where to put fans in case? *pics*

[touser]

hi everyone i have recently gotten interested in cooling my computer, thanks to you guys :), and i was wondering if anyone could recommend where i should put fans in my system judging from these 2 pictures? if anyone could help it would be greatly appreciated.
[img="http://uothings.homestead.com/files/caseopenside1.gif"]
[img="http://uothings.homestead.com/files/backcase.gif"]

[Billvill]

This is just my opinion mind you . I would put one in the lower front sucking in and one in the rear at the top pushing out. That is the natural flow of hot air and I think works the best . It lets cool air flow across the cpu and into the power supply and out .

Billy

ps: make sure your power supply has vents in the bottom .

[touser]

thanks for the info Billvill :), anyone else have any ideas?

[Shadow ÒÓ]

yea.......those are either 80 or 92 mm fan holes at the top rear of your case. Use a dremmel or nippers (get em from Radio Shack for $10) and cut those areas out so you have an open hole, then install 2 fans blowing out. You can buy fan guards for around $1.50 each from most computer stores, but definitely blow OUT from the top as heat naturally rises.

[touser]

ok sounds like a plan! anywhere else i should put a fan? like on the side blowing on top of the cpu/pci cards?

[Shadow ÒÓ]

try to keep the input equal to the output. If you have 60 cfm blowing out a the top, get 60 or more blowing in somewhere. A 120 mm fan at the bottom of a case that sits at least a couple inches off the floor is excellent.

[Paul.K]

Another helpful suggestion, from looking at the above pictures...before you even buy other fans and stuff you need to tidy up your cables within your case so a proper circulation of air can happen. It is not much point in buying a 120mm case fan if your cables look like that above. My case the cables are tied away quite neatly for air to circulate properly. I have 0ne front 80mm and one 90mm fan sucking air in and 2 80mm fans near cpu exhausting hot air out.

[[Oc]acaridans]

Paul.K (Jul 28, 2001 06:55 a.m.):
Another helpful suggestion, from looking at the above pictures...before you even buy other fans and stuff you need to tidy up your cables within your case so a proper circulation of air can happen. It is not much point in buying a 120mm case fan if your cables look like that above. My case the cables are tied away quite neatly for air to circulate properly. I have 0ne front 80mm and one 90mm fan sucking air in and 2 80mm fans near cpu exhausting hot air out.

To continue, you will have to do this, expecially aroung your ROM drives, looking at the pic the air path that goes from the bottom of the PSU to to top is greatly blocked..I would try to tuck the wires behind the drives or agains the back panel of the case to try to get rid of some of the slack...rounding your cables would be a great idea...also getting some zipties and pulling your power cables back would also be a good idea

[touser]

ok sounds great, thank you all for the advice!, one last thing, how would i round the cables? should i cut a slit in the wire every 3 or 4 wires and just tiewrap them all together? thank you all again for the help.

[most deaf]

you definatly need one going in, i would replace the one in your psu with the pther fan in order to have equal air flow

[yogee]

I just thought of some thing looking at that pic. I try to keep all my drives as high in the available spots as posible to keep the heat up higher and have it taken out by the power suply fan. What got me thinking was, maybe i could, judging by that pic and what i think i can do here is, close off the top portion of my case just under the power supply and drives, turn the power supply fan around and install a heat exhaust fan out the top of my case. I think that might get my case temps a bit lower and keep cooler - fresher air moving through the cpu which has an exhaust fan just above it going out. What you think?


Oh yeah. I just replaced my compound that came with my super orb with some arctic silver 2 and that helped alot.

[Shadow ÒÓ]

rounding cables have several different methods. I like a good drafting ruler (metal one) and an exacto knife. I've cut every cable and cut others with every 4 or so........depends on taste. If you're not steady of hand enough, wire ties and folding the ribbon in a WW manner will work just as well.

[M@€$†®Ö™]

That takes a real steady hand to do that. Shadow you are a brave man :)

Maestro

[M@€$†®Ö™]

Having positive case pressure is a good thing yes ? I have 6 plus blowing and 2 blowing out.

Maestro

[Wahoogie]

You want to have the flow in = to the flow out.

[touser]

thanks again everyone, i went out and bought some fans, a gigantic 120mm which puts out 108cfm, and a smaller 92mm which puts out 42cfm, noise is not a factor for me, i only bought 2 since it cost $30 for the both of em, and i bought all rounded cables for my cd-roms and hard drives/floppy.