My A500 desperately needs more airflow! What do I use to cut the holes?

[Swanny]

Ok, I just built an Athlon MP 1.2Ghz/760 DDR setup in my old InWin A500 case. The problem is that it's a short case, and it only has room for one intake, no exhausts. So I ordered 2 Panaflow H1A 92mm and mounting kits to go with them. One will be a blowhole on the top and one an intake on the floor of the case.

So my question is this: What do I use to cut the holes? The metal on the bottom of the case is pretty thick, but the stuff on top should be easier because it's thin. One catch is that the cover is one piece, so it might make it difficult to use some tools. I know there have been a lot of threads on this lately, but none of them had the specific info I need.

Here is a link to the A500's product page.
link You have to click on midtowers on the left hand menu and then A500.

Thanks for any and all help!

Swan

 

[NesuD]

I use a dremel tool with a steel cutting disk

 

[mechBgon]

Swanny, first of all I would like to demand that you send that computer to me immediately. 😀

As far as cutting holes, I will cut them once I get it, and I will use a fine-toothed sheetmetal blade in a jigsaw, and you will never see your computer again. 😉😛 92mm is a bit harder than my usual 120mm's due to the tighter radius, but I'll manage if I hold my tongue just right. I will also have to remember to get myself some 10" fan extension cables, since I remember how useful they were the last time I put blowhole fans on the A500, with its one-piece cover. 😉

But seriously, how about getting a better case? Techstore.com has the Enlight 7237 with no power supply and an 80mm case fan for only $23 plus shipping right now, and that case has a normal orientation to its power supply, as well as front and rear 80mm fan positions built-in, which you could probably enlarge to 92mm. For the record, the www.teamanandtech.com dual-P3 server is housed in a 7237 equipped with, uh, some extra fans. The side panel slides off separately so it's much more manageable to open it up. One thing about 7237's: you can't use a normal-depth CD-ROM drive in all 5.25" bays if you have a really big motherboard (dualie-sized).

 

[eP?]

If I was you I would get a better case... the Inwin A500 just weren't made for an Athlon setup in my opinion. I tried recently to get a little ol' 1GHz to run happily in one of these cases, but I gave up after a few days and bought a nice hydraulic case for like 50 bucks from a local supplier. It worked great. So if you aren't looking for a project and you just want a case, don't bother cutting up the case and buying fans and all that. Just go get a new case.

Thats my 2 cents.

 

[russmanuk]

Swanny

You could buy 3.5 inch holesaw & arbour to drill the holes yourself, but you need a fairly meaty powerdrill to avoid burning it out (>1kw). The holesaw can be got from any half decent tool shop, but the cost would probably be greater than a new case. If you can get a case for $30 then that'll be cheaper.

An alternative might be to invest in an Enermax PSU that'll do a decent job of sucking air out of the case.

Good Luck
Russman

 

[Swanny]

Thanks for all the advise guys. I would get a new case, but I already ordered all the fans and stuff:Q Plus, it should be a fun project. The easiest thing for me is probably to use a dremel with the steel cutting thing, since I already have access to one. I already ordered extensions for the power cables. I also got a pattern so I know where to cut.

So unless someone has an A500/dremel horror story to share with me, I think I'll go that route. But will it even cut through the bottom metal? That seems pretty thick to me, but I'm no expert😕

Also, this isn't even a computer for me. It's for my brother to go to college with. But I don't want him to get there just to find that he has a fried CPU in the thing. If you are interested in the whole specs, click on the my rigs link in my sig and then on brother's computer.

 

[mechBgon]

If you're using a Dremel, buy a couple 6-packs of the fiberglass-reinforced cutting wheels and a pair of real saftey goggles. The metal is a millimeter thick, so it will take a while.