A weird tidbit about my new PSU, and a question

Hardware and technical stuff
1

Hey all, I just got a Seasonic X-650 Gold from Newegg, and noticed that, if I install the power supply with with fan on the bottom (sucking air in from the outside, through a dust filter of course), the specs info on the side is right-side up, but the lettering and designations for the modular connection sockets are upside down. How does that make any sense whatsoever? Maybe that’s some standard I’m unaware of.

BTW, this’ll be my first bottom mounted PSU, and the case is a Fractal Design Define R5. Is it standard to install it sucking air in from the bottom/outside vs. from inside the case? I’ve seen pics of bottom-mounted PSUs installed both ways.

2

I prefer to mount the PSU so that the top/bottom fan draws in air from outside, if the case allows it, so that there is less work for the other case fans inside. Pay no attention to the up-ness of the wording around the PSU.

3

Thanks for the reply. I guess I’ll install it to suck air from the bottom, but the lettering thing just struck me as strange. I would have at least thought it would have had it the same way on both surfaces.

4

I’ve observed no particular logic in which way up PSU makers put their labels.

5

Looks like the case has nice clearance on the bottom for airflow. Check the filter regularly and you’re good.

6

Thanks for the replies. BTW, I tried to do a quick “DOA” check as follows (because it would suck to get everything installed in the new case only to have it not work): I had an extra 120mm Antec TriCool fan lying around new in the box, which has both a three-pin motherboard header AND an old-school Molex connector. So I connected the Molex connector to the PSU, plugged the PSU in and into the wall, and flipped the switch–the fan didn’t spin up. Should I be concerned? By my reckoning it should have spun up, even with no connection to the motherboard, right?*

*assuming that the fan itself works, of course. I did confirm that the wall socket has power.

7

ATX power supplies need the motherboard switch signal to turn themselves on. You can fake it with an unbent paperclip and a pin diagram. Just short the pin for PWR_ON to a GND(?) pin right next to it. I’ll post instructions in an edit in a second.

Edit: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-power-up-an-ATX-Power-Supply-without-a-PC/

Edit: Another one: http://marcomiltenburg.com/2011/09/18/how-to-test-an-atx-power-supply/

8

Cool, thanks, arrendek. On further thought it makes sense, since otherwise how would the PSU know to turn off directly-connected fans when you turned off the PC.