Question Top Mount PSU case trend

[boosted1g]

Noticing more and more new gaming cases with top-mounted PSUs.

Is there some new heat exchange research driving this, or simply " change = 'new hotness' = $$"?

 

[Math Geek]

top mounted used to be the main design for a long time.

i guess some companies are doing it again to be different. there's not too many ways to make a pc case and that one hasn't been used much in the last decade.

 

[12pak]

I hated the top mount PSU design back in the day. Makes the bigger cases too top heavy.

 

[AdmiralDonut]

I've only seen one decent case manufacturer doing this, and that was (I think) Antec. Who else is doing this that you think it's a "Trend"?

 

[Eximo]

Usually a few each generation. But it depends on the orientation.

The old style had the PSU intaking from the area around the motherboard with a downdraft cooler on the CPU and exhausting out the rear top. A good configuration when chassis used to come with one or zero fans. Something to get the heat out the chassis. I even had my power hungry GTX580 in an old Cooler Master case with that arrangement. Never caused a problem.

I have seen top mounted PSUs that are in a separate chamber, so don't act as part of the airflow system. Basically a tiny PSU case above the motherboard.

There was one a year or too back that had the PSU facing up, drawing air from the outside and out the back. Top intakes not really a great idea in my opinion. But that was a strange case with the PSU featured kind of prominently. I will see if I can find.

Behind the motherboard is another popular one, and that puts them still relatively close to being top mounted from a physical perspective.