plugging fans to unmatching fan connectors on mobo question

ey51 · Post by **ey51** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 11:10 am

Hi SPCR,

The situation:
Right at this moment, I'm building a build with P182, MODU82+ 525W and P5Q Deluxe.
I want to achieve an 'as neat as possible' cable arrangement.
I placed the psu with the fan intake upwards (to avoid sucking dust off the bottom of the case).
The fan wire from the psu fan is too short to get to the power fan connector on the mobo, which is oddly placed on the top right (near the cd rom trays).
There are other fan connectors (marked as chassis fans) in more strategically appropriate locations close by to the psu, where I could have the wire tucked neatly and not stretched across the case.

The question:
What are the consequences of using a chassis fan connector on the mobo for plugging the pus fan (and vice versa)?

Thank you (sorry for long post)

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 11:13 am

None, other than they will be mislabeled in the BIOS and maybe some other system software that will read those headers.

Go for it, as long as you remember what's running where, you're fine.

ey51 · Post by **ey51** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 11:34 am

jhhoffma wrote:None, other than they will be mislabeled in the BIOS and maybe some other system software that will read those headers.

Go for it, as long as you remember what's running where, you're fine.

Thank you. This is Helpful.

Another 'fan related' question.. Did I do right mounting the PSU with the fan upwards? It can be mounted either up or down. What is recommended?

I ran this little scenario in my head:
Fan faced down:
- the fan might suck the dust that accumulates on the bottom of the case (should this be an issue?)
+ the exit on the psu where the power cables come out are closer to the mobo tray and that gives more wire length to go behind the mobo. I could be able to plug the fan cable to its correct connector on the mobo.
Fan faced up:
+ no sucking dust off bottom (but sucking falling dust? so does this really matter?)
- psu cables 'become short' as they have to travel more way to get to behind the mobo.

I am actually more concerned about the psu/fan sucking dust. There's relatively much dust here. Which placement is better with that in mind?

xev · Post by **xev** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 12:22 pm

which ever one is easier to handle. and just block the wholes behind the psu (on the back of the case) so the psu doesnt draw air from there. and maybe make the front filter take more dust by using some pantyhose to make it a dual layer filter. and so dust doesnt come in through various cracks, take off the front cover and use tape to cover all the unused wholes/cracks.

this way it doesnt matter which way the fan goes since with constant circulation dust will get into the psu either way

ey51 · Post by **ey51** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 1:08 pm

xev wrote:block the wholes behind the psu (on the back of the case) so the psu doesnt draw air from there. and maybe make the front filter take more dust by using some pantyhose to make it a dual layer filter. and so dust doesnt come in through various cracks, take off the front cover and use tape to cover all the unused wholes/cracks.

I will take your advice. Those are some nice ideas. The pantyhose especially. Is it good practice to also use pantyhose to cover the exhausts?

xev wrote:this way it doesnt matter which way the fan goes since with constant circulation dust will get into the psu either way

I guess you are right. Deal with the problem by blocking as much dust as possible to begin with.

Thank you xev

sitalchauhan · Post by **sitalchauhan** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:22 pm

I would point the PSU fan upwards because hot air is less dense than cold air, so rises. therefore the psu will help exhaust more hot air out of the case when it is mounted with the fan upwards. This is especially useful if your HDs are mounted in the lower compartment with the psu, as it will help to keep them slightly cooler.
Also, I do think you will get less dust when the fan is mounted upwards because i get quite a lot of dust sitting at the bottom of my case.