PSU headsup...

[VJ]

Hello!

Finally, yesterday, all my computer gear arrived, and I started putting together the system. It took quite some fumbling, but finally the PSU was installed, as was the bluray writer. And then it hit me: the cables don't fit inbetween...

The PSU is a SilentMaxx EcoSilent 650, which is a hefty 4 cm deeper than the regular ATX PSU... As a result, its "front" (side inside the case, parallel with the rear panel) is too close to the back of the optical drive...

So just a quick headsup when you put together a new system: check the dimensions of the PSU and whether or not it fits in the case. Standard depth is 14 cm, but there even are PSU that are 19 cm in depth (Enermax Revolution range). The size is not always clearly specified on manufacturers' websites (clearly listed on Enermax, not listed on SilentMaxx).


Jörg
After even more fumbling, I managed to remove the PSU and optical drive again. The store will replace it with an Enermax Modu82+, which is only 14 cm deep. BUT THEY DON'T HAVE IT IN STOCK

[UtwigMU]

This and long graphic cards (you have to remove it to remove HDDs) are the reason why I bought the long Chieftec BX case.

[VJ]

I measured graphic card length, cpu cooler size and height, but overlooked this. This build is for a HTPC system, but being confronted with these issues made realize just how big my LianLi PC70 is...

[Fat Tone]

and then of course there's the length of the cables...

[VJ]

True... But I knew that wasn't going to be an issue...
Oh: there now are even PSUs with extremely short cables, for use in small cases...


Jörg

[Fat Tone]

I just meant it is something you can't take for granted. I have had to swap things around before simply because it never occured to me that the standard leads wouldn't reach. IIRC it was the 12V mobo connector, obscured by the graphics cards in a fairly tall case.

[VJ]

Yes, that is true...
At the university, we now tend to use the Coolermaster CM-690 (cheap case with ample cooled drive bays), but it has the downside that the PSU is mounted at the bottom: the motherboard cables cannot be guided as they are too short.

The irony is that I measured everything, looked it all up, and overlooked this.

Just curious: how can you tell if the PSU is not powerful enough? The PSU in my dual Xeon is PC Power 510 W, but it is now 5 years old and many drives/cards have been added since. The systems sometimes acts up, but I don't know why... All voltage lines are stable though.
I configured the PSU calculator, with these selections: dual sockets, high end server, Intel Xeon A 2400 Prestonia, 4 sticks DDR2, ATI Radeon 9000, 1 SCSI 10K, 1 SCSI 15K, 3 SATA 7200, PCI SCSI, PCI SCSI RAID, PCI SATA RAID, 2 USB devices, fan-controller, 4x 80mm fans.

I couldn't exactly match hardware, so selected alternatives:
Parhelia -> ATI Radeon 9000
PCI-X FW800 4 channel -> PCI SCSI RAID
PCI-X SATA RAID -> PCI SATA RAID

And it reads:
85% cpu, no capacitor aging: 447 W
85% cpu, capacitor aging 15%: 514 W

I have thought of using the SilentMaxx in my dual Xeon, but it lacks some required connectors. I'm guessing that my PSU is currently the absolute limit for my system (given the age)... but is it?