Alright here are 2 pics of my tower.


There is placement for a fan
1, on the top
2, one on the side
3, on the back
4, and i have a PCI exaust fan as well

My question is:
What directions should i make the fans blow for maximum cooling?


P.S. please excuse the wire mess i'm in the process of modding it.

Attached Thumbnails

   

Top Fan: exhaust
Side Fan: intake
Back Fan: exhaust

Also it might be good to add a fan to the front for intake as well.

EDIT nice model rocket......lol I used to have a bunch of those

Quote: Originally Posted by IcEMage Top Fan: exhaust Side Fan: intake Back Fan: exhaust Also it might be good to add a fan to the front for intake as well. EDIT nice model rocket......lol I used to have a bunch of those

yeah, perfect suggestions .... but most important of all ....

he needs to clean that rat's nest of wires he's got in there ....

because even with panaflos ... air isn't going anywhere ....

It appears to me that you have a bit more to address than just fan direction. In those pics I see some restrictive case perforations that could be cut out and replaced with more open grilles for a lot more airflow. The standard configuration for just about all ATX cases is:

Fans on the front blow in
Blowholes on the top blow out
Rear exhaust fans...exhaust
Side panel fans blow in
PCI slot fans exhaust

I would take a long look at the front of your case. If there are perforated grilles blocking airflow, cut them out there first. Front fans are covered by the bezel, so even if you're a bit hamfisted with a Dremel, at least the cuts don't show and you'll still get the airflow benefits. This is most effective when also enlarging the ports through the bezel, perhaps even adding a duct port and cutting in a larger 120mm fan. When adding fans, try to have more CFM blowing into the case than out for a "positive pressure" airflow. This will keep dust from getting sucked into all the cracks around your CD-ROMs, seams in the case, etc. To control dust, put filters on your intake fans, but if dust isn't a big deal, go filterless for the most airflow. Just remember to clean the inside of your case more often. I prefer this method as it forces you to examine the inside of your case while doing maintenance, and you will spot problems before they become critical.

If you do all this well, you'll find yourself able to add a fan controller, run your system at quieter levels and still cool very effectively. Best of luck with your modding, and congratulations on taking the plunge towards self-sufficient computing.

Quote: Originally Posted by Fortran yeah, perfect suggestions .... but most important of all .... he needs to clean that rat's nest of wires he's got in there .... because even with panaflos ... air isn't going anywhere ....

Lol tru that..

Yes clean up the wires and get a round IDE cable to help with air flow.

What everyone else said ... plus, the presence of random metalic objects can cause problems with air flow. Suggest you pick up the fork on your floor, lying next to the blinds ...



-godling

Quote: Originally Posted by Fortran yeah, perfect suggestions .... but most important of all .... he needs to clean that rat's nest of wires he's got in there .... because even with panaflos ... air isn't going anywhere ....

Ya i know i got to clean out those wires the problem is figuring out where to put them there are so many of them and as far as i know there is no way of getting around that.

Quote: Originally Posted by Neo31rex31 Ya i know i got to clean out those wires the problem is figuring out where to put them there are so many of them and as far as i know there is no way of getting around that.

There is always a way

You could get your self some sleeving and cover/sleeve both your power supply wires and any other wires that need it.

Case Mod Sleeve Kits : Performance-PCs.com, ... sleeve it and they will come

Or just get some zip ties and anchors and go to town.

Zip Ties, Clamps, & Anchors : Performance-PCs.com, ... sleeve it and they will come

there are a lot of ways to clean up the inside of a case

Also like I said before get your self some Round IDE cables, that will also help.

Round IDE Cables : Performance-PCs.com, ... sleeve it and they will come

Wires also can be placed behind the mobo as long as they are long enough to reach where they need to go.

Dex did a proper good job of tidying up my cabling last week with no cable ties at all.

Check this out...

Before:



After:

Quote: Originally Posted by reflux Dex did a proper good job of tidying up my cabling last week with no cable ties at all. Check this out... Before After

i see no difference

Quote: Originally Posted by Fortran i see no difference

thats because he just pushed them out of the way

Glad to see you asking some question there That what were here for man

Anyhow The flow in you case is very dependant on you fans direction power, and flow (at least if its getting flow/if the flows doing anything) Th cable mees I'll be able to clean a little definately get some rounded cables. There nice to have, real nice. The fan controller you have bought isnt going to make cable any neater, and just add wires lol. But for one thing I'll be helping you get some air flow over those HDD's and past that Zally you got.

Anyhow, Yes exhaust should go up from the top, Personally i've found a exhaust beside the CPU to cause heat issues, my XP would get alot hotter when the rear fan was on exhaust, but on intake the fresh air would keep it cooler. Depends on you rig and cooler though. For the front panel i don't know if hes got a place for a fan, maybe a place for two 80mm fans, I'll be working with him on it so well make room for a 120mm hopefully.

Also a neat topic, alpha did some airflow testing and having the side panel fan on exhaust gives better results, and i have no idea why, this is with the rear fan on exhaust too, but with one fan in the bottom front one on the back and one on the side, it would prove to work better with a side exhaust than intake. Kinda interesting Tripping the light fantastic Good read as well, for you newer folks, reading old stuffis awesome.

Lol, I didn't see the "before" and thought you meant that was the "after"

What i find good and has been recommended to me is having a couple on front for the hard drives. right now i have on exhaust in the back, two in the front by the HD, and the heat sink by the CPU.

That works well for people that I have talked to.

New pics of the fans

Yup cable management is amust. Sleeve em, round em, shorten em, or whatever else works. I would suggest seeing if you cant run some of your cables through the front of the case by reversing your hard drives. That would clean up a lot of the mess.