What is the best method of cutting a blowhole ?

[Richdog]

Right, I cant afford a good new case yet, and I want to mod my old one by placing a blowhole on the top and sides so I can attach some fans (my case temps are reporting around 40 C, OUCH!). I havent seen any articles even after googling it that offer a good guide, so has anyone had any experience doing it, and if so, what are your tips for making it go smoothly and efficiently? And can I expect a dramatic reduction in temps after installing them? Thanks in advance!

 

[1sikbITCH]

You can use a dremel if you have one, or a jigsaw if you have one. It's not hard, just mark your hole and cut it. If you do have a dremel you can use an attachment to smooth the rough edges. If not, use a small file, or else just be careful when installing your fans.

Then use the fan grill to mark your screw holes. Drill them using the same size (or preferably very slightly larger) drill bit as the screws. If the holes are too big, obviously the screws won't have anything to grab onto.

Bam, you're done.

I could see your temps dropping 5 degrees or so, maybe a little more. Also, you can cut away the grid covering your fanhole(s) in the rear and use a fan grill instead. The grid restricts airflow (only a little but every little bit helps)

Honestly, I didn't have a jigsaw or dremel when modding my wife's case for fanholes. Instead, I used a pair of tinsnips. Not recommended. Was a big pain in the ass, and looks like hell. Luckily my wife didn't care how it looks, she just wanted her pc to stop crashing all the time. Mission accomplished

 

[beatle]

Do the one in the side over the CPU and possibly one over the video card too if you like. This will make the biggest difference in CPU temps.

 

[Richdog]

Thanks 1sikbITCH, seems like some sound advice there. So will I be best off doing two at the side and two at the top? Or maybe just one at the top? And also, with all these fans everywhere, will I need to upgrade my admittedly rather measly 300W power supply, or should it be OK as it is? Another thing I was wondering, if you have say, 6 fans... all needing connecting to some power point, will i run out of space to connect them, or can I get round that somehow? Thanks again for the advice!

 

[Blooz1]

There are many ways to "clean up" the edges after you cut. A Dremel or small file will work best, s previously mentioned.

I like to put some sort of rubber or plastic edging round the hole to give it a more "finished" look. Many places sell this kind of thing, but the prices can be incredible.(I've seen up to $1.75/ft at some!) A really inexpensive way to do this is "car door edging", which can be found at most auto stores for $5 or less for 2-3' strips.

The car door stuff has adhesive in the bottom of the "c" groove. You just cut the length you want and carefully work it onto the metal, boom, done! (A good way to measure for the length you'll need is to place a piece of string around the edge of the hole, then you'll have the length you need!) Be careful to trim the edges so they meet up properly when installed...

This material can be stiff to work with, especially with the diameter of an 80MM fan. I found that if it's heated up with a hair dryer or heatgun it'll bend a lot easier!

 

[Vonkhan]

i'd also reccomed that u buy some mesh or fan filters, it'll keep the dust out.

u might wanna add a 120mm exhaust up top and a couple of intake 80mm fans on the side, positioned over the cpu and video card as beatle mentioned.

variable speed fans are good if ur ears are sensitive. might wanna invest in a rheobus or make ur own.

if its more airflow u want, the volume of intake should be less than (or equal to) the vol. of exhaust. If u want good airflow but wanna keep ur case free of dust - then have more intake than exhaust.

 

[huesmann]

You could just go to the hardware store and buy a hole saw. Basically a cylindrical saw blade you stick in a drill.

 

[Richdog]

More good advice, cheers, but can anyone give an answer with regards to the questions about my PSU and also the if i'll have any problems connecting 6 fans, will I have enough space to connect them, or will i need to find a workaround?

 

[1sikbITCH]

Each fan should be marked with how many amps it draws. "DC12v= 0.22A" or something. 6 fans will add about 1.25A to your 12v load. Look on your PSU and find the sticker with the ratings on it. If your PS is cheap, it might only be rated at 12A or 15A or so on the 12v rail.

I don't know how many amps your system already uses, but you can figure it out. Mobo 6 amps maybe, HDD, 1 or 2 amps, CPU fan .25, etc... It adds up. You don't want to be too near your PSU rating, because that's the maximum it will handle.

I am ordering a good PSU (20A on the 12v rail) next paycheck because my generic one doesn't seem to be handling 5 extra fans and a UV light very well.

