Fan Ducting to my CPU

[Restorer]

Woohoo, I lapped my first heatsink.

This is what it looked like beforehand. I used 800 grit on it at first, then went to the 1500.

After a nice finishing with the 1500 grit paper, I realized that there was an indentation in the center, where the processor core would sit (which you can kinda see here - it's the rougher part of the reflection, where the original machining marks still existed). So the heatsink wasn't completely flat! I had to start over again with 220 grit paper to flatten it out, then I went back to the 800 and 1500. Afterwards, I really wanted a mirror finish, so I took out the most common household polishing compound - toothpaste.

I polished it with my dremel and buffing wheel, then gave it a warm bath in the sink. I let it drip-dry, then reinstalled it with a fresh coat of the only batch of grease I've ever owned - a small amount of the original Arctic Silver. I moved the hard drives into the upper 3.5" cage and took out the lower one. I think my temperature dropped, but I can't be sure: I was using a 5.25" temperature monitor, and to lap the heatsink I had to remove then replace the probe. I'm getting temps 2-3C higher than before, but the BIOS is now reporting lower than before. I think this one worked a little.

Uh oh, at 1% battery power, have to post and run!

 

[Aihyah]

cripes thats one big fan


i found the ducting at home depot. its in the section that has exhaust tubing/ducts/piping for clothes dryers. there are various kinds, all reasonably priced. some totally hard 4 sectioned aluminum pipes that can bend to 90 deg. not all that useful for most purposes. hard accordian tubing, thats pretty flexible. and wire rings covered with foil thats really flexible. comes in 3" or 4" diameters. got 2.4m for 8 dollars.

 

[Restorer]

But do any of them start at 120mm and curve in to 80mm? I think I'm happy with my soda-bottle duct, but I don't think I'll be able to try it until Thursday. I'm going out of town on Sunday, for a vacation in Las Vegas.

EDIT:
I'll add my complete upgrade plan (which is guaranteed to change) just to share it with you guys, and so I can access it over the internet in case I need to while I'm away.

- Cut out all the stock stamped-metal grills (except the top blowhole, it would be harder to get a good look with it) and replace with wire grills.
- Replace stock NB cooler with Zalman passive heatsink - lap it as well.
- Cut holes for extra 80mm rear exhaust fan. (See link in first post)
- Cut a 120mm hole in the side panel over the CPU, attach a 120mm quiet fan and duct that flanges from 120mm to 80mm, position as described in all the rest of the posts, remove SFII that's on the heatsink.
- Replace 80mm blowhole fan with 120mm Stealth fan, cut out the stamped metal and affix a laser cut grill (I know, I know, but style's more important to me here) to both this and the side fan.
- Build a four-fan Rheobus for a 3.5" bay; move one hard drive to the multi-function panel in a 5.25" bay.
- Add a 120mm Stealth intake to the bottom of the case.
- (Far in the future) Go watercooling!

 

[Restorer]

Alright, I'm back from my trip, and no one's replied. That's okay, I had some time to think about my mods while I was away. I'm looking for a good place online to buy dremel bits and wheels. If someone can recommend a place, thanks in advance.

Do you think I should open up these holes a little? Widen them maybe? Is there a good dremel attachment that can do this reliably? It's 1/16 inch think aluminum.

I'm going to replace this grill and filter (which don't even line up right with the outer holes) with standard aluminum fan filters. Easier to clean too.

Also, what size are fan screw holes? I've heard the Lian Li holes are too small (designed to be used with the included plastic things), so I'd like to buy a dremel bit to drill out larger holes.

 

[BigL]

Easiest way to find a size is measure it, fan bolts I use are 4mm so I cut 5mm and have some room for rubber grommets, can go without them, they cut down vibrations!


120mm fans are great, I have 1 outtake (57cfm) + PSU (varies) and 2 intake (57+59) and the best of them all 120mm Delta screamer over my zalman (190cfm/59dba @ 12v, approx 100cfm/30dba @ 6-7v much better!).

I was thinking of adding another flow control fan in the middle of my full tower case, to suck warm air from the cpu to the psu fan, or maybe just some ducting and use the 120mm fan thats already just above there!!!

When i'm finished i'll probably have 1 or 2 120mm fans in the door as well.

Lots to do and no time to do it in!!!!

 

[Restorer]

Lots to do and no time to do it in!!!!

You're telling me! I have to have this all done before I leave for college (three weeks from now) and I don't even have my Dremel cutting wheels yet!

 

[fafnir]

ever think of going water?

 

[gusgizmo]

wow, fafnir, that picture is amazingly inspirational. ive been thinking of an external water cooling stup, but jeez, thats freaking nice! is the clear waterblock worth it, does it look cool with uv reactive dye in the coolant? and lastly, do you think i could pull off an interanl watercooling setup with dual processors, im about to run into a gob of money and im looking for ways to spend it well, so yeah.

 

[gusgizmo]

also, right now i have an antec plusview 1000amg tower, it seems a bit more cramped than the case in the previous picture, does anyone have any thoughts on this, and how it would pertain to me?

 

[Paxmax]

OT: Yes, Fafnir! very clean and nice installation you've got!
But... it looks kinda dangerous to fill your system with the plug there....
You haven't experienced trouble with the pump so close to the HD's?

 

[Restorer]

I got out my dremel today and cut my first hole! I don't have any shots of the work in progress, but I have some of the finished (sortof) product.

Sure, it's not the best looking hole, but it works for me. It's worth mentioning that this is my first time using a dremel to cut metal (second time using it to cut anything). I'll later take out these fans and put a Smart Fan II in the lower (right) spot, and also clean up the edges of the hole.

I also increased the size of the screw holes (Lian Li makes them too small to use a normal fan screw with, forcing you to use the included push-pins). Now that I can use the longer, more flexible screws I replaced the standard Lian Li filter with these aluminum filters, which will increase my airflow. (Read above for why the included filter severly restricts airflow; basically the holes in the filter cover and the holes in the front bezel don't match up.)

ever think of going water?

In the far future...

- (Far in the future) Go watercooling!

 

[billstuck]

Looks good. How much air flow do you think those filters restrict?

 

[Restorer]

Originally posted by billstuck
Looks good. How much air flow do you think those filters restrict?

I'm not sure, I haven't been able to test them yet. Definitely much less than the original filter.

 

[Restorer]

Cut up the side panel for a 120mm fan today.

To me it looks really nice. My only problem is that the screws that came with the fan aren't long enough to accommodate a filter or grill on the outward-facing side of the fan. I'm fine with running it with the filter on the inside, but I should go out and get some longer screws since I want to put a decorative grill on the outside, as well as the filter for easier cleaning.

I took much more care in cutting this hole than the previous one, because this hole will show itself off to the world. I made all my cuts on the inside, then used a sanding cylinder bit on the dremel to shape it out. I smoothed it with 220 grit paper, then some of my 800 grit lapping paper to keep it nice and touchably smooth.

I'm very happy with this. As soon as my last package comes, I'll put it all together and see what temperatures I get.

P.S.: Next project is a homemade rheobus.