case cooling

[plowd1]

I have been trying to decide how to set up my case for the best cooling possible and have some questions
Maybe I have missed some posts which would answer it
I have seen some case mods which allow you to use 120 mm fan in the front to bring cool are in with mesh filters to keep dust out but do I want a positive flow into the case so the other non fan vents don't suck dust in ?
So do I need a slightly lower cfm in the back for exhaust?
I live in the phoenix area and no matter what you do there is dust everywhere .
which is more important
equalized are in and out ?
positive air in?
or pulling more air out ? with dust considerations

 

[Hoot]

I think you want the intake a little stronger than the exhaust because your PS also has a fan in it exhausting and you don't want to fight it for airflow.

Hoot

 

[kat]

positive air flow more in than out as for filters they might help but will reduce air flow my sulution is to clean my pc once a week with compressed air

 

[YahooDave]

I like a little negative airflow because I have some small holes in the side of my case next to the HD's that draw in a little and cool them. I move enough cfm (not sure how much) to compansate for the negative airflow. If you only have a couple of fans you will want a positive airflow.

 

[Fink]

After living in the central valley of CA, where it is very dusty during the summer, I found that it was best to keep a little bit more intake than exaust, even factoring in the PS fan. Positive case pressure minimizes dust intake around CD-ROM drives, face plates and other places where you do not want significant amounts of dust accumulation.

For extremely dusty enviornments, filters on the intake fans are vital. I use AC filter material that you can find at any home despot or ace hardware. You can also cut up an older heater filter and use that to cover the intake fans.

 

[Fink]

After living in the central valley of CA, where it is very dusty during the summer, I found that it was best to keep a little bit more intake than exaust, even factoring in the PS fan. Positive case pressure minimizes dust intake around CD-ROM drives, face plates and other places where you do not want significant amounts of dust accumulation.

For extremely dusty enviornments, filters on the intake fans are vital. I use AC filter material that you can find at any home despot or ace hardware. You can also cut up an older heater filter and use that to cover the intake fans.

 

[Colin]

I have to agree with Fink, as I also live in the dusty San Joaquin valley. The foam filters don’t cut airflow much but they sure make I difference inside my box. This is even more important with a deep radiator like the Cooling Cube. Positive airflow will still cool your drives but do it with filtered air.

To help cut down on dust in the house, we use a Living Air filter and a Miele vacuum with a hepa filter.