Front intake air filter?

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I'm using a antec plusview case that has a front intake. I recently cleaned it and it did pick up a lot of dust. Is keeping that dust out worth the cost in air flow?

 

[MichaelD]

You answered your own question. 🙂

I recently cleaned it and it did pick up a lot of dust

It did it's job. Air filters are worth it, IMO, only if you're going to clean it once a month. Look at all the dust it keeps out of your case. And in turn your CPU HS, your graphics card HS, fans, cables, etc.

Most servers dont' use air filters b/c they are kept in climate controlled rooms and those AC units have filters of their own.

I have a filter on my main gaming rig and I love it. When I see my case temps go up 2-3C, I know it's time to clean the filter. A few mintues later and I'm done. 🙂

 

[lenjack]

Definitely worth it. It's supposed to pick up dust.

 

[wpeng]

those things don't interrupt air flow?

 

[mdcrab]

those things don't interrupt air flow?

Any restriction reduces airflow, but it mainly depends on how much dust you let accumulate on them.

mdcrab

 

[Jiggz]

Air filter restricts air flow but not to the point that it will defeat the purpose of the fan as long as you clean the filter at least once a month.

 

[0roo0roo]

depends if noise is worse then dust to u... course thats if you have a fan speed controller. filters do cut the flow a decent bit.

 

[NittanyLAncer]

I (personally) think it depends on your environment. If you have dogs/cats (I do) you pretty much NEED filters. Same if you keep your computer in a small room or in a corner (where dust accumulates). Carpetting hurts too. If you don't have long carpet or pets, and keep your house pretty clean I don't see a huge need for them. Even with filters you should blow out your system once a month at LEAST with a little compressed air.

But all in all, they don't hurt so long as you keep 'em clean. If you have the option to use them, use 'em.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
depends if noise is worse then dust to u... course thats if you have a fan speed controller. filters do cut the flow a decent bit.

.... Noise? I have a big foam filter that reduces noise emitted from the front intake....

 

[0roo0roo]

hm, i doubt that. if you compare that fan at near silent level wtihout filter, and bump up the speed to atleast match the non filter setup with a filter, the fans gotta work quite a bit harder/louder to match the output. and filters aren't that good at blocking noise. if they are, then u gotta bump that speed even father considering the restrictiveness of the filter.

i've used airconditioning foam/washable furnace filter mesh's on my fans before. premade pc foam filters are pretty bad though, the plastic holder itself tends to block half the surface area.

 

[BW86]

an air filter is worth it, you dont have to clean out your case full of dust jsut your filter. saves you a bunch of time and it doesnt restrict all that much

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
hm, i doubt that. if you compare that fan at near silent level wtihout filter, and bump up the speed to atleast match the non filter setup with a filter, the fans gotta work quite a bit harder/louder to match the output. and filters aren't that good at blocking noise. if they are, then u gotta bump that speed even father considering the restrictiveness of the filter.

i've used airconditioning foam/washable furnace filter mesh's on my fans before. premade pc foam filters are pretty bad though, the plastic holder itself tends to block half the surface area.

Plastic holder? Heh.... My filter is a solid chunk of foam, cut to perfectly match the air intake of my case. Why would I want to match the airflow of a non-filtered fan? Air flow isn't the point.... The filter makes it quieter. And actually, there are two filters. One is the plasticy regular type one that comes on a lot of Antec and other cases, the other is the foam one. It works exceptionally well.