is this a good airflow design to you?

[markymoo]

I wanted to try and create better airflow in my case. I am into getting the hot air out as much as possible and away with exhaust fans so cooler air can enter.

I see alot case cooling theory is having a front intake fan at the bottom which is usually where hard drives are located. I see a problem with this in that it would blow hot air coming off the hard drives into the case.

So i still have a intake fan at the front but move the fans up into the 5" bays above so nice cool air can enter into the case better. I then thought put a 120 mm fan on the back of the hard drives blowing to the front, so not only exhausting the air from the case, cpu memory etc but alos blowing over the hard drives as the air passes out the mesh front. I also put a fan in the top of the case as hot air rises for any hot air that didnt make it. I also have 2 side panel fans blowing down on the motherboard. I done a pic design to show you what i mean. This makes sense to me. What you think?


HERES A PIC OF WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT

 

[VinDSL]

Dude, that's great, but...

IMHO, the whole idea of case fans is to evacuate, e.g. vacuum heat from your case.

To that end, the exhaust fan are more important than the intake fan.

However, as long as you're blowing air into the case, you might as well kill two birds with one stone, and cool your HDs at the same time, hence the lower positioning of same.

While CPU/GPU/Chipset/Capacitor cooling is a different matter, case evacuation should be pretty simple, in my mind's eye -- in with the good, and out with the bad. The only controversy should revolve around how much the PSU fan aid in the process, which I don't think you even considered.

Bottom line: Run the backside of your hand over all sides of your case. If you don't *feel* any heat build up, you're probably okay -- and move on... 🙂

 

[markymoo]

I have used 3 exhaust fans. More exhaust cfm than intake. I am cooling the hard drives the fan is blowing out the hot air from the case which should be sufficient to cool them. I think this is ideal the hard drive heat doesnt get a chance to spread to rest of case.

I havent mentioned psu or cpu fans. I have a 600w psu which has a exhaust fan. I have a large hsf which is clipped to it 2 120mm fans which are both blowing through the hsf towards the psu exhaust fan. I dont think the psu exhaust fan is so strong. I maybe try pointing the hsf fans the other way and letting the side panel fans exhaust out the air.

The hard drives are suspended with elastic to cut down on vibration noise.

 

[Bobthelost]

Yeah, that'll work, i wouldn't bother with the 80mm fans myself, except possibly infront of the hard drives to ensure that air path is used. If you're worried about noise then removing the 80mm fans will be a big step.

I think you're being a bit paranoid myself, but it'll be fun for you to do it. Watch out for backflow through the PSU if the negative pressure is too great.

 

[acegazda]

About the fans on the side panel. If you have a stock cooler or a cooler with the fan facing towards the panel, it would be wise to set those fans to exhaust, that way, the air from the cpu isn't circulating through the case, it goes right out. Why do you need a fan on the opposite panal, wouldn't that be in back of the MoBo? Unless it's eATX... try water cooling if you're going to get those many fans, but if you must have air... yate loons are hard to beat for price/perfomance/quiet.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: acegazda
About the fans on the side panel. If you have a stock cooler or a cooler with the fan facing towards the panel, it would be wise to set those fans to exhaust, that way, the air from the cpu isn't circulating through the case, it goes right out. Why do you need a fan on the opposite panal, wouldn't that be in back of the MoBo? Unless it's eATX... try water cooling if you're going to get those many fans, but if you must have air... yate loons are hard to beat for price/perfomance/quiet.

YES he will hav fun!! I remember several years ago I had 11 fans total in my case...that was fun!!

Those were the days.....

 

[PChang11]

I think you might be creating a vacuum in the CPU area since all fans are drawing air away from it and you basically only have 1 80mm fan feeding air to it. I suppose it all depends on the flow rates of the fans. Although negative pressure (more air out than in) will cool better, you don't want too much an extreme.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Originally posted by: acegazda
About the fans on the side panel. If you have a stock cooler or a cooler with the fan facing towards the panel, it would be wise to set those fans to exhaust, that way, the air from the cpu isn't circulating through the case, it goes right out. Why do you need a fan on the opposite panal, wouldn't that be in back of the MoBo? Unless it's eATX... try water cooling if you're going to get those many fans, but if you must have air... yate loons are hard to beat for price/perfomance/quiet.

That wouldn't work well with the CPU fan. The CPU fan needs to blow DOWN on the heatsink but if there is a fan above it blowing out of the case you get a vacuum between the two and potentially starve the CPU fan of air (causing the CPU to run hotter). Better to have the side panel fan blow in to feed the CPU fan with fresh air.

 

[acegazda]

oh... I read somewhere if you set the hsf to "pull" it will drop temps, wouldn't that pull air towards the side panel, or is this not true? Maybe it was only on tower coolers... 😛

 

[SparkyJJO]

Originally posted by: acegazda
oh... I read somewhere if you set the hsf to "pull" it will drop temps, wouldn't that pull air towards the side panel, or is this not true? Maybe it was only on tower coolers... 😛

depends on the cooler, mostly tower coolers benefit from this. With stock coolers though you pull the air through the upper portion of the heatsink and you get a nice hot spot closer to the CPU itself which gives you higher temps. Generally though the ones with heatpipes pulling the heat away from the core you can put the fan on to suck the heat off. Now the best is when you can put a fan on BOTH sides in push-pull fashion - best of both worlds 😀

 

[markymoo]

i have push pull on the 2 120mm but they not facing the side panel they blowing up into the psu exhaust.

i like to create a pressure some pressure s oim wondering if it good to block the pci slots create more pressure or leave them open for more air to enter.

here is good guide on air cooling

 

[Bobthelost]

I'd block the PCI, it's not about how much air you have moving in the case, it's about where it moves to and where it moves from. If air is sucked in the side pannel and then makes it's way out the PCI slots then you're just moving air for no reason.

 

[Cerb]

It's a pretty poor design. Even well-OCed systemc can manage with one or two undervolted quiet fans (10+C hotter, but the point stands 🙂). Adding more fans and having air go in and out every which way will add noise, and at best, get you cooling about as good as if you had half the fans. Except for feeding the CPU hot air, ATX has it nicely done (a top exhaust fan can help w/ that).

Basiccaly: KISS. If the case is able to properly move air through it, you'll get good cooling. Adding more fans will likely not help.

Exhaust > intake may be fine if all the air going to the PC is well filtered. If not, and especially if you have pets, positive pressure will leave you with a great deal less dust on your main components and their heatsinks, even w/o using intake filters (but they're cool, too).