Ok so i am writing a how to kinda guid basicly saying what makes for good airflow for a case. I wrote up this big drawn out version, and then realized that no one wanted to read it lol. So i rewrote it and figured Id post it up here to see if there was anything i should add or what ever. Im open to hearing anything anyone has to say about it so dont hold back.

----------------------start---------------------- There are many ways to go about cooling your pc, from OEM air cooling to the growing demand for water cooling. No matter what you have in your system, keeping your computer cool is top priority. If your computer is running hot, its life span may be drastically lowered, and you run greater risk of damaging key components in your computer. You spend lots of money on your computer components and we want to help you get the most from your hard earned money.

In this guide we focus on air cooling inside your case. We will cover how to get the max amount of cooling to balancing your noise level and cooling to have the best of both worlds. When looking at a computer that's all set up with the top of the line heat sinks, high flow fans, and lighting to rival the Las Vegas strip. It all screams COOL! But is it running as cool as it looks? Lets find out.

STEP1

The first step in setting up a computer to run cool is the case. Your case itself will help cool your computer inside. The materials used in the case will help transfer heat, and the airflow of your case will help keep the air in your case cold. The last thing you want is a case that keeps hot air in. Proper fan placement will be the main factor in keeping the air inside your case nice and cool.


LEARNING TO FLOW

Airflow will make or brake your computer, and knowing what makes for good airflow and what doesn't is key. You want the air to enter and leave your case as fast as it can keeping a fresh supply of cool air in your case at all times. Wile doing this you want that air to flow over key components like your CPU, hard drives, video cards and anything else needing to be kept cool.

The most common layout of cases uses a front fan intake and a rear fan exhaust. For the ideal situation for this layout you want to have a higher flow exhaust fan then intake fan. As the higher flowing exhaust fan is moving more air then the intake is you now have less air pressure inside the case then outside the case. Because of this the air inside the system doesn't stagnate and there is a constant flow of fresh cool air. There are allot of ways to regulate your fans to get this effect products like fan controllers work great and allow the most flexibility allowing you to use higher rate fans and turning them down when noise is an issue. If noise is an issue at all times, running how rate fans up from and mid rate fans in the rear will do the job.
Adding a side fan and top fan is another way to add some more airflow to your case, but keep in mind you want to keep the exhaust fans at a higher flow rate then your intake, to insure that the hot air leaves your case and is replenished by nice cool air. Try not to go overboard with adding additional fans though, to many fans can cause turbulence in the air inside your case and this disrupts the airflow inside and you may be losing efficiency (but all those LED fans look so cool).
----------------------end---------------------- *not 100% done yet and there will be images


So let me know what you think

but my led fans really do look cool !!

i put 2 80mm fans over my ram and a 80mm exaust fan where my hot air coming off the vid card will be sucked out, and the 120mm intake in the front and 120mm intake in the back...is this good airflow ? or do i have to many fans...i have pictures in pimprigs and member pics.

Quote: Originally Posted by abec The first step in setting up a computer to run cool is the case. Your case itself will help cool your computer inside. The materials used in the case will help transfer heat

I don't know whether you were hinting at the Aluminum case versus Steel case controversy, but last time I saw an article on it, they concluded that the difference, if there was one, was so negligible that it made no impact upon case cooling. So I'd best stay from that topic.

I do not consider myself an expert on the subject, although i have first hand knolege and have been researching the topic in order to be able to write helpfull guides for most skill levels. With that said...

Quote: Originally Posted by Sir.Smoke.Alot but my led fans really do look cool !! i put 2 80mm fans over my ram and a 80mm exaust fan where my hot air coming off the vid card will be sucked out, and the 120mm intake in the front and 120mm intake in the back...is this good airflow ? or do i have to many fans...i have pictures in pimprigs and member pics.

Depending on the flow of your psu fans, I would look into putting a top exhaust fan in to balance your two 80m side intakes. Also i would run your intakes at a 10v setting so that they cause less turbulance inside your case. Your main objective is to get hot air out, by doing that you will naturaly have cool air entering your case. Intake fans just your exaust fans flow at their max potential, but if you over power your exhaust fans, then hot air may spread in your case and your air temps may rise.

Quote: Originally Posted by Gzim I don't know whether you were hinting at the Aluminum case versus Steel case controversy, but last time I saw an article on it, they concluded that the difference, if there was one, was so negligible that it made no impact upon case cooling. So I'd best stay from that topic.

There will be another part of the guide that talks about case quality. More of a buyers guide then a cooling guide. It will talk shortly about the cooling properties of both steel and aluminum, but will focus more on how to spot a case that has poor, average, and exeptional airflow, and not the so much the material used.

Yeah, it was one of the big things in the article I read (can't find it but remember alot from it) that it was difficult to get a fair comparison of Aluminum vs Steel as most higher end, better built cases (usually) had better cooling in their own right...I think they used a Dragon case or Chenmig.....one of the few ones that came in both flavors....

Maybe you ought to put "the stabilty issue" in your writing.... components not only live longer
with proper cooling but the PC is generally more stable when cool...

Just a thought.... oh yes & "decoupled" fitting of pans, psu, etc might also fit in there...

TDR