Edit- your fans should come with 3 pin to 4 pin adapters, and then you can plug them into the PSU instead of the mobo. I think that's preferred anyhow.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I've had good luck using holesaws on a 1/2" drill. They create nice perfectly round holes that only need to be cleaned up, and given the right size, will get the same size every time.

 

[rmerts]

I went to Home Depot and they actually have a 70mm cutter made for metal. It attaches to your drill and will cut perfect 70mm holes for your 80mm case fans. We have modded several cases with the one I bought. There were several kinds there but this one was white and was located in the section with drill bits, keyhole kits, etc. at the local Home Depot. I think we paid around $20 for it. I recommend putting a piece of wood underneath the case so you do not bend the metal while cutting - and be patient, the metal may bend easily but that sheet steel takes a while to cut out. We used a 2X10 cut 36in long and mount the thing into a Black&Decker workmate bench and put the location you want the hole over the piece of 2X10 and cut away. The jigsaw or dremel requires you to "freehand" cut a circle - not the easiest task in the world - but this makes perfect circles every time. We then use a dremel tool with a very fine grinding bit to remove any remaining pieces of "flash" or sharp metal. Then center your fan in the hole you have made, mark your 4 holes and drill 4 (I believe this size is right) 3/16 inch holes for the fanscrews. Voila, one case mod!

Ron

 

[rmerts]

Oh, before I forget or you scratch up the case. Cut from the inside if you use this method! It keeps all of the scratching inside the case and out of sight. Personally, I'd cut one in the side just below the power supply, more over the CPU/Video card as mentioned above, and if you want one in the top as well. If you use fans with the 4-pin Molex connector you can usually chain several of them together; and unless you have LOTS of them - we're talking more than 10 here - your 300W power supply should be fine. Most 80mm fans draw around .8 upto maybe 2.5 watts of power (Vantec Stealth 80mm fans use .96W, some high speed Thermaltake fans use 2.28W). Now if you go for the high-speed fans (the kind that will vacuum your floor for you for 2ft around the case) you may use up 4-8 watts per fan.

Ron

 

[Vonkhan]

hmmm, think i'm gonna invest in a hole saw ...

 

[cmdrdredd]

just get a doorknob cutter for a standard drill. Get one that will cut metal doors and it will cut your case with a perfect circle

 

[Bookie]

I did the same things as rmerts, only the drill hole bit was 76mm, not 70mm. The bit was $12 as home depot, but I had to buy an attachment for that so it could be mounted in my drill (another $12). I wish I had thought to drill from the inside, because I did scratch up my case a little bit on the first hole I cut. My second hole came out really nice though without any scratching. I have a steel case and can say that it did take a long while. You can't do this with a cordless drill, you need a powered drill to accomplish it. I didn't do much to clean up the edges except use a file to get rid of any sharp edges. Otherwise, I just bought some fan grills from svc to cover up the edges and make it look nice. Here is a picture of how mine came out: pic

 

[Richdog]

Nice mod, looks damn sweet!

 

[Bookie]

as you can see from the picture above, I have one fan over the cpu and one over my video card. I don't overclock at all, but I enjoy stability very much. Previously, I had a windowed side panel that had the two fans located at the bottom of the case. When I changed this panel my case temp raised by 1C but my cpu temp dropped by 1C.

One of my friends used my tools and did this to his case that previously had no case fans. He just put one panaflo over his cpu and dropped his case temp and cpu temp by 10C each.

I'm debating putting one more fan in next to my harddrive. That would assure that the front of my case is cool too. Besides these two case fans blowing in I have no other case fans. Just the one fan in the power supply (modified with a panaflo also) blowing air out.

 

[Bad Dude]

I wonder if I can just take my side panel to Home Depot and ask them to cut for me? I wonder if they would do that? I got and Antec SKL3700AMB case. Very heavy steel.
How do I measure so as to put the holes exactly?
Thanks.

 

[1sikbITCH]

I'm pretty sure they aren't going to cut anything they aren't selling you.

And to measure, just follow rmerts up above and buy a 70mm holesaw attachment for your drill. It will cut the hole just right for an 80mm fan. I don't know if they have an 80mm hole saw. Just cut from the inside so you don't scratch the outside of your case up. Otherwise you can lay a fan grill on the case and trace it. Then just keep to the inside of the line with the jigsaw or dremel.

 

[VisableAssassin]

for a 120mm uptop i have found a 121mm bi-metal holesaw is great !
other htan a hole saw...a jigsaw works awsome as does a dremal with a little time