Anyone tried using unused 5.25 drive bays

[StrangerGuy]

I moved my CD-RW drive to the lowest 5.25 bay, then removed the three 5.25 bay covers to see whether it helps in cooling. Casing didn't have side vents, thus the PC used to run hot.

Results? Idle CPU temps of my 3GHz Prescott dropped from 43C to 37C, and load temps dropped from 60+ C to ~57C. The stock fan doesn't ramp up to a full blast as before, and the airflow of the exhaust fans felt significantly stonger.

I placed my hand on the top and sides of the casing (Antec SLK3700 replica btw), and it felt as hot as when the PC is off. 😀

To feel safer, I covered the open bays with a ghetto intake grille cut from disposable BBQ wire mesh.

Very soon, I gonna cut off the fan covers...

 

[Oyeve]

Thats what I did on my Lian-Li case, took the 5.25 covers off and rigged some fine screen mesh (non metallic) and also meshed all my fans. This was, all I have to do is rinse the mesh once in a while instead of removing the fans and cleaning them. Works great.

 

[imported_rod]

I woulda thought that'd mess with the airflow through the case.

 

[letdown427]

Originally posted by: StrangerGuy
I moved my CD-RW drive to the lowest 5.25 bay, then removed the three 5.25 bay covers to see whether it helps in cooling. Casing didn't have side vents, thus the PC used to run hot.

Results? Idle CPU temps of my 3GHz Prescott dropped from 43C to 37C, and load temps dropped from 60+ C to ~57C. The stock fan doesn't ramp up to a full blast as before, and the airflow of the exhaust fans felt significantly stonger.

I placed my hand on the top and sides of the casing (Antec SLK3700 replica btw), and it felt as hot as when the PC is off. 😀

To feel safer, I covered the open bays with a ghetto intake grille cut from disposable BBQ wire mesh.

Very soon, I gonna cut off the fan covers...

Pics of ghetto mods? 😀

Only truly ghetto if that BBQ mesh has chicken burnt onto it.

Also, why do people have fan grilles on? Mesh then fair enough, stop dust, but like, those pointless chrome spiral things? They just inhibit airflow. Is it mainly just to stop children/pets/foodstuffs getting intimate with the fan blades? I remove all mine, took PSU apart and removed them from that, I rip out all of the fan 'mesh' crap that they put on cases, it just blocks air....

 

[Wall7486]

Why would that mess up the case flow. Many new Lian-Li cases forces you to put fans on your 5.25 bays. There is no intake fan, which means you have to make your own. Let's take my Lian-Li 1000 as an example. The whole case runs hot at load. I had to put two intake fans in the 5.25 just to cool it down a bit. Then later on I modded the side for two 120mm fan just to cool everything down.