Placement of fans

RIPSTER · Sep 19, 2004

I need some help with information on my case fan positions.

I have 2 case fans in the front of my case these are neither intake or exhaust because it isnt opened to the front of the case so these two are basicaly just blowing my in case air towards my proc and pci slots, I have 2 exhaust fans at thge back of my case just under my psu directly behind my cpu fan and i have attached one 40mm fan to my ATI radeon 9200se graphics card heatsink.

I am just wondering what i should do to enhance my cooling capabilities i have just taken out the fan grills for the 2 back exhausts and i am planning to make a blowhole in the top of the case but i am thinking this will be usless because i need more intakes not exhausts i am just confused of where i can fit an intake now?

Alacritan · Sep 19, 2004

Why aren't you using them as intake fans?

But yes, a blowhole will improve your case temps as it will exhaust hot air out the top, which is far more effective than exhausting air out the back.

RIPSTER · Sep 20, 2004

so i can use my back fans as intakes and make 2 top blowholes or one 120mm top blowhole? also would cooling my hardrives be worth the cooling for more noise. My cpu fan is like broken one of the fins snapped and one of the screw holes thread has broken so now the fan vibrates vigirously and is off balance to add to that the tim application was realy messy and was very badly done (by me i was seriously rushing) is this the reasin im gettin temps like 58 degrees centigrade under load?

and could someone point me towards a fan blow hole guide

jackrungh · Sep 20, 2004

Im curious... why arent your two front 80mm fans intakes? You say theres no vent or something through which to draw in? Are you dremel enabled? Make some vents.

RIPSTER · Sep 20, 2004

well i am not dremel enabled but i would make 2 blow holes but only one problem of i were to make 2 holes it would take out my power reset and leds they are directly on top of the fans on front of case.

Maybe i can remove the reset and power butons and leds somehow and set it somewhere else

Enablingwolf · Sep 20, 2004

If you go the route of using the rear fans as intake.. The only poblem with this is, it may draw the exhuast from the PSU. If you re-route the exhuast from the PSU upwards it fixes that issue(mostly).

RIPSTER · Sep 20, 2004

how can i reroute the exhaust from the psu ducting or what?

Enablingwolf · Sep 20, 2004

You can make a chimney duct out of cardboard or buy one from a store. Basically just direct the air up and away from the intake.

Enablingwolf · Sep 20, 2004

Here is a premade duct for a PSU. They can be easily made from other material.

RIPSTER · Sep 21, 2004

thnx im wondering are th two fans in the front of teh case (the ones that are meant to be intakes) are they useful at all becasue they are just circulating air inside of the case which is bad?

Enablingwolf · Sep 21, 2004

Most likey they are pulling (cool) air from somewere, or you would of burnt them up. You would (of) hear(ed) the stain on them. Even though they may not be pulling a large amount of air in, unless they are low CFM fans I would leave them in place. If they are high CFM fans but low pressure fans, unless they are gasping or straining I would still leave them in place, unless your project needs them in another location... until you can figure out a solution you like and works for your setup.
One trick I have done, is cut a hole in the floor of the case, and mount a fan there. For my setup it works wonderful :cheers:

. It stirs the colder air from the bottom and directs it to the top. I got a decent overall drop in temps after doing that. Plus it is my stealth fan :beer:

. I get a GPU, RAM and SB benifit from the fan on the case floor. The only problem I encountered was raising the case up a few and getting the balance of hight for airflow vs. looks. BTW it is dust sucker too. I was forced to filter the fan after a bit. If you put you case on the floor (which I haven't) you would suck small pets and childeren up if the airflow is great enough. .... or turn the fan around for hover mode!

JimmyG · Sep 21, 2004

Your best bet is to have high flow intake fans low in the front of the case. Make sure there is as little air restriction as possible coming into the intake fans. Add a blow hole at the top, and continue to use the 2 exhaust fans in the back. In addition, you can set up a duct to suck cold air directly from outside the case to the CPU fan. This duct can connect to one of the intake fans in the front or directly to the side cover (whichever works best for you).

