU do you have?
You could first try and blow it out with some compressed air to get rid of any dust and debris that may be in there. Cheaper fans can get gunked up with dust and make weird noises. Also, sleave bearing fans are known to make odd noises when oriented upside down like that. So combined with their relatively short lifetime, you may have a fan that is failing. Again, find out who makes the unit and try contacting them to see what they say. They might tell you to just send it back for a replacement if it is still under warranty (usually 3 - 5 years).

[Crazydog]

(I have flipped it back over FYI)
It's this PSU
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power RP-550-PCAR ATX from factor 12V V2.01 550W Power Supply 110-115V/ 220-230V Nemko, TUV, cUL, CE, BSM, FCC, CCC - Retail

I bought it from newegg, so I still have 10 months to RMA it.

I'm gonna wait till I'm out of town in December though so I'm not stuck without my desktop.

I'll also try cleaning it.

Thanks for the advice.