Power Supply heating problem

[Syruss]

Hi there,
Could anyone please help me, the fan on my power supply is generating alot of heat. My system is a

300 watt power supply
amd athlon xp 2200
Full tower
1 dvd drive
1 cdr drive
1 floppy drive
1 hard disk
graphics and sound are onboard (nvidia)
1 external modem

I was thinking about adding a new fan to the mainboard but i am not sure if that would help.

Thanks
Brian

 

[edfair]

An additional fan used as case exaust might help. It depends on whether the M/B,CPU,Graphics are the problem.
It is possible that the PS is defective.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[micker377]

Is the fan actually causing heat, or is it just removing a large ammount of heat from the system? If it a system heat problem, take the side cover off and see if the heat is lowered from the fan. If so, you should add at least another exaust fan. For complete control you should have an intake fan (located low front to help cool the hard drive), and an exaust fan (middle rear) to help the power supply fan. A side fan (blowing in) above the CPU will help a lot to make the CPU last.

 

[paparazi]

Syruss
If the PSU is the only exhausting point in the system all the heated air has to go through this one point.
Graphics cards, hard drives as well as the CPU itself are all mini heat sources, heating up the are internally, this warm air is then being drawn through the power supply which then heats it up even more before blowing it out the back.
Two extra case fans (one front lower blowing in and one top back exhausting) will "turn over" the air in the case, lowering the overall internal temperatures and thus introducing a lower temperature of cooling air to the PSU.
The benefits will be case wide lowering the operating temperatures are all components and extending possible service life.
Martin

Start by questioning and soon you will be answering.
So please take but remember to return and give when you can.

 

[Syruss]

Hi there,
Thanks for the replies... i took the side cover off but the power supply was heating up straight away and there was practically no heat from inside the system.

Brian

 

[pmonett]

Does your fan have a fan grill on the outside of the case ? Some cases have the PSU fan exhaust covered completely, with only small holes to let the air through.
This is generally disastrous as far as heat evacuation is concerned. Unless your fan grill is wire-like, I would suggest taking a pincer or heavy-duty wire-cutter and doing away with the holed plate entirely. You will certainly see much better heat evacuation, which in turns means the PSU will stay cooler.
Also, make sure the back of the PC is at least 30cm (1 foot) away from any obstruction, in order to ensure optimum airflow.

Pascal.

 

[paparazi]

Syruss
I guess someone should have asked earlier:
Is the fan turning freely? all fans can seize up! especially sleaved bearing types fitted to cheap power supplies, so when the system is turned off just try spinning the fan by hand and see that it is completely free.
Also many modern power supplies have additional circuitry that controls fan speed against temperature, the warmer internally the power supply gets the faster the fan spins.
When the power supply gets hot, how much air is being exhausted, does it seem adequate?
Martin

Start by questioning and soon you will be answering.
So please take but remember to return and give when you can.