I read a while back that mounting a PSU upside down can make it both quieter and run cooler. Anyone tried this with a Tagan? Ive got a ticking noise (not the one when it's off, this is intermittant, when the machine is powered up) and wondered if this was a possible cure. So, is this an old wive's tale or a fact? TIA Oli
I cant understand why it would run quieter or cooler but there is no problem turning it over. Some cases even allow you to choose which way you want to mount them.
We have rooms full oif del pc's at uni running upside down, cos the power cables arent long enough, they work perfectly ok (apart from being a little slow, but i doubt the upside-down-ness casued that....)
Not sure, the whole units are upside down... Offer it up and see, you could always re-drill the holes in the case....
Unless you have a fan, or exhaust blow hole directly above where the PSU will sit, what's the point? It will just be blocked. If your PSU has a fan in the bottom(top) then surely it HAS to point down towards the CPU.
This was a comment on the Scan site specifically regarding the Tagan model reviewed here. I don't know who the comment came from, can't find any mention on the Tagan site. It's very much a YMMV thing, so suck it & see.
It can only be fitted one way, as to fit it rotated 180 degrees will have the fan sucking against the inside of your case lid and doing precisely nothing. Dunno what Scan are on about, but they're clearly talking utter crap.... unless you have a case where the PSU is mounted elsewhere, but as most cases have the PSU mounted right at the top of the case, what would be the point of that?
I've heard this one too, think it might be an old wives tale. Even if the psu is mounted upside down (fittings permitting) it should make no difference to the airflow within the psu if it only has a rear fan (if it is quieter then bearings are more likley to be the factor). If it has one on the bottom (now the top) providing the fan still has enough clearance to not obstruct the airflow then does it work better? hot air rises so would the air be hotter than if sucked off the cpu? and would the cpu fan work better for less turbulence or run hotter cause less draw? either way you would now have a psu with the circuit board upside down with the components hanging below which probably wont do it any harm unless you jolt the PC about a lot. I've mounted PSU's either way up with no ill effects, but if they are noisy I just change the fan for a noiseblocker or get a new one.
No.. definitely NOT! If it has a bottom fan, it should be pointing down. That way it draw air over the CPU and aids it's cooling. This is what AMD recommends, and I can assure you from experience that it made nearly a 10 degree difference in my CPU temps under load. As for internal PSU temps it can only be better facing down also, as it has a fresh supply of air being drawn in from the front chassis fan(s). If you have a case with no room above, as in most midi cases, then it's sheer lunacy to mount it with the bottom fan pressed against the top of your case, as it's getting almost zero air that way.. unless you cut a hole in your case, but then you lose the CPU cooling effect.
Scan were making reference to turning the PSU upside-down to better aid the removal of heat from the rather large heatsinks that the Tagan PSU contains. Most PSUs are mounted so that the circuit board and heatsinks are at the very top of the case. The point they were making was, that by flipping the PSU upside-down you can make better use of the air pocket above the heatsinks for removing hot air, thus helping the PSU run a little cooler. As the Tagan has no bottom fan, it is perfect for this As hot air rises, and unrestricted space is better for the removal of hot air, that makes perfect sense. Its how mine is mounted, anyways. Ol!ver, my PSU also ticks away while its on (and in standby sometimes) but has been running fine for several weeks now. I wouldnt worry, alot of PSUs do this. My boss, an electrical engineer, says it may be something to do with active PFC.
Ha ha... i saw your post before you edited it.. LOL It's Scan I thought were idiots... they're a good retailer but their tech support sucks. I inherently distrust anything they tell me.
Hi El_JimBob. Do you have the same PSU (Tagan 480w)? This is a slight rapid ticking/crackling noise that it makes every-so-often whilst powered up, then it stops. Its like the noise you get when you plug a live kettle-lead in. I'm worried about it blowing up, just concerned that it's supposed to be a silent PSU, and yet makes this annoying sound. Cheers again Oli
It's a common thing with that supply as a quick search just informed me. I've had this before with switched supplies for my Ham radio gear. Some is just noisy, particularly when under low load or, even in standby. It's not detrimental to performance or safety... just a little annoying I suppose.
I know there are reports of it clicking when it's powered down, just not found any on forums etc about it whilst its on. Cheers Oli
it's about load... from the experience I've had with switched supplies for other uses.. the noise (sometimes clicking, or sometimes a whining/hissing sound) gets less under increasing load, so would be more noticable when in standby, or just loafing along. Essentially all ATX supplies are actually in standby, as the power switch does not make/break the mains power directly unlike old AT supplies: It's always powered up to some extent.
Firstly, soz Pookeyhead, sped-read a little too much and missed yr original point, methinks Yr right about Scan tech support tho, its like Secondly Ol!ver, yeh thats exactly the sound it makes. Youve probably been putting yr ear up to the PSU too often to see just how silent it is (like i originally did) and the slight ticking noise is making u a lil paranoid (like i originally was) that it isnt quite as good a PSU as you were lead to believe. The fact is, a lot of PSUs do this - you just dont hear it due to the fact that they mostly have excessively loud fans. On the other hand, if u can hear the ticking over your general system noise (i cant) then maybe its worth getting in touch with customer enquiries just in case. I can say, hand on heart, that personally its easily the most impressive PSU ive ever owned. And, indeed, it OWNS all other PSUs
Aye I can hear it not just sat here. It's a bit like the noise it makes when the pc is off, just louder. Oli
I've been investigating this ticking Tagan thing. I've emailed Tagan today and await a reply. I have sent one ticking Tagan 480W PSU back to Scan who said there was a fault and gave me another which does the same thing (although quieter I think). General impression I get from this forum is that this ticking is normal. I didn't expect it and don;t notice it unless I stick my ear by PSU when its powered up or just connected. I'm concerned and a little miffed but if its normal than I can live with it. How many people reading this have a ticking Tagan which they have used for ages with no problems? Anyone got a non-ticking Tagan?
