cool this case!

[JSt0rm]

I'm trying to get my thermals lower then where they are sitting right now. What I'm thinking is there is a air intake on the bottom of the rack and I would possibly add 3 fans to this are pulling cool air in.

The question would be what fans should I use and are there any that terminate to a normal 2 prong plug AND are generally quiet (the whole point of this thing)?

Right now the case is sitting at 90 degrees with only my battery backup a 1u raid box a macpro and a 192 (audio interface). This is idle and the temps should rise as I'm working.


http://www.kkaudio.com/quietrack.html

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Add top fans.

Change fans with more airflow

 

[JSt0rm]

unfortunately top fans would ruin the acoustic properties of the case. There is a inlet in the bottom that I could lay 3 140mm fans across sucking air in. Then the back fans suck it out and thru a baffle down the back of the case and out.

Im wondering if I will just end up with positive pressure and not a lot of air movement.

 

[Kenmitch]

Go water! Mount a huge Rad to backside with quite fans.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Go water! Mount a huge Rad to backside with quite fans.

Good idea

 

[JSt0rm]

Go water! Mount a huge Rad to backside with quite fans.

How would that work? I would need to have some kind of heat sink on the inside of the case yeah? Plenty of room in there though.

do you guys think intake fans on the bottom would help at all?

 

[Kenmitch]

How would that work? I would need to have some kind of heat sink on the inside of the case yeah? Plenty of room in there though.

do you guys think intake fans on the bottom would help at all?

Right now the case is sitting at 90 degrees with only my battery backup a 1u raid box a macpro and a 192 (audio interface). This is idle and the temps should rise as I'm working.

The items in bold above are inside this beast? If so water isn't a solution for temps.

What kind of issure are you having with temps?

Adding more intake fans might not help much at all if you don't have enough exhaust fans.

 

[natto fire]

What are those six fans doing, acting as push pull pairs, or all intake, all exhaust? What you do really depends on the config of those fans. Also, I assume you mean 90° Fahrenheit? If you meant 90 Celsius then I am going to assume the fans on the stock picture are not on your unit or do not work at all.

The way those fans are installed (I'm assuming there is foam in those cavities the fans are mounted to?) it looks like adding more fans is going to be harder than on a PC case.

I would have to see better pictures or the thing in person to really tell you how I would go about cooling it, but I would certainly try to pay as much attention to noise isolation as the OEM of the unit, much more so than on an ordinary PC case. Is the point of this case to have the machines in the same room you are recording in, then?

 

[JSt0rm]

The items in bold above are inside this beast? If so water isn't a solution for temps.

What kind of issure are you having with temps?

Adding more intake fans might not help much at all if you don't have enough exhaust fans.

Yeah all of that stuff is in the case. Temps will go over 90 degrees if I work a lot. Keeping the back open keeps the thing at around 86 degrees.

My intuition thinks that the intake ans won't help because those fans are drawing out as much as they can

What are those six fans doing, acting as push pull pairs, or all intake, all exhaust? What you do really depends on the config of those fans. Also, I assume you mean 90° Fahrenheit? If you meant 90 Celsius then I am going to assume the fans on the stock picture are not on your unit or do not work at all.

The way those fans are installed (I'm assuming there is foam in those cavities the fans are mounted to?) it looks like adding more fans is going to be harder than on a PC case.

I would have to see better pictures or the thing in person to really tell you how I would go about cooling it, but I would certainly try to pay as much attention to noise isolation as the OEM of the unit, much more so than on an ordinary PC case. Is the point of this case to have the machines in the same room you are recording in, then?

My box actually only has 4 fans as its 20u tall. That all suck air out of the case and run it down a baffle on the back to exhaust in the rear. There is a rectangle hole in the bottom that air is then pulled in from.

Yes the point is to have gear with fans in the same space with you while working on audio.

90 f yes not Celsius. I don't want my gear to run that hot and I've really only put things with fans inside the case so the thermals from other gear aren't affected.

Maybe I could replace those fans? They seem of high quality though.

I really think my only solutions are to add some intake fans in the bottom or keep the back door open (actually still keeps things quieter) but a more elegant solution that allowed me to close it completely would be nice.

 

[JSt0rm]

Let me say right now the only intake is passive.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Hot air rises....you need some kind of exhaust. Adding more intake fans won't help

 

[WoodButcher]

Adding intake fans will help. Have you called the place that built it? If they can't help I would use these and call Hank to see if he would change the molex for you to the style you need or change it yourself. You don't need to use the rpm signal wire and I'm sure you can find the plug ends you need at PPC's.

 

[Kenmitch]

90*f doesn't sound too bad considering the circumstances. Is that the internal temp of the box? What's the ambient temp of the room? How hot do the cores on the macpro get under loads?

I'd think most of the heat would be generated by the macpro. I doubt there is any reasonalbe way to move it's heat outside without alot of ventilation in your box.

If you were hackintosh based then water cooling could be used to move your cpu's heat outside the box with an external radiator. Being a macpro I doubt it's an option.

With only 4 exhaust fans adding some intake fans may help somewhat with your temps. With the money you most likely invested alread the cost of a couple fans to test out doesn't seem like it's worth debating to see.

Do you have any actual photos of your enclosure? I got an idea or two but without seeing what your dealing with it's hard to figure out if it would work, if it's doable, if it's even possible. Front, back, top, side, and upper internal images would help with a possible solution.

