Case fan question

XabbaRus · 01-02-08, 09:52 AM

Got myself a 500W PSU in preparation for my new GFX card I also bought an extra case fan to help cooling. Now do I position the case fan to suck air out or blow air in. Already there is a 80mm fan on the CPU which has a chimmney on it to direct air out to the grill in the side of the case, the new PSU has two fans in it and there is a case fan on the back that is blowing out too.

This fan I intend to place on the side of the case approximately over where the GFX card is going to be and was thinking of putting it so it sucks.

Would this be the bast way? Or in the top of the case sucking air up, but then I don't want warm air from the GFX blowing over any other components if I can set the fan to suck almost straight off the GFX card.

AVGWarhawk · 01-02-08, 10:08 AM

Looking at my case, the intakes are at the bottom. I have just one large fan as the exhaust out of the back of the computer. If I were to place another fan to cool, I would mount it next to the videocard and it would be a intake set up. Basically blowing cool air on the card. Some dust built up for sure unless I use some type of filter material at the fan intake. Anyway, do you really need the additional fan? Your set up sound sufficient to me. Also, would a more efficient fan be a better idea to replace what you already have? My fan on the rear was replaced with a higher CFM model.

Konovalov · 01-02-08, 11:38 AM

Firstly if you can use 120mm case fans as they can move more air at lower noise levels as a general rule of thumb.

In my setup I have 2 x 120mm fans at the front bottom of the case sucking cool air into it. Then I have 1 x 120mm fan at the back top sucking the hot case air out the back and another in the top back doing the same. So in short I have configured my case fans to suck cool air from the bottom front into the case and exhaust hot air out the top back.

What case do you have?

XabbaRus · 01-02-08, 12:32 PM

ATX Case but there is only room on the side due to the way the front is laid out.
In order to aid air movement I am thinking of removing the PIc Modem which never gets used even as a back up and my TV card which no longer gets used so that would mean there would only be my GFX card in the PCI-E slot.

I'll take a photo of the case with panel on and off so you can see.

Konovalov · 01-02-08, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XabbaRus

I'll take a photo of the case with panel on and off so you can see.

Excellent idea.

SUBMAN1 · 01-02-08, 02:32 PM

Proper airflow is important. You want to make sure you don't have any dead spots either. Flow should be from front to back generally. I have 2x 80 mm low RPM in front, and 1x 80 mm low RPM in back + the 120 mm in the PSU that also exhausts out the back.

-S

XabbaRus · 01-02-08, 02:40 PM

It's a 120mm in Back already with an 80 on the CPU, not sure what is the current PSU but the new one has an 80mm on the front and an 80mm on the back one sucking in and one blowing out plus the 8500 GT will have a fan on it, that is the one I want to pull air away from. OK I'll only be playing IL-2 and FSX when I get it but still I don't want to screw things up.

Here are photos of the inside of my cas, and I know it is a little dusty but around teh fans dust has been cleared away, I just need to get a little mroe dust of teh CPU heatsink though that is pretty clean too.
This is where I'll put the 80mm fan opposite the GFX card, in fact will be above it if teh case is on its side. The only bother is this is teh removable panel and even though the cable is a decent length I don't want it getting fouled up.

The front of my case, no room there

Shot showing the CPU chimmney and the 120 rear fan

As you can see not a lot of room.

XabbaRus · 01-02-08, 02:42 PM

What do you guys think to taking out the PCI cards I don't need, like TV card and modem? I don't use them and are taking up space.

sonar732 · 01-02-08, 03:28 PM

If you are worried about the graphics card alone, might I suggest a PCI slot cooling fan.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835192007

sonar732 · 01-02-08, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XabbaRus

What do you guys think to taking out the PCI cards I don't need, like TV card and modem? I don't use them and are taking up space.

That's a given! Try to keep enough space as possible between your other PCI devices, and if you get to a point of not using them, take them out. Note my post earlier about a PCI fan for your video card.

XabbaRus · 01-02-08, 04:07 PM

I did see one of those but it looked a bit gimicky, two 20mm fans with a chimmney that vents out the back of the PCI slot. I can easy take back the other fan and I will take out the other PCI cards.

Oh btw you will have noticed I am posting which means I haven't fried anything putting in the new PSU. BTW there are so many redundant conenctors on the PSU I've tied them back and hidden them best I could. any other tips. I don't want to cut connectors off and tie up the ends with electrical tape as that would be asking for more problems than not.

OH BTW guys thanks for helping as although I built a PC in college 5 years ago such a thing as putting in a new PSU is new to me. Appreciate good answers to what may seem like dumb questions. Anyway 500Watt PSU with good cooling and it isn't noisy.

Kapitan · 01-02-08, 05:43 PM

You should have done what i did, remove the side panel and place next to it a house hold fan, much cheaper.

sonar732 · 01-02-08, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XabbaRus

I did see one of those but it looked a bit gimicky, two 20mm fans with a chimmney that vents out the back of the PCI slot. I can easy take back the other fan and I will take out the other PCI cards.

The thing about it is that it's taking the heat from the source right away.

Quote:

Originally Posted by XabbaRus

BTW there are so many redundant conenctors on the PSU I've tied them back and hidden them best I could. any other tips. I don't want to cut connectors off and tie up the ends with electrical tape as that would be asking for more problems than not.

Cable management is one of the easiest ways to cut down on your heat. I might suggest that you use round IDE cabling. What I do for my extra PSU cables is hold them together with the natural bending form they are in...then get a small cable tie and pull it taught, not tight, but taught. If you have extra room in your case underneath the cd-rom or dvd-rom, place the cabling there.

XabbaRus · 01-02-08, 06:19 PM

Pretty much what I have done, let it fall where it wants just keeping it clear of teh mobo.

So far so good, still here and voltages are stable.

Syxx_Killer · 01-02-08, 07:42 PM

This is how my setup looks. Ignore the crappy lookin wallpaper.

That temp is in F not C so it is pretty cool. lol Anyway, I have two 120mm fans and one 80mm fan. You can see the rear 120mm fan and 80mm fan. The front 120mm is behind the LCD screen on the case. This pic was taken about a year ago. I have since taken the snake looking metal piece off the front of the 80mm fan and turned the 80mm fan around to blow air out of the case. Since I did that the temps have been a few degrees cooler. The 120mm fans blow air into the case. My video card is right behind the 80mm fan. This setup works right now, but with the impending purchase of a new video card, I was wondering what the optimal setup might be for airflow. Is it good right now? Will a new video card overheat? I've got to clean the dust off around the fans so they can blow a little better.

01-02-08, 09:52 AM	#1
XabbaRus Navy Seal Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 5,330 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Case fan question Got myself a 500W PSU in preparation for my new GFX card I also bought an extra case fan to help cooling. Now do I position the case fan to suck air out or blow air in. Already there is a 80mm fan on the CPU which has a chimmney on it to direct air out to the grill in the side of the case, the new PSU has two fans in it and there is a case fan on the back that is blowing out too. This fan I intend to place on the side of the case approximately over where the GFX card is going to be and was thinking of putting it so it sucks. Would this be the bast way? Or in the top of the case sucking air up, but then I don't want warm air from the GFX blowing over any other components if I can set the fan to suck almost straight off the GFX card. __________________

01-02-08, 10:08 AM	#2
AVGWarhawk Lucky Jack Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In a 1954 Buick. Posts: 27,343 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	Looking at my case, the intakes are at the bottom. I have just one large fan as the exhaust out of the back of the computer. If I were to place another fan to cool, I would mount it next to the videocard and it would be a intake set up. Basically blowing cool air on the card. Some dust built up for sure unless I use some type of filter material at the fan intake. Anyway, do you really need the additional fan? Your set up sound sufficient to me. Also, would a more efficient fan be a better idea to replace what you already have? My fan on the rear was replaced with a higher CFM model. __________________ “You're painfully alive in a drugged and dying culture.” ― Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road

01-02-08, 11:38 AM	#3
Konovalov Ocean Warrior Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: High Wycombe, Bucks, UK Posts: 2,811 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	Firstly if you can use 120mm case fans as they can move more air at lower noise levels as a general rule of thumb. In my setup I have 2 x 120mm fans at the front bottom of the case sucking cool air into it. Then I have 1 x 120mm fan at the back top sucking the hot case air out the back and another in the top back doing the same. So in short I have configured my case fans to suck cool air from the bottom front into the case and exhaust hot air out the top back. What case do you have? __________________ "In a Christian context, sexuality is traditionally seen as a consequence of the Fall, but for Muslims, it is an anticipation of paradise. So I can say, I think, that I was validly converted to Islam by a teenage French Jewish nudist." Sheikh Abdul-Hakim Murad (Timothy Winter)

01-02-08, 12:32 PM	#4
XabbaRus Navy Seal Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 5,330 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	ATX Case but there is only room on the side due to the way the front is laid out. In order to aid air movement I am thinking of removing the PIc Modem which never gets used even as a back up and my TV card which no longer gets used so that would mean there would only be my GFX card in the PCI-E slot. I'll take a photo of the case with panel on and off so you can see. __________________

01-02-08, 02:32 PM	#6
SUBMAN1 Rear Admiral Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 11,866 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Proper airflow is important. You want to make sure you don't have any dead spots either. Flow should be from front to back generally. I have 2x 80 mm low RPM in front, and 1x 80 mm low RPM in back + the 120 mm in the PSU that also exhausts out the back. -S __________________

01-02-08, 02:40 PM	#7
XabbaRus Navy Seal Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 5,330 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	It's a 120mm in Back already with an 80 on the CPU, not sure what is the current PSU but the new one has an 80mm on the front and an 80mm on the back one sucking in and one blowing out plus the 8500 GT will have a fan on it, that is the one I want to pull air away from. OK I'll only be playing IL-2 and FSX when I get it but still I don't want to screw things up. Here are photos of the inside of my cas, and I know it is a little dusty but around teh fans dust has been cleared away, I just need to get a little mroe dust of teh CPU heatsink though that is pretty clean too. This is where I'll put the 80mm fan opposite the GFX card, in fact will be above it if teh case is on its side. The only bother is this is teh removable panel and even though the cable is a decent length I don't want it getting fouled up. The front of my case, no room there Shot showing the CPU chimmney and the 120 rear fan As you can see not a lot of room. __________________

01-02-08, 02:42 PM	#8
XabbaRus Navy Seal Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 5,330 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	What do you guys think to taking out the PCI cards I don't need, like TV card and modem? I don't use them and are taking up space. __________________

01-02-08, 03:28 PM	#9
sonar732 The Old Man Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Central MO Posts: 1,562 Downloads: 6 Uploads: 0	If you are worried about the graphics card alone, might I suggest a PCI slot cooling fan. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835192007

01-02-08, 04:07 PM	#11
XabbaRus Navy Seal Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 5,330 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	I did see one of those but it looked a bit gimicky, two 20mm fans with a chimmney that vents out the back of the PCI slot. I can easy take back the other fan and I will take out the other PCI cards. Oh btw you will have noticed I am posting which means I haven't fried anything putting in the new PSU. BTW there are so many redundant conenctors on the PSU I've tied them back and hidden them best I could. any other tips. I don't want to cut connectors off and tie up the ends with electrical tape as that would be asking for more problems than not. OH BTW guys thanks for helping as although I built a PC in college 5 years ago such a thing as putting in a new PSU is new to me. Appreciate good answers to what may seem like dumb questions. Anyway 500Watt PSU with good cooling and it isn't noisy. __________________

01-02-08, 05:43 PM	#12
Kapitan Sub Test Pilot Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK + Canada Posts: 7,090 Downloads: 68 Uploads: 7	You should have done what i did, remove the side panel and place next to it a house hold fan, much cheaper. __________________ DONT FORGET if you like a post to nominate it by using the blue diamond Find out about Museum Ships here: https://www.museumships.us/ Flickr for all my pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/131313936@N03/ Navy general board articles: https://www.navygeneralboard.com/author/aegis/

01-02-08, 06:19 PM	#14
XabbaRus Navy Seal Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 5,330 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Pretty much what I have done, let it fall where it wants just keeping it clear of teh mobo. So far so good, still here and voltages are stable. __________________

01-02-08, 07:42 PM	#15
Syxx_Killer Admiral Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 2,387 Downloads: 21 Uploads: 0	This is how my setup looks. Ignore the crappy lookin wallpaper. That temp is in F not C so it is pretty cool. lol Anyway, I have two 120mm fans and one 80mm fan. You can see the rear 120mm fan and 80mm fan. The front 120mm is behind the LCD screen on the case. This pic was taken about a year ago. I have since taken the snake looking metal piece off the front of the 80mm fan and turned the 80mm fan around to blow air out of the case. Since I did that the temps have been a few degrees cooler. The 120mm fans blow air into the case. My video card is right behind the 80mm fan. This setup works right now, but with the impending purchase of a new video card, I was wondering what the optimal setup might be for airflow. Is it good right now? Will a new video card overheat? I've got to clean the dust off around the fans so they can blow a little better.