quick poll

[cheapgoose]

I lied, no poll here, but I do have a question for you guys. and input, opinion are greatly appreciated.

so I'm still working on that darn case of mine. it's a clear cube. after all the components, i now have room for 3 fans.

I want good air flow, just trying to figuer out the best combo. oh yea, the 3 positions are 1 on the back wall, right behind the cpu hsf, 1 on top, right above the hsf and 1 on the right wall.

to be honest, right now, I'm thinking about only using 2 fans. top and right as exhaust, and instead of a fan on the back as intake, I would just cut a hole and place a good air filter there.

either that or 92mm intake on back and other 2 as exhaust.

any thoughts? is the intake fan really that important?

 

[Tuff]

Air IN through the bottom...out through the top.

Tuff

 

[Detselom]

intakes important because the air outside the case will always be cooler.

 

[bgeh]

Air should be put in through the bottom and when it heats up, it will rise and go out through the top

 

[BG4533]

Intakes really aren't all that important. As long as the case is vented, air will get in somehow. With the intake fans you will really not add all that much air flowing through the case, but the benefit would be that you can filter it. Seeing as it is a clear case you are probably planning on displaying it and dust will be obvious in and on it. Without an intake fan, dust will be sucked in through every crack in the case, making everything but a whole case filter pointless. With a front intake fan, you can put a filter on it and noticably reduce the dust in your case.

Everyone had the general best way for a fan setup. However, since it is a cube and not normally shaped you should probably just go ahead and try to see what yields the best temperatures by switching the fans around. It will likely be just like normal, but maybe not.

Brian

 

[smahoney]

Rules of thumb.
Hot Air Rises - intake near bottom - outake near top.
Air Flow is important - remove obstructions and make sure air can get to hot components. This is often overlooked.
Should have the same or more fans blowing air out than in - NASA study shows that a slight vacuum effect improves cooling.
Make sure there is plenty of clearance around you case.
Clean regularly - especially filters - better airflow inside of your case will actually reduce dust collection.
Smooth air cools better than rough air - round cables are good - flat cables stuck to the side out of the airflow are even better.
The side air ducts for P4's are only effective if you can get all of that air out of your case - two rear fans or a top blow hole with good CFM.
A top 120mm fan is great but can have fit problems - check beforehand
Try to put a little space between the fans and components - smoother and more consistant airflow.