Drilling or Staming out rear exhaust holes?

[NaveDrahcir]

I have an Enermax case, and the rear exhaust holes are too small and restrict more air then they let through, and im thinking this is also causing extra noise...

This may be a dumb question, but I was wondering if drilling the holes bigger will somehow damage any computer components, ...i dont know if the metal on metal drilling causes any kind of electic charge, besides just heat from the friction...

Or my second option would be to punch out the whole hole , and replace it with a cheap chrome grill...
but i wouldnt know how to do that, or where to even start....

Thanks




ENERMAX Blue Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Case With 400W PSU, Model "10MCS-56881LBFS-D3"

 

[tw1164]

cut the grates off the holes; use metal cutters or a dremel. take everything out of the case before you do any modding on your case. You'll want to wipe out your case when your done.

 

[Gravity]

Nothing beats a good stammer though.

 

[xbassman]

Cut the stamped grill out completely and use a wire grill in it's place.

For 80mm holes I use a 3" hole saw with a power drill.

 

[Zap]

Many people cut out the fan grill. It is a cheap and easy way to increase air flow while decreasing noise. Some of the punched out grills in cases are atrocious in how much air they BLOCK. Just cut out a circle, leaving the corners intact for the screw holes, and use a wire finger guard. For cutting, many use rotary (Dremel) type tools with cutting discs. Some use nibblers and some use aviation tin snips. Jigsaws with fine-tooth metal cutting blades can also be used. Just remember that there will be metal shavings, so remove EVERYTHING from your case before doing the work. Remove every part of the case that can be removed (front face, motherboard tray). After the hole is cut out, file down the edges and then clean the case thoroughly to remove any stray metal shavings.

 

[0roo0roo]

dremel. i was lazy and just masked off the rear in a sealed pocket that didn't touch the area.

 

[xbassman]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
dremel. i was lazy and just masked off the rear in a sealed pocket that didn't touch the area.

That's not lazy.....I have several crunch boxes running UD for TeAm Anandtech and I have on a few of them, just flipped them over drilled out holes and used compressed air to blow out metal shavings. I have done this on about 4 boxes so far, although I would not recommend this because metal shavings definately are a conductor of electricity.

BTW- the hole saw method is definately the fastest and cleanest method of removing the stamped grills.
I cut a template on a 2x4, them I clamp it to the case with 2 C-clamps and drill. With my 18v drill it takes all of about 1 minute to remove it. Then clean up with a file or dremel.

 

[TwoBills]

Originally posted by: xbassman

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
dremel. i was lazy and just masked off the rear in a sealed pocket that didn't touch the area.

That's not lazy.....I have several crunch boxes running UD for TeAm Anandtech and I have on a few of them, just flipped them over drilled out holes and used compressed air to blow out metal shavings. I have done this on about 4 boxes so far, although I would not recommend this because metal shavings definately are a conductor of electricity.

BTW- the hole saw method is definately the fastest and cleanest method of removing the stamped grills.
I cut a template on a 2x4, them I clamp it to the case with 2 C-clamps and drill. With my 18v drill it takes all of about 1 minute to remove it. Then clean up with a file or dremel.

Stick a couple of magnets on the case to catch the shavings (steel only).