SPCR

Hi Guys !

Just thinking out loud here:

can a dual\triple psu be built (by dual\triple I mean some sort of combining 2 psu's together, like the fanless tkpower or some other vendor of fanless psu's), so that the power dissipation will be only a half\third for each part of psu, so it could (in theory) run fanless even for a regular pc (which usually consumes about 100-150 watts) as a normal, no-supervision-required mode ?

I'm guessing some modding (like holes in the upper side of the case etc) will be a must, but i don't think this kind of stuff will keep the hardcore\DIY guys away from installing something like this...

Is this a practical\plausible idea ?

Hiya poizen,

I've actually seen this being done before, but I can't for the life of me remember where I saw it. They basically connected the 5V and 12V lines (if I remember correctly) by using some intricate electrical schematics (which I never quite wholly understood). This was not a fanless psu mod though, but the concept is the same. Needless to say, you need to proceed with EXTREME caution if/when doing this!

This is not a thing I would do, simply because there's so many stages where things can go wrong. The "joints" also become weak points in the system. I'm just a bit scared (with good reason?) when it comes to fiddling around with high voltages.

I've seen this done also, but I'd rather just buy a double PSU and let the manufacturer worry abt the details.

If you don't feel much like modding and messing around, you could use one PSU for the motherboard and attached cards, and one for the drives and anything else that needs external power source (say, a Radeon 9700 Pro or a fanbus). Obviously the first PSU would need more juice than the second. And there are a few 'desktop' midi-tower cases with mounts for two PSUs, so you wouldn't need extensive modding or pricey server cases. Running only external things seperately will perhaps not be as ideal a solution as combining two PSUs, but it'd be easier. I'm just babbling, really.

I don't know about trying to tie two power supplies together electrically so they both power the same set of equipment. I know a little bit of electrical engineering, and it's not something I'd want to try. However, the method Alicey suggested works quite well.

I've got a computer that employs it, though not in the manner you have in mind. The computer in question draws too much power for the largest power supply I have on hand (a 400 watt) so I had to bolt a second powersupply to the top of the case and run half the drives and fans off of it. (as you may have guessed, the computer is far from quiet). However, the principle of using two powersupplies to split up the load is feasable.