I paid about 79 bucks for it after all the rebates and crap iahd to go through..I was looking at the NZXT cases but when looking at cases its hard to find "flow" specs. I guess I got Burnt on this one cause I like the look of it....Being a father of many I dotn have the cash to buy another case so until then any recommendations to help till i find a better case and can afford it? Better Yet what If I cut a 120mm fan hole directly in the top middle to reduce some of the hot air LOL...other then that i really have no clue
I understand completely your situation. I try to buy mostly used stuff. But I have been burned before. I thought you had just gotten this case, and thought you could return it. I was not trying to make you feel badly at all, if I did so I apologize. I just recently got full time parenting of my three kids a couple months ago.
When I buy cases, I like to buy cheap ones and improve them as well. I will buy scratched dented and beatup cases if they are cheap enough because my power tools love to cut things
I am no pro and my painting skills are not strong, but I do okay. And the more I do it, the better I get
With the zero there was not much to mod.. the only thing I did was remove some aluminum so I could run the HDD wires out the backside for manamgement purposes. (I did paint the top because it was scratched up and I still have to sand and paint one of the side panels that has a couple of gouges in it. But that is modding for aesthetics not performance.
the zero has room for 4x120mm in the sidepanel (overkill I have removed two, but DAC is definitly the best way to keep the CPU cool) One feeds the intake of the CPU and the other blows around the top video card and the chipset. The bottom front fan pushes cool air across the hdds to the bottom video card, two rear 120mm fans exhaust the top and CPU heat. The top also has an 80mm exhaust.
This is as close to a balanced pressure system as I can hook up. It is well balanced though as if the side panel is left "ajar" (either just leaning against the side of the case or on, but sticking out 1" in the back, the parts get warm, close the sidepanel all the way and it runs nice and cool.
Looking at the smilodon, I am not a fan of the placement of the 80mm side panel fans. about 8" to the right, and increase to 120mm would help a lot. an 80 can be used, but you are going to lose CFM and pressure.
120mm rear exhaust is essential. As already mentioned, most causes use a punch out design for fan grills. If you have little fingers around pick up some cheap wire fan grills and cut out that honeycomb design. (File it down for a neat smooth appearance) this helps flow and noise.
your CPU heatsink should be exhausting hot air towards the fan on the back of the case, the top sidepanel fan looks like it will be blowing int othat flow, rather than int othe intake of the heatinsk. (If you have a top down heatsink blower, then position side panel fan directly on top of it, if you have a blow through heatsink, than position sidepanel fan in front of the intake. this helps cool your ram too.
I but the bottom side panel fans towards the leading edge of the GPUs too.. it cools the top GPU and a little extra flow towards the chipset While the front panel fan cools my hard drive and bottom GPU.
Does not look like you have room to mode the rear panel for dual 120mm exhaust, if a case is not designed for it, it can be difficult (I did manage to squeeze it in on my rocketfish
but it was a very ghetto mod though)