Let me begin with trivial stuff that modern computer needs for high-powered PSU. For example, the nVidia Company recommends using 480W PSU for its top solutions. While working, high-powered PSU allocates 200 watt heat. This heat must be abstracted. For this purpose , up to 3 fans are used in power supplies. Naturally, fans make noise. Of course, producers take actions on fighting with noise, but these measures mainly add up to reducing of fan turns depending on temperature. But noise, although a small one, remains anyway. I must say that noise is terribly unhealthy for overclockers. There are producers who take care of the fastidious users. For example, the Thermaltake Company has just unleashed fanless power supply the 350W ATX Purepower Fanless PSU with cooling on heat pipes. But these solutions are inaccessible and expensive.
For a long time I have been eager to modify a common PSU into the fanless one. But I didn’t want to buy high-powered, expensive branded power supply and then break it down without knowing the final result. Therefore, the Super Power EuroCase 480W ATX was bought as an experimental one.
It looks like a good one: chromium-plated 1-millimeter steel case, just over 3 kilos of weight, and a heap of cutoff points. ATX 2.03 ( P4).
It has been scattered about for a long time as I couldn’t decide how I’d cool the case off, either with water or with passive radiator. But I met with cases cooled off with water several times, and only one case with passive cooling . After all, the simpler the system is the safer it is. What can break in à radiator down? These arguments persuaded me towards air-cooling.
Also I was very interested what else, except transistors and diode packs (they are on the radiators), gets warm in PSU and how much it does. Another variant might happen as well: if I would transfer transistors and diode packs onto the big radiator, the line transformer would have got warm or something else would have been allowed to happen. I haven’t got any information about this.
