Help with fan configuration

[Jeremy]

I don't monitor my temperatures anymore these days, but when I did I was basing my decisions on the advice of people from the SilentPCReview forums. People there said intake fans didn't help very much so I tested that theory and discovered little to no difference in temperature afterwards. However, my HDDs in the lower chamber of my case are 40C. I've been meaning to put a fan down there for some time but it would require some case modding.

[ripken204]

ya i remember that discussion we had jeremy. you really should put a fan down there, a 92mm at least..that will fit without modding.

[jcarle]

Although not an ideal situation, if the original poster is intent on using the 250mm fan, another possibility would be to reverse the front intake fans and let them become exhaust fans. Therefore the 250mm would be the only intake fan and the other fans would all act as direct exhaust, creating a smoother donut shaped airflow.

[weEvil]

Zalman Fans. Quietest fans my ears had the pleasure of hearing. They also make case fans.

Also, I'd watch out for the specs of you PC. I wouldn't loaad it up with too many high-consumption components, to keep it cool and all that.

I like to have a low wattage CPU whenever possible (mobile versions or chips designed to be lower wattage than the high-performance cousins off the shelf), and same for videocard. Also, I like to buy just one freaking huge hard drive or two instead of having many smaller ones. Keeps temperatures low and I can run the fans on even quieter settings and the air conditioning lower too.

Here are the wattages of common videocards (nice bar graph too). Updated frequently.

http://www.overclock.net/graphics-cards-ge...s-gf-6-7-a.html

Also in terms of air flow.... kind of hard to explain my system without a 3dimensional drawing but I'll take a crack at it.

Firstly, my computer does not have front cooler fans. All of them are in the back. They are routed to blow out air out of the case.

Also, at this time, the front of the case has these little grill holes and plenty of space wheret there should be a fan. So while the back are blowing hot exhaust, the air from the front of the PC by my feet gets sucked in, moves through the components and gets blown out of the back. Near the wall where there is vely little circulation since its under a desk.

Secondly, on the side door panel, I have a fan running that is blowing the ambient air onto the CPU cooler. The CPU cooler takes the air, circulates it towards the board (down to the CPU). Once it gets through the copper fins, it goes the way of the rest of the air. Out the back.

Also, I've taken care to make sure that there are no leaks in the case which may disrupt the circulation from front to back. The case is sealed to prevent air escaping into crevices and cracks and in between the space where the case fans are attached. (except for the front grille where it must enter.) Took me about 20 min and $1.00 of sticky electrical tape I bought from the store.

This way its like a funnel kind of.

Edited May 11, 2007 by brucevangeorge

[Zxian]

Zalman Fans. Quietest fans my ears had the pleasure of hearing. They also make case fans.

Zalman fans are nothing short of horrible when it comes to noise. Scythe S-Flex and Yate Loon fans are the best you can get.

[weEvil]

Zalman Fans. Quietest fans my ears had the pleasure of hearing. They also make case fans.

Zalman fans are nothing short of horrible when it comes to noise. Scythe S-Flex and Yate Loon fans are the best you can get.

Quietest I've found so far.

I'll look at those other brands too.

[Zxian]

True, they're quieter than most, but compared to Scythe and Yate Loons (YL fans are repackaged as Nexus fans sometimes) they're really freakin' noisy. A single Zalman 80mm fan at 6V is still louder than the two systems I have here at home. They run 24/7 and the ambient (when the fridge is off) is about 21dBa.

It's also not just about the noise level, it's the tone. I've always found Zalman fans to have a slight growl, whlie other fans have a much smoother sound.

[weEvil]

True, they're quieter than most, but compared to Scythe and Yate Loons (YL fans are repackaged as Nexus fans sometimes) they're really freakin' noisy. A single Zalman 80mm fan at 6V is still louder than the two systems I have here at home. They run 24/7 and the ambient (when the fridge is off) is about 21dBa.

It's also not just about the noise level, it's the tone. I've always found Zalman fans to have a slight growl, whlie other fans have a much smoother sound.

Do you use foam padding inside the PC?

Nexus makes these sheets of noise absorbent foam and blocks for the drive bays. Fire retardant too.

[Zxian]

Nope. No padding in my case. Just quiet fans and suspended hard drives.