Just bought myself a new case for my overheating PC. I've got 2 fans on the back sucking hot air out and 1 in the front bringing cool air in. Question is, which way should the side fan blow? Should it bring air into the case or take it out?
Thanks
Kompressor
Comments
Also, with a good case, the components should run cooler with the side-panel on rather than with the case open...
My P4 sits in an Antec 1080AMG case with five 80 mm case fans, all less than 2000 RPM (slow.) It runs a little hot for most people's tastes, but it still has no trouble with a 2.4 GHz -> 2.88 GHz overclock. It's also tons quieter than my QuickSilver 2002.
Originally posted by CubeDude
Aren't you supposed to have the same amount of in-facing fans as you are out-facing fans?
...or what, too much positive pressure and my case will explode?
3 case fans blowing in, 2 blowing out...add the one in the PSU and I'd call it pretty even. You hear people arguing about whether it's better to have negative or positive pressure in a case. I say it doesn't matter a whole lot. What matters most is CFM and positioning.
If your comp. is overheating you should really look into a better heatsink/fan for your processor, as well as some quality thermal compound (like arctic silver)
Originally posted by liquidh2o
you want the fan on the side to mirror what your cpu fan is doing. If it's blowing air onto the cpu, then you want the side fan blowing air in as well. If it's sucking air off the heatsink/cpu then you want the fan sucking air out.
That's ONLY if the side-panel fan is right on-top of the heatsink, which is rarely the case. Even then, the side-panel fan would need a shroud to be effective as an exhaust fan for the HSF combo.
If your comp. is overheating you should really look into a better heatsink/fan for your processor, as well as some quality thermal compound (like arctic silver)
Even if he invests in a Thermalright SLK-900 and a fat Delta fan, if the hot air doesn't leave the case, it's still going to overheat. Plus, the other components like the HDDs and add-in card will also be very unhappy.
Originally posted by Eugene
That's ONLY if the side-panel fan is right on-top of the heatsink, which is rarely the case. Even then, the side-panel fan would need a shroud to be effective as an exhaust fan for the HSF combo.
that's the most common way i've seen and done case mods. It doesn't make sense to disrupt the airflow within the case if it's not directly above the cpu.
Quote:
Even if he invests in a Thermalright SLK-900 and a fat Delta fan, if the hot air doesn't leave the case, it's still going to overheat. Plus, the other components like the HDDs and add-in card will also be very unhappy.
he's already mentioned he has exhaust fans in the rear. The only way the heat wouldn't be properly leaving the case is either the fans don't pump enough cfm or they're improperly positioned in the back (IE the bottom of the case). If it's a socket 478 board then the cpu is already mounted near the upper 3/4 part of the motherboard, and if he has just a regular mid-tower, then the heat is going to linger right there, because it can't really rise any further. I think most case mfg's realize this though and place fans appropriately.
And unless he's overclocking his video card, and/or has a 10,000rpm hard drive, they won't give off enough heat to cause the computer to shut down.
And you're not giving the SLK900 it's due. I have one(SLK-900-U, the bolt down version) and it dropped my cpu temp around 10 degrees celcius.
the heatsink/fan is one of the biggest factors when cooling your cpu. There's so many variables to take into consideration when picking one out and seating one onto the cpu that it is more often than not the culprit when overheating is a concern.
that's the most common way i've seen and done case mods. It doesn't make sense to disrupt the airflow within the case if it's not directly above the cpu
The most common placement I've seen is right over the PCI slots, where there is generally a lack of decent air circulation. Pumping air right over the HSF in my case would be detrimental since cool air would be blow very close to the intake fan on my TruePower 430 PSU. The thermo on the PSU would think the case temp is much cooler than it is and spin down the fans.
Kompressor
Originally posted by Eugene
The most common placement I've seen is right over the PCI slots, where there is generally a lack of decent air circulation. Pumping air right over the HSF in my case would be detrimental since cool air would be blow very close to the intake fan on my TruePower 430 PSU. The thermo on the PSU would think the case temp is much cooler than it is and spin down the fans.
disclaimer:
This is just my opinion, and based on what i've learned and trial and error, (definitely not fact or set in stone).
/end disclaimer
the problem with pushing air straight onto your motherboard(especially with a cross current) is that your creating friction both when the air hits the motherboard, and also against the cross current. This creates a resistance, and the resistance creates heat. And thanks to the side fan, that hot air is now being blown right back onto your motherboard. Having the current flow across the motherboard by the air flow that is created by the intake in the front, it runs cool air along the bottom/middle of your case, where your pci/agp slots are located. The heat that's being emitted from these devices should be absorbed by the cool air, which is going to cause it(hot air) to rise. The purpose of the exhaust is to get that hot air out asap so as to not linger and raise the inside temperature of the case.
And as far as i've dealt with on power supplies, the fans either kick on based on the amount watts being pumped out, or the temp. is monitored via an inline thermister. The cool air being brought into the power supply intake is actually a good thing, but in your scenario, due to the resistance and the heat created from the cpu, the air is going to be quite warm.
just my .02