RIPSTER · Sep 21, 2004

Your best bet is to have high flow intake fans low in the front of the case. Make sure there is as little air restriction as possible coming into the intake fans. Add a blow hole at the top, and continue to use the 2 exhaust fans in the back. In addition, you can set up a duct to suck cold air directly from outside the case to the CPU fan. This duct can connect to one of the intake fans in the front or directly to the side cover (whichever works best for you).

I cant use the two front fdans as intakes because there is no mesh or grill alwing air in the front of the case. it is just the front of the case plastic and i cant make blow holes because my power switch, reset switch and leds are in the way.
Conclusion:
1- Duct PSU exhaust.

2- Make the two back fans intakes.

3- One fan on the floor of my case.

4- Two 80mm on the top extracting or one 120mm.

5- And keep the two case fans in the front of my case because i think they are cooling my hds which is kinda good.

i might decide to move the power butons and make blow holes there but ill think about that ive got plenty to be getting on with.

more info still apreciated

Enablingwolf · Sep 21, 2004

The fans on the floor of the case worked great for me. Another point to make on thier use is watch for turbulence. They are good alternative to front fans, just watch the dust ,and ngive them room to breath. I would go with high CFM(120's) fans if you can, or use what you have on hand. You are only limited to space on the floor. If you can, put the fan in a temporary holder first to get optimal airflow, test placemant first. I used an old fan cage from a old case , and moved it around without cutting the metal. Once I was happy I broke out the cutter. There can be a turblence issue, if you misplace the fans. It is easy mod though. If you are using 5400 RPM HD I wouldn't worry about heat much. I have had a 5400 chugging along without active cooling(until 05/04) for many years now. The only reason I active cool them now is due to setup. Plus they really don't need a lot of air to cool them.

RIPSTER · Sep 21, 2004

i didnt get what u meant by mounting the fan on a temporary holder to get maximum airflow

Enablingwolf · Sep 21, 2004

To test a configuration use anything to raise the fan so you don't just bog the fan down. Instead of using an old cage, screws work to to lift the fan above the floor of the case. That way you can see if the setup works for you, without cutting your case and regretting it.

JimmyG · Sep 21, 2004

What is the make and model of your case? I am skeptical that there is no way for air to enter the front fans. You may not see the possible air flow paths because they are disguised by the front bezel.

RIPSTER · Sep 22, 2004

its like a ganeric ill see if i can find a pic

Nagorak · Sep 24, 2004

There must be some way the air is coming in. They wouldn't just put a fan holder on the front if there was no opening. At least I don't believe anyone would do that...

You should take a picture of your case from the front also. I'm skeptical that there's no way to cut some intake holes in the front of your case. As for losing the power switch, usually you can move the actual switch and the LEDs are no big loss IMO. However, that's for you to decide.

You may also want to consider just putting intake fans on the side of the case, or alternatively try mounting a 120mm at the front. It's possible that a 120mm would not cause a problem with your power switch whereas dual 80mms would. (120mm wide as opposed to a total of 160mm).

RIPSTER · Sep 24, 2004

i have realised where the front intakes are getting their air i have a front USB and audio panel right at the bottom of the case under where my fans would be inside. on the underside of the case the usb and audio panel is like uncovered basicaly there is a space where they can intake cool air and i can actualy feel this the air they blow towads the hd's and pci slots is quite cool.

So i dont think this will be a problem anymore i will carry on using my setup as it is. But install two 80mm in the top of the case and one 120mm/2 80mm fans in the base of the case.

Because i cannot get my hands on a hole saw i have decided to take the method where you mark out the size of blowhole and then drill holes round the inside making the circle perforated so you can just clip with a pliers.

Also i am wondering how the fan screws in? do you just make 4 holes? and i am finding it hard to find a way to accuratley measure the size for a blow hole seeing as i dont have hole saw i need some help marking it out.

Placement of fans

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