air flow

[zDmn]

the whole concept of blanced airflow is starting to confuse me. i understand that having 2 case fans blowing in from the front then 2 same sized exhaust fans on back is the right way to go. but then what about the cpu fan? wouldnt the cpu fan disrupt air travel? do i want the cpu fan to pull air off of the heatsinks or blow air on to the heatsinks? and if the cpu fan is pulling air away from the cpu, would it really be pulling any air? any help would be much appreciated!

 

[godmare]

MOst heatsinks work better with the fan blowing onto them- with the exception of Alpha's. If they are sucking air away from the heatsink, as in the case of Alpha heatsinks, the fans draw air from the heatsink sides, through the fins and out the top, away from the cpu.

You're not building a wind tunnel, just a computer- the disruption of a fan on the cpu is obviously necessary. That fan does not either draw air in or exhaust air, so the 'balance' will be unaffected. Also, don't forget to take the power supply exhaust fan into account.

 

[Matt]

It is quite difficult to balance the airflow through the case. Try checking your temps and with different solutions. If you have a good case IMO you often don't need the intake fans, instead simply suck the air through the case using good exhaust fans. Try it out and often you get a more quiet solution with the same cooling. The CPU fan disrupts the flow in the case somewhat, however it doesn't affect the actual pressure in the case as mentioned in the previous answer.

/Matt

 

[jhites]

If you have a good case IMO you often don't need the intake fans, instead simply suck the air through the case using good exhaust fans. Try it out and often you get a more quiet solution with the same cooling.

Your system will suck a lot more dust without the balanced air flow. Dirt=clean more often=higher temps on system.

 

[Matt]

Well... It depends... I have airfilters in the front. Besides... it's the same air that comes through the case... no diff compared to when using intake fans.

/Matt

 

[jhites]

Originally posted by: Matt
Well... It depends... I have airfilters in the front. Besides... it's the same air that comes through the case... no diff compared to when using intake fans.

/Matt

True - I do use filters on my front fans

 

[Matt]

What I lack is some sort of review or similar where they tested diff kinds of air cooling and matched it with case temps to figure out how many fans you would need to get good cooling. IMO many ppl believe that the more fans you put on the better the cooling. In reality when there is a small diff in temp between the air inside and outside the case it gets difficult to cool it further no matter what kind of fan you put into the case. (Within reason of course.)
Just my thoughts. ;-)

/Matt

 

[syberscott]

I find that 3 exhaust and 2 intake fans work best for keeping the case cool. You do tend to get a little more dust though, even with filters. I also prefer a top blowhole and 2 rear exhaust fans (including the ps fan) as opposed to 3 rear facing exhaust fans. If you wanted more balance I would put an intake blowhole over the cpu or graphics card making a total of 3 intake and 3 exhaust.

 

[Matt]

Hmm... I would say that an exhaust at the top would make a lot of sense...
Still confused but at a higher level perhaps, right zDmn?



/Matt