• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

Filtering the air

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.

mmills

Registered
Joined
Jul 23, 2003
Location
Dallas, TX
I live in the Texas countryside, west of Fort Worth. There is a lot of dust in the air. Sometimes, the rain is muddy. Additionally, I've got two cats that enjoy sitting in my lap while I work.

I'm building my first box and want to be sure to filter the air. Any case and filter recommendations?

My current purchase plans are:

Intel P4C 2.4 gig
ASUS P4P800 mobo
Thermalright SKK 900 heatsink
mem: ?
case: ?
hardrive: probably a cheap 80 gig western digital

Thanks,

Mark
 
Make sure you have positive airflow, that will help to minimize dust in the cracks...

If you want to create your own filters for your front intake, brillo pads work wonders.
 
Welcome to the forums!!!

I have an Enermax CS-10181B. It comes with 3 fans and 4 intake filters. You'll need to buy at least 4 more fans but this case is easy to work in and has great airflow.

There are a few places that sell filters but most just cut scotch brite pads (those green things) or pantyhose and use them as filters.

The new 875/865 boards are very picky about memory. When deciding on memory, there are a few things to look for. Make sure the company gives a lifetime warranty and look at the IC they use in their modules. There's a bunch of threads in the Memory forum. Read carefully and pick a module that works with your board.

-Bobby
 
Ditto on the welcome, as for the filters everything suggested so far is good but you can also add airconditioner foam filter to your list of choices, it works great for me.
 
Bobby said:


I have an Enermax CS-10181B. It comes with 3 fans and 4 intake filters. You'll need to buy at least 4 more fans but this case is easy to work in and has great airflow....

-Bobby

Are your filters replaced from the front of the case?

I have a hard enough time motivating myself to replace filters regularly. The easier the process, the more likely I'll be to do it.

Mark
 
Last edited:
On my case, it's just a matter of opening the front bezel which swings out and and unclip a plastic bracket that holds the filters in place. It's a 1 min job if you're drunk and still holding your beer :p.

The side fan filters are a bit harder to get at. You open the side panel, swing out the fan door, remove the 2 fans and the filters sit in there.

You can see pics of both side and front fan holders on this link. This is the white version of my case.

-Bobby
 
Bobby said:
On my case, it's just a matter of opening the front bezel which swings out and and unclip a plastic bracket that holds the filters in place. It's a 1 min job if you're drunk and still holding your beer :p.

The side fan filters are a bit harder to get at. You open the side panel, swing out the fan door, remove the 2 fans and the filters sit in there.

-Bobby

Bobby,

Thanks!

Earlier, you mentioned the case coming with 3 fans and 4 filters. Additionally, you mentioned needing 4 more fans.

What are the four additional fans for? Harddrive, CPU, SouthBridge and Northbridge?

Did you try using a duct between an intake and CPU fan?

Mark
 
mmills said:

Earlier, you mentioned the case coming with 3 fans and 4 filters. Additionally, you mentioned needing 4 more fans.

What are the four additional fans for? Harddrive, CPU, SouthBridge and Northbridge?

Did you try using a duct between an intake and CPU fan?

Mark

The 3 fans it comes with are 2 exhaust and 1 top exhaust. I ended up buying 5 Tt Smart Fan2's for 2 side intakes, 2 front intakes and top exhaust. The 2 front fans cool my 3 hard drives and the 2 side fans cool my cpu and video card.

The filters are on the 4 intakes. The case holds 7 fans not including the ps fan(s). If you look at the link in my last post, there's pics of where all the fans go.

There's really no need for a duct to the cpu since I only see a 1°C drop with the side panel off. I did cut the grill on the front fan cage though at those were pretty restrictive and made noise. After cutting out the front fan cage, it got a bit more quiet since there was less turbulence and my drives are cooler too.

-Bobby
 
Bobby said:


There's really no need for a duct to the cpu since I only see a 1°C drop with the side panel off.

-Bobby

Thanks for the help!

I'm trying to understand the above comment. Are you saying that you only see a 1 degree C drop in the CPU temp when you take the side panel off (and thus remove the problem of hot air in the case)?

Are you doing much over clocking?

Mark
 
Yep. With the side panel on, my cpu at load (folding) is 37°C. When I take it off, it drops to 36°C. The side fans stay in place and aren't attached to the side panel.

I'm currently at 3.0 ghz with my 2.4c on stock voltage. I should be getting some real PC3700 memory next week so that'll go up hopefully. The Zalman hsf helps a lot as does the Ceramique TIM I'm using.

-Bobby
 
or you could just get some air filters from any hardware place and put it infront of the fans... but i have the TT version of the case Bobby has. I hafta say its very nicely made and all, you just have to mod the tooless pci slot holder thingys
 
I used the same material what you normally use to keep the flies and so on, outside on a hot night...I don't know how you call it:p

Works great for me:)

And very cheap also.

HvH;)
 
I visited a local computer store and inspected some cases. I was most interested in the Antec SLK 1600 and Sonata, but fiddled with the no-name cases, too.

For easy filter change, I had been thinking that I'd suck air in through the front and blow it out the back. Thus, I looked for ways to insert and change a filter over the front fan hole.

No luck. None of the cases included access to the front air portal.

If I reverse the plan, I can suck air in from the back and blow it out the front. I could rig up some 'filter holder' over the back air portals, but it might be just as easy to tape the dryer sheets over the hole (dryer sheets sound like a great idea). Not as easy as a front panel filter change, but ok.

I didn't see the Enermax CS-10181B, but the online pictures suggest there are no specific provisions for filters, so I'm in the same position... needing to tape filters over the intake air holes.

Am I drawing the correct conclusions here?

Thanks,

mark
 
Here's a LINK for both the black and white version of my case. The pics for the white one shows the filter holders for the front fans.

11-124-032-07.jpg


-Bobby
 
Bobby said:
Here's a LINK for both the black and white version of my case. The pics for the white one shows the filter holders for the front fans.

-Bobby

:p

Ask and the door shall be opened for you!

Is that a vent on the top, next to the usb and firewire connections?

Mark
 
Yes, that's an exhaust vent on top but don't expect too much from it as it's severely restricted. I don't even know why I have a fan up there, LOL. The rear exhausts are good and the side and fronts seem to work really well even though they look restricted. I dremeled out the front fan cages to be completely open and the only thing covering the blades now is the fan filter.

-Bobby
 
yes it is a vent, its basically a chemming case, my compusa has them... they look like old alienware cases. They have a door like the enermax (since they are essentially the same case) and you should be able to replace filters easily.

EDIT: DOH, you posted while I was typing. ARGH:mad: :D
 
I'll send you Mavis Beacon ;):p

It's nothing like the chenming cases. It's a complete redesign and much better. Casetek is the OEM and they supply the cases to Enermax and Thermaltake.

-Bobby
 
wait chemnings aren't just caseteks? I thought they were.... maybe i got my names mixed up...:rolleyes: oh and all i meant was that when he said he couldn't find your model, he could check one of the cases to see if it was what he wanted. man maybe you need to send me a program that makes me express my ideas better too:D
 
Casetek came out with a new case design that Tt used and was the first to get on the market with. Then Enermax quietly started selling their own version and finally Casetek started selling or shipping their own version.

It looks similar but when you start to really look at the two cases, you'll see just how different they are. Take a look at the links and click on the pics. It's a great case and very easy to work in. I haven't had a bloody knuckle working in my case after installing the motherboard, changing 2 power supplies, a few hard drives, etc.

-Bobby
 
Back