SIDE PANEL FAN: In or out?

[PeanutButterSnake{CLR}]

LOL @ Nom!

[KillerRabbit]

Given your setup, I would suggest using it as an intake. Its best to get some fresh air blowing right at the cpu heatsink and it will get your case closer to a positive pressure (otherwise you would have one 120 blowing in and the other 3 blowing out). If you are really worried about cooling though, you should really invest in a better heatsink and some arctic silver thermal paste.

[Mr_Hat]

LOL @ Nom!

Cigar choice is vital when it comes to blowing smoke into your computer. Thank god he caught me in time!

[Mr_Hat]

Given your setup, I would suggest using it as an intake. Its best to get some fresh air blowing right at the cpu heatsink and it will get your case closer to a positive pressure (otherwise you would have one 120 blowing in and the other 3 blowing out). If you are really worried about cooling though, you should really invest in a better heatsink and some arctic silver thermal paste.

Actually got the silver paste already. Any recommendations on CPU fans though? Right now I'm using the standard A64 heatsink and fan that came with the CPU. It's an Athlon 64, Socket 754. I don't want anything too incredibly noisy. I'm also very cautious about vibration, and some of those big bulky ones can actually cause more damage than anything (I had a copper orb on a K7 that actually cracked my motherboard). I've always used the side panel fan as an intake fan because I've noticed a slight drop in ambient temp and CPU temp compared to using it for exhaust.

[ViTO]

do this.... Get someone who smokes heavy ( he he ) or a can of smoke and blow it into your case. look for dead spots where smoke sits stagnant.

I have an excellent cigar collection. Perhaps a Fuente Opus Opus X would be the perfect blend of taste and stagnant air detector. I suspect care must be given when introducing smoke into the case by using a fanless opening. Therefore, gently open a side panel to a minimum and with great care, exhale the smoke in a controlled and steady fashion so as to allow the case to fill gradually but only in the section of the opening -- the correct technique should introduce just enough smoke to fill 1/4 of the case and enough time to reclose the side panel allowing the smoke to circulate nearest the front fan. Now watch the smoke drift and swirl looking for patterns of slow movement or none at all. These are your dead spots.

Upon locating these dead spots reorganize the cables and fans for optimal air flow without compromising the areas already adequately cooled. Make sure you have positive pressure within the case by adding yet another intake fan lest this second phase will achieve less then optimal results. Light a second cigar and for this I recommend a Te'amo Maximo in a maduro known for its great nutty and coffee flavor taste as well as high smoke density -- it is simply the perfect Mexican cigar for this occasion. Gently blow the smoke directly into the slowest fan intake allowing for quick swirl and circulation throughout the case. A second observer may be required being as you will want to exhale for a longer period of time then in Phase I above while occasionally puffing a smoke ring the approximate diameter of golf ball or raquet ball depending on the situation (obviously, an 80mm fan only needs the golf ball size and a 120mm fan the raquet ball size smoke ring). The second observer will note any remaining dead spots and recommend appropriate changes.

When all is perfect, go have a drink at your favorite cigar bar celebrating with an Aston Cabinet #7 in a plain wrapper. This cigar is mild, flavorful, and smooth, best enjoyed with some brandy.

Until next time, have a good day frag'n everyone in sight, and we will return with more tips for your PC health and wellness while maintaining the style and sophistication you so richly deserve. Go on, pamper yourself, you won't regret it.

-- nomadicus

Ok I didn't mean to offend you as a smoker

Your post was funny and maybe I deserve it BUT.....

Tracing smoke is commonly used in all sorts of detection INCLUDING MY COMPUTER !!!

Yes in retrospect my post does come off bad, I am sorry for being alittle slapstick. My posted point was, there are numerous ways of cooling a case with fans. I see no standard to what it should be.

In point, what works for your case wont work for mine. Here is my current cooling configuration...

120mm Front Intake w/ Filter x 2
120mm Rear Exhaust w/ Filter
80mm Top exhaust
Side Cross Flow Intake Motherboard Cooler. (specific to this case but could be modded into anther case )
Since I had never seen this type of case/motherboard fan which is on the right side and runs vertical almost the length of the case. I was curious as to how much air it would move. My ram is set horizontal on the motherboard to increase air flow so this was said to be the best combination. Most ram is set vertical on the motherboard and reduces the flow over the board. SO....

