does this airflow make sense?

[rise]

pic stolen from swtethan

i was planning onn cutting a 4.125" hole in the bottom so that the psu would have its own intake and exhaust toward the front. the 120mm in front of the hdd cage would be intake and the rear 120mm would exhaust. i don't have that add'l 120mm fan hanging on the side.

should i cut another 4.125" hole near the cpu area behind the psu? i wouldn't put a fan there (at first at least), just a grille.

if i did, should it be closer the rear 120mm or start up closer to the psu/front?

parts list-

e6400 @ 3.00 (will be q6600 @ max come july22)
680i evga
8800gts stock cooler and clocks.
3x 320 sata
2x dvdrw
theater 650 pci tuner
seasonic m12 500w
swiftech cpu and chipset blocks, mcr-320 rad.

 

[scrawnypaleguy]

I'm not sure that's a good idea. Making the fan in front of the hard drives an intake would mean that the exhaust of the psu would drift right up into it and then you'd just be blowing hot air into your case. You can still make the hole for psu intake if you really want to, (even though I don't see much point since the psu is a few centimeters off the bottom of the case, so it's not exactly starving for air) but I'd recommend against reversing the stock airflow in this case.

 

[rise]

yeah, i thought of the drift you speak of but when i feel the exhaust coming from the psu now, it's very cool with it's own intake while the system is exhausting 35c or so. its in a similarly small case. i don't think it'll be an issue but i can flip the fan easily enough.

do you think a second hole near the rear 120mm would make sense or would it be inconsequential?

 

[scrawnypaleguy]

With the rear 120mm fan that close to the cpu, any more fans in that area probably wouldn't do much good. If you're going to drill any holes in the case, I'd recommend a blowhole in the top near the back of the case or on the side panel over the expansion slots to help cool the video card, which I've read get kinda warm in that case since the stock airflow pattern avoids that area completely.

EDIT: I just looked at the picture of your current case and saw that it's a G50. Luckily for you, the side panel on that case fits the A05 perfectly, so you can use that and the perforations will be right over the cpu to provide the extra ventilation you're looking for, as well as providing a vent for the video card. That expansion slot cooler you already have will also fit in the A05, so if you still have the G50, taking just those two parts from it will solve all your potential cooling problems.

 

[rise]

naw, its a little longer. the clips on the edge hit the front area such that the rear hangs over about 1/2"

 

[rise]

ok, i edit i crash

anyway, i'm brain dead, need some fresh air... something...

you're right, it does fit. thanks!! so that will suffice for any add'l venting. i'll proly still cut an intake for the psu.

 

[scrawnypaleguy]

Oh, my bad. This guy over at HardOCP said that he got his side panel from a G50... must have been mistaken.

Anyways, if the side panel thing doesn't work, you can still try what I mentioned before and put a blowhole up top or an exhaust in the side panel.

EDIT: Didn't see your last post before responding, sorry! Glad to hear that it fits, and good luck with your build. Post pics when you're finished!

 

[rise]

heh, the ao5 even has the holes pre-drilled for the fan bracket that came with the g50.

my friend is buying the g50 and i don't think he'll need all the cooling with his x2 rig.

 

[swtethan]

Lucky duck with your G50 side panel, I have been looking for one


Oh well..... the a05 cools as well as my mystique 632

 

[rise]

and looks nicer :beer: