Case fan configurations?

revorocksrevorocks England, East Sussex, Hove Member
edited January 2008 in Hardware
Recently i got 3 new fans for my pc as it was running quite hot. i got 2 80mm fans and 1 120mm fan.

my currant configuration is all fans blowing in and i have venting at the front.
the 120 mm is opposite the gfx card.

a 80mm is oppostite the cpu

and aother 80mm is at the back.

whats the best and most efficiant way to have em layed out?

Comments

  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited January 2008
    Inhale at the front, inhale at the side, exhale out the back.

    All fans inhaling is a very bad idea.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited January 2008
    Blue is intake cold air
    Red is exhaust hot air

    Basic workflow of case fans.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited January 2008
    Yep, I concur with Thrax and fatcat. The diagram fatcat posted will be what you want.
  • revorocksrevorocks England, East Sussex, Hove Member
    edited January 2008
    i havent got any fan slots in the front of the case.... would it be best to have 2 blowing ito the case on the side and 1 blowing out of the back?
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited January 2008
    That would probably be better than having just one on the side. Experiment, and see what your temperature monitoring reveals.
  • Your-Amish-DaddyYour-Amish-Daddy The heart of Texas
    edited January 2008
    I don't have any exhaust fans but I have my two 25cm fans blowing inward and putting one on the side decreased my GPU temps by 10C, and the fan blows down the BACK of the card if anything.
  • revorocksrevorocks England, East Sussex, Hove Member
    edited January 2008
    ill mess aroubd qitgh different configurations and see what gets the best results. why would it be better justr to have 1 on thwe side asopposed to 2?
  • ZuntarZuntar North Carolina Icrontian
    edited January 2008
    Air FLOW is essential! Five fans blowing every which way will only stir up the air, not MOVE the air, which is what you need.

    Air in, must go out.
    Cool at the bottom (intake), warm at the top (exhaust).
    You are better to have air in >= air out.
  • HarudathHarudath Great Britain Icrontian
    edited January 2008
    Yeah, my setup is similar although there's a flaw (one of many :P) with my Antec900, in that the processor is at the top of the case, so that it gets all the hot air going past it, but that's still the best configuration possible afaik. Sorry for lack of spaces in places, the spacebar on this keyboard stiff as a board.
  • revorocksrevorocks England, East Sussex, Hove Member
    edited January 2008
    as i am very limited to my configurations, would it be best to have the 80mm on the side and the 120mm on the sede both blowing in, and a 80mm at the back blowing out? also my psu has a fan underneith which blows out hot air.
  • Your-Amish-DaddyYour-Amish-Daddy The heart of Texas
    edited January 2008
    Well, I'm no thermal dynamics expert or an engineer but I do fancy myself a journeyman physicist. You need to create an air channel. I can't create one because of my case's poor design, but what I have done is provided a very CLEAR path for it to go. If your case doesn't have a spot for a fan in the front of it, make room. Modifying cases is easy since there's such a large variety of fans in all shapes and sizes. If it's a case from an OEM like HP or DELL chances are there's actually room for a fan, but you have to take the case appart to install it. Take a real good look around and if you can, post pictures and measurements. I'll help you the best I can.
  • revorocksrevorocks England, East Sussex, Hove Member
    edited January 2008
    hmmm, good idea, i have a round like hole in the front, covered with a mesh, its not for A fan but there is nothing behind it and plenty of metal to cut,

    my case is A EZ-COOL H60 B

    here is a link with a pic.
    http://www.cobra-computers.co.uk/scripts/products.aspx?shop_id=18&cat_id=20&subcat_id=76&id=1126
    you can see the large round meshed hole in the front. prehaps i could turn that into a fan slot?

    if i did i could have the 120 mm in the side. 80mm in the front 80 mm and the back and a fan on the top (psu)

    would that be a good idea?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited January 2008
    Harudath wrote:
    Yeah, my setup is similar although there's a flaw (one of many :P) with my Antec900, in that the processor is at the top of the case, so that it gets all the hot air going past it, but that's still the best configuration possible afaik. Sorry for lack of spaces in places, the spacebar on this keyboard stiff as a board.

    What are you talking about? The Antec 900 has the best cooling of any traditional computer case available. :skeptic:
  • HarudathHarudath Great Britain Icrontian
    edited January 2008
    Thrax wrote:
    What are you talking about? The Antec 900 has the best cooling of any traditional computer case available. :skeptic:

    I know it does, but that's not to say it's perfect :P Like having the CPU above the PSU for one thing doesn't help- gives off alot of heat, and putting it at the top where all the heat goes in the first place isn't ideal either. It's still the best, but it's not perfect. It's also difficult to arrange the cables tidily- This may just be me as I have a difficult PSU to work with, but I have alot of cables in the gap between my fans and my components because that's the only place they can go.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited January 2008
    1) The PSU draws its own hot hair down and out the back on the 900.
    2) The top of the case is the best place for a fan humanly imagineable
    3) Yes, the case is bad for cable routing.
  • HarudathHarudath Great Britain Icrontian
    edited January 2008
    I know, I'm not questioning the functionality, quality or the positioning of the largest fan I've ever seen (personally I love it :P), but I'm saying having a core component that has some of the highest cooling requirements at the top where all the heat goes is slight design flaw, although I don't deny the Antec 900 is awesome for cooling all round. And although I didn't know that about PSUs, it's still going to contribute to the heat.

    EDIT: If I'm being a dick about this please tell me :P When I did my work experience, one of the guys there made a point of telling me the flaws in the Antec 900, he disliked them for some reason :P Although I do think he has a valid point :P
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited January 2008
    My cable routing is pretty ok :)
  • HarudathHarudath Great Britain Icrontian
    edited January 2008
    Damn you! :P Although my PSU has really short cables- it came with my Fujitsu Siemens Scaleo P, which is an irritatingly stumpy case- my PSU has to go in upside-down to reach the 4 pin mobo slot. If it wasn't for that I reckon I'd be able to tidy up a bit.
  • revorocksrevorocks England, East Sussex, Hove Member
    edited January 2008
    lol a whole new conversation on this topic. my friends got a antec 900... supreme cooling and it can have really good cable management if you put your mind to it. look on google for ideas, ive seen people drillling holes in the metal panal for the mobo and running it inside the side of the case.

    anyway back on topic, would it be a good idea to put a fan in the front or not?
  • HarudathHarudath Great Britain Icrontian
    edited January 2008
    Yes
  • revorocksrevorocks England, East Sussex, Hove Member
    edited January 2008
    ok, ill leave it for a while but as soon as i have another. and after i have a new psu
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