PSU + Radeon facing one another - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Prince · 09-10-2010, 07:27 AM

I recently sent a Corsair 650W in for RMA due to overheating and malfunctioning. I am waiting for the new one to arrive, but in the meantime I am somewhat concerned as to whether my setup contributed at all to the old one's failure. My machine's a HP Pavilion p6510y. When I install the Corsair PSU into the case, the PSU's fan is pointing down right towards the graphics card, which is a Radeon HD4850. There's maybe around 3 inches of space between the Radeon's fan and the Corsair.

Before the Corsair failed completely, it had started shutting the system down automatically. This began happening a few weeks after its installation (I had, however, taken it from another PC, so it had already been supplying power to another PC for 3 years.) I'd leave the machine idle and come back to it turned off. The PSU would also heat up the top and side of the case so much I couldn't touch it with my hand. Soon after, it failed entirely.

The PSU was getting old, so maybe it had reach the end of its life. But my concern is this: is there an issue with the Radeon's fan and the bottom fan of the Corsair being so close to one another and facing one another? Do they counteract one another and cause overheating? Or is the Corsair designed to use the bottom fan for intake and expel the hot air through its rear fan?

I just want to be as sure as I can be that the case didn't cause the overheating of the previous unit, so as not to let it happen again with the new one. Neither the Corsair nor the 4850 can be mounted any other way in the proprietary case.

Shadowex3 · 09-10-2010, 12:10 PM

Crowding it wasn't good but that's an intake fan that actually exhausts out the back of your case (just like most every 2-slot graphics card tries to). Your comp DEFINITELY should not be getting that hot though, something else is up with that. What's the ambient environment like? If it's in an un-airconditioned room that's 90deg or something, or the airflow around the case is really bad, then that would cause problems since passive cooling can't get below your ambient temperature.

09-10-2010, 07:27 AM	#1 (permalink)
Prince /nɑndəsˈkrɪpt/ Location: LV-426	PSU + Radeon facing one another I recently sent a Corsair 650W in for RMA due to overheating and malfunctioning. I am waiting for the new one to arrive, but in the meantime I am somewhat concerned as to whether my setup contributed at all to the old one's failure. My machine's a HP Pavilion p6510y. When I install the Corsair PSU into the case, the PSU's fan is pointing down right towards the graphics card, which is a Radeon HD4850. There's maybe around 3 inches of space between the Radeon's fan and the Corsair. Before the Corsair failed completely, it had started shutting the system down automatically. This began happening a few weeks after its installation (I had, however, taken it from another PC, so it had already been supplying power to another PC for 3 years.) I'd leave the machine idle and come back to it turned off. The PSU would also heat up the top and side of the case so much I couldn't touch it with my hand. Soon after, it failed entirely. The PSU was getting old, so maybe it had reach the end of its life. But my concern is this: is there an issue with the Radeon's fan and the bottom fan of the Corsair being so close to one another and facing one another? Do they counteract one another and cause overheating? Or is the Corsair designed to use the bottom fan for intake and expel the hot air through its rear fan? I just want to be as sure as I can be that the case didn't cause the overheating of the previous unit, so as not to let it happen again with the new one. Neither the Corsair nor the 4850 can be mounted any other way in the proprietary case. __________________ Who is John Galt?