Why doesn't somebody create a 36"+ fan side-pannel mod?

[MyK Von DyK]

So my question is why do PC case manufacturers not equip their mid/big tower cases with one huge fan installed on a side-pannel instead of lots of smaller fans or mounting holes for them?

If larger is (generally) quieter and provides more cfm per rpm, why not go all the way? I know that ball-bearing wouldn't do for such weight (friction would be too great for quiet operation) but since we are all aware of technologies like magnetic levitation and so forth this is feasable, right? Another "issue" could be that such fan's total width (blades and drive + filters, if any) would be too great also, but even this could be handled with less efficient blade angles...

So, why not? And if any company decides to manufacture case with such case cooling design based on my post, then - I'm welcoming any production samples :gift:

Best, MyK!

 

[imported_llama]

large fans are dangerous, they would be able to probibly put too much air through a case and the standard is 8cm and 12cm fans, i dont really see any need for larger fans, but i might change my mind when i see how quiet 12cm ones are

 

[MyK Von DyK]

Sorry, I meant 36cm+, those 36 inches would make it some 90cm thus too huge to fit on a normal side-pannel. Except if you stack four mid-towers and cool them in one go

 

[imported_llama]

i have seen some 9" fans, not much larger though!

 

[MyK Von DyK]

Originally posted by: llama
large fans are dangerous, they would be able to probibly put too much air through a case...

I don't see how that would be dangerous? Heat producing components inside would surelly appreciate increased air flow and to protect users air filter and some sort of protective metalic/plastic net could be put in front.

Originally posted by: llama
...but i might change my mind when i see how quiet 12cm ones are

You might, I use total of three 12cm Antec rev.2 fans in my rig and noise levels are even tolerable enough so I can leave it on while I go to sleep some 1/2 a metre away And I'm not takling stock speeds here (A64 3000+ OC to 9x250 @ 1:1 = 500MHz DDR, 2,25GHz CPU ~ 50-55 degrees Celsius at full load w/Stock A64 Fan).

 

[MyK Von DyK]

Originally posted by: llama
i have seen some 9" fans, not much larger though!

And I take full responsability for misleading you, also (my inches/centimeters fiasco, I don't think you have any 9" fans in your rig anyway) :beer:

 

[imported_llama]

dangerous to small cats etc, they will create some serious suction. Nah, really they will probs just pull in a large amount of dust

 

[jaedaliu]

in addition to the dust, there might be air flow issues. The overall flow will probably go up, but the improvment probably won't be all that big. If the motherboard was full of holes, and the other side of the case was vented, it'd be great.

 

[imported_bum]

Cost, too. It is much more expensive to make a fan that large, especially when it won't necesarily work miracles. I don't think it would look very good, either.

 

[MyK Von DyK]

Originally posted by: jaedaliu
in addition to the dust, there might be air flow issues. The overall flow will probably go up, but the improvment probably won't be all that big. If the motherboard was full of holes, and the other side of the case was vented, it'd be great.

Sure, there would be a huge "zero pressure" area directly below the centre of such fan but position it right and this should not present any problems. Holes in mobo are not needed as air flow would follow motherboard's "natural air ducts" with such a huge air pressure and would degrade efficiency anyway (air would simply pass through not cooling any heat producing areas). Effect of such fan would be comparable to weather fenomena (high pressure areas), where end result is stronger winds just above ground following direction high pressure -> low pressure. So fans in front and at the back of mid/big tower case would not be needed as air would be pushed there anyway. Naturaly, where additional cooling is needed (e.g. CPU), smaller, more specialized/centralized cooling would still be required :light:

IMHO, Best, MyK

 

[MyK Von DyK]

Originally posted by: bum
Cost, too. It is much more expensive to make a fan that large, especially when it won't necesarily work miracles. I don't think it would look very good, either.

If this would work (and I still think it could) cost would not be a big issue. Sure it would cost more than 40-120mm fans, but not much more than say 4-6 smaller fans together. Most of people that do OC use either that many maybe even more fans or heatpipe/water cooling systems that cost even more. So, IMHO, there would be buyers for huge side-pannel fans if sbdy made them.

As for looks, well, as they say - every eyes have their own painter.

 

[bupkus]

It seems I'm not the only one with that notion.
My thread

 

[MyK Von DyK]

Hey bro, nice thread :wine: though I was first (to go with that "1st post" :thumbsdown: flow). Think you could cross-link so we can all move to yours? Wha do you think of my idea :light: of having single enormous fan that would cover whole side-pannel? I myself would go for it if I could find such huge fan... Do you think Papst makes them any bigger than 172mm so I can order one (I'm actually living quite close to Germany )

 

[superkdogg]

Directional flow control would be shot. You'd end up with a ton of turbulence and nowhere for the air to go. In a well-designed setup, you have air entering the front and leaving at the rear while picking up heat in the middle. What you're saying would be a bunch of air flow right onto the components, but not controlling where it goes or if it gets out of the case. That would work great if the case also had a vented top, but that's another mod you'll have to come up with. Plus, with the blades being so long, it would take much more power to get one of those running due to the physics of levers and mass distribution.