fans

hi all,
I have Thermaltake case with 5 fans and 1 fan on pcu.
2 fans are in front and 2 on back of case and one on side window and one on pcu.
what is the best configuration for fans (air intake-outtake)??
thanks

I am no expert, but I would say, have the two in front as intake, the two in back as exaust, and the one for your cpu blowing the heat away from it... if someone knows of a better way, please correct me... but that seems like the most logical setup...

Hi,

Get an "exhaust fan"............. this is a flat device that fits into a space at the back, possibly where a PCI card would go, but on a large tower it would be below the MoBo.

These shift 40cfm or better, so you create a semi vacuum inside the case.

Please remember to regularly clean stuff (3 months) particularly if you have furry pets :D

Are you intending to run with the case closed or open?

I run mine with the case open so any fan I have blows into the case.

If you are going to run with the case closed you'll want an equal volume of cfm going in as coming out.

AMD athlon chips and heat sinks have the fan blow onto the chip which does <sarcasm> an excellent job of packing the heat sink with dust.</sarcasm>

I would think "pulling" the heat of the chip would be better.

Another consideration is the clearance from the sides of the case to the furniture housing it. The best fan in the world can't move air if its output is blocked.

In a closed case, it is generally it's better to have slightly more air being pushed in than pulled out. It balances in the end, of course, but by doing so you have a slight positive pressure within the case which means your case is less likely to get dusty.

Generally cases are made with the idea of front-to-back airflow. With 1 fan already on the processor, I'd put 2 in the front and 2 in the back. (Your PSU's fan will generally also blow out the back.) Either save the last fan for something else, or mount it wherever, preferably in the front. (Remember some hard drives get pretty warm too.)

If you have a side panel near the graphics card you can put the last fan there. I'm not sure which direction would be better--if you have a way to measure the temperature, you can test which one leads to a cooler graphics card.

Also, you may need to juggle the location of your fans if only certain ones have speed indicator or speed control leads which your motherboard or PSU are compatible with.

hi and ty,
i run the case with side closed.i think in earlier posts read that is not good idea to keep case open.corect me guys if that is wrong.
my cpu temperature is around 45 -50 in summer and 35-40c in winter (amd athlon).
i tought too that front 2 intake and 2 back outake is perety logical set-up.side ones is close to pcu fan so it actually push outside air to cpu fan.
thanks for your answers

Hi unvi$ible,

I forgot to mention that you can get front panel inserts to fit in front of your hard drives............they prevent stale hot air building up around the drives.

:)

I've been running with the case open for years, the computer sits on top of my desk, its well aired. I'm too lazy to put the cover on as I tend to change things quite often.

The computer has never overheated, I have a temp monitor on it.

The reason you don't leave your case open? Spills and bouncing paperclips can make for expensive replacements.

I only leave the case open when I am trouble shooting. Apart from the problems of foreign bodies and lint gettin in, the closed case enables you to create the pressure/vacuum effect that makes for more efficient cooling.

Too many fans can create too much turbulence and actually raise temps. There was a famous experiment with a mega-fans case that took the idea to the extreme and proved it.

However, to answer your question, generally in at the front and side, out at the rear. Think of the overall airflow path your fans will create, try and get the components that need cooling in that path (hdds, gpu, cpu, psu), and if you can see that some fans will be interfering with one another, think about making baffles with cardboard, foamcore, or plastic and tape.

That is why I like "exhaust fans" they suck downwards and blow outwards at the back of the case so they don't create noticeable turbulence. ;)

Your temps look good. If you have lots of headroom on the temps and noise is an issue, think of running some of the fans at lower voltage. You can try them at 5V, for example, and see where the temps end up and decide if you want to go back to 12V or somewhere in between. The molex connectors for the drives contain 5V already: blacks are common (-) and red is +5V, yellow is +12V.

As far as baffles, you might look at the positioning and think of an angled baffle (or a duct) to prevent the air from the side fan from shortcutting directly out the rear fans, unless the case already contains a duct from the side fan. Some do, Antec for example.

In general cool air is supposed to come from the lower part of the front of the case and up out the back. And usually the fan on the side of the case blows out to move as most of the hot air from the cpu as possible.

BEesides using a vacuum , what is the best way to clean the fan on your graphics card and inside your case.

Those compressed air cans are quite expensive, any suggestions?