Out came the Low-Toxic Tracing Smoke. I only had the match stick form and not the can, so I lit it and held it in front of the fan to see the movement thru the case.

I did not mention the details of tracing smoke and the need for a clear side panel. For that I will accept my Nomadicus punishing post.

I have been modding cases for a few years now, so side windows to me seem kinda standard. I forget hat at times.

I will be more mindful in the future. In the mean time pass over one of those Opus X babies and lets light up.


Motherboard fan...
.http://www.coolermaster.com/index.ph...s%20Flow%20Fan

Tracing Smoke...
http://www.powertoolwarehouse.co.uk/...3d6d185d51e713

[Nomadicus]

Ok I didn't mean to offend you as a smoker

Your post was funny and maybe I deserve it BUT.....
. . .
Yes in retrospect my post does come off bad, I am sorry for being alittle slapstick.

Now I am going to apologize since it was not meant to be sarcastic or negative. In fact, I did take you seriously and started a more serious response but the muse simply took over me and I went on a creative writing jag. It was something I just had to do, but it was not meant to punish you in any way.

Tracing smoke is commonly used in all sorts of detection INCLUDING MY COMPUTER !!!

I've learned a lot from this and appreciate it.

I will be more mindful in the future. In the mean time pass over one of those Opus X babies and lets light up.

No harm done and my humidor is open to you any time.

[ViTO]

Nomad, you know I love being pwnd by you and all the others.

I love this place and the people

[{CLR}geneSW]

Any recommendations on CPU fans though? Right now I'm using the standard A64 heatsink and fan that came with the CPU. It's an Athlon 64, Socket 754.

Volcano11+.

Copper heatsink with a 80mm fan that can get up to 4800+rpm's. just over 40 cfm of air flow like that. I actually had to get it for my sempron 3000+. Keeps it at about 50c when i'v got it running at about 2100 rpm's. Also, the volcano11+ series has 3 different fan controll options. One is what I like to call "self controll". It uses a temp probe to check the heat of the cpu and adjusts the fan speed as needed to keep the cpu cool (around 50c I think). You can also have a front or rear controll area. Mind now that you cannot have both the temp probe and fan controlls going at the same time. I'll see if I can pull up a link if you havn't made a choice by now.

[{CLR}geneSW]

120mm Rear Exhaust w/ Filter

Seriously. Does a excause fan need a filter? I fail to see the point of having them on the exhaust.

[KillerRabbit]

Yeah, dont need filters on exhaust fans. All it does is restrict air flow

[Mr_Hat]

Seriously. Does a excause fan need a filter? I fail to see the point of having them on the exhaust.

We don't want dust and other harmful particles escaping!

[{CLR}geneSW]

Seriously. Does a excause fan need a filter? I fail to see the point of having them on the exhaust.

We don't want dust and other harmful particles escaping!

as if ozone at sea level isn't enough! there might be dust! *Grabs oxygen tank for dear life* lol.

[{CLR}geneSW]

here's the link to the specs of the cpu heatsink/fan I use.

http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/volcano/rs/a1725.htm

it's very loud when turned up to max, and it actually pushes more then I thought it did. Don't trust the thermal compound in there though. Use silver or thermal grease. If you don't have either then use what they have.

[Mr_Hat]

here's the link to the specs of the cpu heatsink/fan I use.

http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/volcano/rs/a1725.htm

it's very loud when turned up to max, and it actually pushes more then I thought it did. Don't trust the thermal compound in there though. Use silver or thermal grease. If you don't have either then use what they have.

That's the thing that sucks about some of these upgraded cooling units. I want the computer to run cool, but I don't want to hear it from the other side of the house. I'm checking out a few liquid cooling solutions.

[KillerRabbit]

I'm not sure how much you are willing to spend, but since you are looking at liquid cooling, I'm guessing its not much of a problem.

If you want great cooling and low noise, the Zlaman CNPS7000/7700s are rather good, but they run at $40+.

Thremalright makes some nice heatsinks, you could put a quiet fan on one. Though unless you are doing a lot of overclocking, you probably dont need to spend that much.

Slightly cheaper is Thermaltakes Silent Boost. I never tried their one for 754/939 but I have the socket A one and it was very quiet and cooled well. It runs about $32 on Newegg.

I'm sure there are pleanty of others. These are just the ones I have experience with or have heard many recommendations for.