 

[JSt0rm]

First off thanks for the help everyone!

I'll try to get some photos up later today. I did find some molex to 120v plug that would work for the intake fans and those fans you linked are the highest quality? I was looking over at silentpc.com.

I think the macpro is the lions share of heat in this thing. I turned the computer off overnight and the case (with back door open) is 75 degrees.

I was thinking, what if I crafted some ductwork to run from the exhaust fan of the macpro out the bottom of the case would the interior macpro fans be able to push the air down the tubing or should I get another fan in the tubing to help? and would this fan need to match exactly the mac pro fan? Im not up on all of the physics surrounding airflow. You may have more ideas when I get some pics up.

All in all this thing doesnt have very good airflow with air forced out the back and down a baffle and air only coming in from the bottom towards the back. While it was designed to hold a pc I think I've quickly reached its thermal envelope with the macpro. Im running 8 harddrives (including the 1u raid box), 2 video cards, a audio card with a bit on onboard dsp.

It is quiet though and solidly built, I would hesitate to cut into it so I think a solution should be found without my lack of skills destroying it

 

[Kenmitch]

I wouln't suggest cutting into or hacking up your Macpro. I'm sure somebody will come up with a solution or multiple solutions for your temps!

Without some photos it's hard to see what a person is dealing with and to come up with solutions tho.

I have a couple of ideas but they may not be doable at all. It's just a matter of seeing what you have to work with.

 

[WoodButcher]

JStorm, to mention fan quality around here would fire up a whole "nuther can of debate", I've used the noiseblockers before and found them to be quiet. I went to PPC's because I have dealt with them before and they do custom sleeving and plug ends.Those 140 mm seemed to be the better fans Hank has in stock, for my own uses I would spend less and get Yate Loons.

 

[JSt0rm]

ok here are some photos. Sorry for the bad quality I only have a iphone 3g


Door open

The passive intake is behind the bacpro and the battery backup. Hard to see but its that black area with the cables

 

[Kenmitch]

The images are good enough

I think the best thing to do would be to isolate and eliminate the heat from the macpro.

You say the passive intake is behind the macpro gettin blasted by it's exhaust?

Where are the spots on the floor you say you can mount fans?

In the original image is that the front or rear door?

 

[JSt0rm]

original image is rear door.

in the second to the last pic you can see the fans to the left in my case.

Yeah the intake is getting blasted by the macpro heheh.

I can just rig the fans into the floor of the case. There is a place where I can just set them.

I really want to think about getting some kind of tubing over the macpro fans so it pushes that hot air away so yes I agree about getting rid of mac pro air.

 

[Kenmitch]

Using this image where is the top of the macpro....In ref to fan placement such as just below second set for example.

The 1U is mounted? It is raisable in ??" increments?

The place you say you could mount lower fans is in front? Rear?

 

[JSt0rm]

top of mace pro is close to the second set of fans but mine only has 4 and they are tighter together then that image and near the top.

the 1u raid is mounted and I could raise it I guess. I like where it is sitting because the macpro's handles supports the rear of it and its not a very pro rack mount on the raid box (1 screw per side).

Mounting the lower fans is in the rear unfortunately.

 

[Kenmitch]

It looks like my original ideas won't work based on what you've stated. Seems like the enclosure was designed to kill noise and not to kill noise and keep internal temps close to or at room temperature.

90*f isn't as bad as it sounds. What does the internal temp of the enclosure climb to when your using the rig?

About your only options I can see is to try and somehow duct your macpros heat outside of the enclosure. You might be able to just use the lower fan mount with a single decent/low noise fan and a little bit of ductwork. I doubt you'd need anything super high speed/airflow to get rid of most of it anyways.

Maybe look around here for something that you could use for the ducting parts.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=172

This would be alot more work but might work out better in the end?

Move the macpro and ups up to the top of the case by supporting it on a cosmetically pleasing to you shelf if the natural design of the enclosure is to vent from the top down and out the back it may work better in the end. If you went this route you could use felt covered plywood as the most cost effective solution. Full front to rear with a couple of larger vent holes would work best i'd think. You could then use the lower spots to mount intake fans which should help keep the internal temps lower.

 

[lsv]

27c in the box, not bad. To be honest though, I'd shove your Mac Pro in a real silenced case and the money saved from having to put a computer +audio gear in a $1600 silenced rack would go towards more gear.

 

[JSt0rm]

ok all that duct work may help (was is it all neon though?). I can spill the duct right down and out as the hole is right there. You think only 1 fan on the intake would do? I think I could fit 2 plus the duct work.

You guys think 90 isnt so bad? Maybe I will close it up again and see where it sits temp wise again however I could hit 95 or so. Its just I know the internals must be very hot.

Also the ups isnt moving lol. Its like 50lbs and no back support rack so I dont think it could support its own weight.

Thanks guys.

 

[Kenmitch]

I linked that duct stuff to give you an idea of what's available. Other places also sell similar things. Was first Google hit I found. You may find better selection at another vendor.

What size fans would fit the lower mounts? You want to keep noise to a minimum. The flexible ducting may possibly allow you to somehow attach to macpro exhaust?

Around here most of time we talk temps in Celcius which would be monster temps if in the 90's

Good luck! Maybe post back with your solution when done.