drilling holes in side of case.... will it help?

[BZeto]

Ok, right now, I have an intake and an exhaust fan for case fans. My comp still runs pretty hot with the side on, especially while playing games and running apps that require hard cpu work. So sometimes I will take the side off and it will run cooler. I've seen PC's with holes drilled in the side of the case. Does this really help to get new air in the case? My intake fan doesn't move as much air as my exhaust fan. So I want to get more "good" air in the case faster. I'm eventually just gonna cut a nice circle and put a fan on the side, but until then, I was just gonna drill some holes. So will it help?

 

[grunjee]

If it helps it'll probably only help marginally... what you really want is active airflow... looks like you're planning on that with your new fan... once you get it installed you should see some better temps.

 

[ChrisADuffy]

if your gonna drill holes you might as well just get that extra fan installed on the side panel, it won't be that much harder.

 

[Blain]

Don't waste your time just drilling holes. Cut a 92mm or 120mm hole in the side of your case at the CPU/AGP area. Install either the 92mm or 120mm fan and you're set!
A quiet fan with a washable filter would be smart choices. While you're buying a filter, you might as well get another one for your other intake fan too.

Clean = Good

 

[paulzebo]

I agree with Blain. Buy a 120mm quiet fan, use the fan guard as a template, and a sabre saw with a metal cutting blade to create the blow hole. The fan guard can also be used as a template to drill the attachment holes. Blain told you where to place it so go for it!!

 

[BZeto]

ok, the problem is, the noise. I know you mentioned quiet fan, but it'll still produce some noise. My PC is already really loud, I have an 5200 rpm 80 mm delta fan for my exhaust fan and it is LOUD! But it does move a lot of air. My intake on the other hand is like 2700 rpm and doesn't move much air. So wouldn't a 92 mm fan create a lot of noise? Could you post a link to these quiet fans and the filters? how much are they?

Also, on more concern I have, I have a 300 watt PS. I'm already running 2 case fans, vid card fan, cpu fan, motherboard chip fan, hard drive cooler fans (2 of em), the PS fan (dunno if that counts). So I dont want to overload the PS by having too many fans. Can a 300watt power supply handle all this?

 

[SladeZero]

Hey there,

Well, first off, what are your system specs ?? If you are running things like a T-Bird 1.4 GHZ O'C
and GF4 TI and a bunch of fans then YES YES YES. More power would be greatly needed. I agree with
the others. Use a 92mm or 120mm fan since you can get the same amount of CFM air flow for alot
less DB noise level. If you have stamped grills you can cut them out for the front and back
and add metal grills like the ones supplied by ANTEC. Once you open your case you could probrably
drop out the Delta fan and add in another type of 80mm fan. Having a Delta 80mm with no holes
for air flow IS POINTLESS. Panaflos are good on low noise. If you get a good open case then you won't
need the high RPM fans. I particularly have had good luck with a modded ANTEC smart-fan 92 mm in the front.
I removed the temp sensor and it runs about 2800-3000 RPM and moves 50+ CFM at a little over 32DB.
Also, what brand and model of case do you have ????
Another good note: The better the Heat sink you have the lesser of a fan you have to get. I have a
ThermalRight AX-7 HS with a Mechatronics 80mm ( 53 CFM and 39DB) on stock speed XP 1600+. Over kill I know
On the 92mm note, No the bigger the fan usually the less noise it makes.

www.coolerguys.com...this is just an example....I am not trying to advertise for anyone.

Let me know if this helps at all.
Good luck on the modding

SladeZero

 

[BZeto]

I'm running an AMD Athlon T-bird 1.33 ghz with a Geforce 2 GTS 64 mb, and with all the fans listed in my last post, it seems to be running pretty good now. So I hope adding another fan wouldn't cause damage.

 

[BZeto]

Sorry for the double post, but would this be all I need?

92mm fan filter grill. Now is this both the filter and the grill? or do I still need to buy a seperate grill?

http://www.coolerguys.com/Merchant2...Product_Code=840556041214&Category_Code=F-FIL

92mm stealth fan.

http://www.coolerguys.com/Merchant2...&Product_Code=840556041085&Category_Code=F-92

 

[SladeZero]

Hey there,

Yes the fan filter would be used as the FILTER AND THE GRILL. I am just wondering about your 92mm
stealth fan though ???? If this is the Vantec Stealth then for the probs you are having you
might need something more for your system cooling. If you are worried about the DB or Decibel levels
here is a page to give you some food for thought on how loud a fan would be. I am assuming
that cooling right now is your #1 priority.
Decibel Level Page

Don't forget, you DON'T have to get your cooling stuff here. I just like the selection that's all.
Hope this helps.

SladeZero

 

[BZeto]

Yes, noise is a concern, and my PC doesn't run THAT hot. But it runs hot enough while playing games and running heavy apps to realize that I need another fan.

So are you saying that this Vantec Stealth fan wont move enough air to do me much good? As long as I get some decent airflow across the vid card and to the cpu then that is all I need.

Will the fan filter reduce airflow?

 

[Blain]

With a 120mm fan in the side of the case, I'd drop the front intake fan and just use packing tape to seal the hole off. You can also get a slightly louder 120mm fan and just cut the voltage back to 7V. That usually makes a big difference on sound level. Besides that would be dumping the fresh air in the exact spot where it's needed.

 

[paulzebo]

So put an 80mm Panaflo in place of what is currently on your PSU, Tape off the front like Blain stated and rid yourself of that fan. A 120mm stealth fan generates 28db while giving 53 CFM's. Not bad. Rid yourself of that highspeed, whining 60mm fan on the heatsink and replace it with a stealth 60mm or a panaflo 80mm with a 60mm to 80mm adapter. One 120mm fan should be plenty. My wife's system is the same as yours except it has a GF3 andthe MB Temp is only 4 degrees above room temp. Still too hot for you? You can always try another 120mm stealth fan on top of the case. Don't forget to experiment. Sucking/blowing fans all have their place. Try to visualize air moving through your case and the obstructions the air comes in contact. Don't pressurize the system. What you want is air moving at the same rate into and out of the case.

 

[BZeto]

How would I drop the voltage to 7V? would it have to be a 3 pin mobo connector?

My front fan is in the case sorta, there is like 2 holes that you cant see from the front of the case, but if you got under the case sorta you would see them.

The thing I like about the front fan is that it provides fresh air for the 2 hard drive fans directley above the front fan. And if I took the front fan out and just had the 120 mm on the side by the vid card and cpu then the hard drive fans wouldn't have cool air.

I dont wanna change the fan in my power supply...I dont feel like messing with it. And I cant even really hear the fan on the cpu heatsink. Its the rear delta fan that makes most of the noise.

 

[Blain]

7V = Positive connected to yellow wire & negative connected to the red wire. As seen HERE

 

[BZeto]

So I take it, it has to be a 4 pin power connector? If Its a 3 pin connector and I have one of those 3-4 pin adapters will I still be able to do it? Can you explain how to do it? how do I pull the wires out and put them in different holes?