Cooling an In-Win Q500

[Rusman]

I have an InWin Q500 and am about to upgrade to a P4 and oc it, therefore I need to upgrade my cooling.
The case has 2 80mm fan locations in the rear, and one in the front bottom. If I just get three 80mm fans, would it be adequate or should I hack up the front 80mm to a 92mm or 120mm fan? I currently only have one 80mm fan in the back.

 

[Sukhoi]

I would have to think three 80 mm fans would be fine considering the P4 doesn't put out all that much heat.

 

[mechBgon]

Hopefully you have the newer variant of Qx00 case, where one of the 80mm rear fans is below the PSU and pulls air past the CPU? P4's can put out upwards of 70W of heat if you push the envelope, so it would be good to have an extra fan in the vincinity.

If you have a Dremel or other means of doing it, cutting the case metal out and using a chromed-wire grille where the fan is, will help improve the airflow too. And you can cut off the bottom of the bezel to vastly improve its intake capabilities while maintaining a stock appearance... I put a photo here to illustrate the idea.

 

[Rusman]

mechBgon: Thanks! I do have a newer Q500. One fan over the PS and one fan under the PS near the CPU, as you said. That's where my current fan is...zip tied into place . I definitely want to cut the air robbing stock grill. Thanks for the tip on cutting the bottom of the bezel. Just out of curiosity, was yours somewhat open on the bottom?

BTW, nice art work .

 

[mechBgon]

Thanks for the compliment

Mine had a little slot that was just about large enough to slip half a deck of cards through, maybe. The bezel in the photo is from a mid-tower S500, but you can see where I did cut the case metal out on that case too. I think the case manufacturers have to build the grillework into the case to ensure that it passes EMI testing, but it sure does limit the airflow.