Help! My P180 airflow.

[2k3eblade]

I have a problem with my system's airflow. When I have my case side panel off coretemp reports 39-41c @ idle for both cores. When I put the side panel on that number jumps to 41-46c @ idle. The same goes for when I put the system on a load. With the side panel off I get around 49-52c. Its around 54-58c with the side panel on. I am running a Tuniq on the E6300. I can post pictures of the interior if someone can help me figure out the problem better.

Antec P180 (2 stock 120mm, 1 120mm and 1 92mm blowing in; I removed the lower 120mm fan for better clearance of PSU cords)
E6300 @ 3010mhz vcore 1.305
P6N Platinum BIOS ver.1.3
-nb set @ v1.4 rest stock
2GB OCZ Platinum rev.1 DDR2-800 @ 860 | 4-5-4-12 v2.1
2 8800gts
1 74gb raptor
2 optical drives
Corsair HX620

 

[mark660]

u could make it so the top 120mm blowes down on the cpu and the back one can suk the air straight out or if ur fans arnt on full put them on full

 

[oozish]

Try to take the psu main & 12volt power cords out the back and behind the right side panel, come out the middle; it's a tight stretch but it helps alot with cord clutter.

I find that the top 120mm fan should blow DOWN (in) rather than out. out hardly impacts temps at all, but down really helps to keep the mosfets cool (which get hot on my board, see sig).

I have a 80mm fan blowing on my DDR2 RAM; sitting under the topmost 5 1/2 bay where my CD/DVD drive is on some sticky tape. This really helps keep them cool if you're running overclocked ram it's a good idea.

I also installed the front 120mm fan behind the top drive cage, though it doesn't work that well; it's a silenX fan and I guess as good as I can get. You can barely feel the cool air though through the drivecage.

I use push/pull ultima 90 HSF on my cpu and this is a great HSF! So much lighter than my old thermalright big typhoon which warped my mobo on my last board.

I have all fans controlled through the bios and even when benching they are pretty quiet; I don't put anything on more than medium (antec fans).

I use all antec fans but I also have a noctua on my cpu (push/main fan); a 92mm silverstone (pull cpu) that makes a whining noise if I don't curb the voltage downwards in bios; and that front silenX.

I'm thinking about trying a diff. 92mm fan and getting some scythe 120mm when my antecs crap out.

Overall a silent system; Currently priming 4 cores and 56 on cpu; 39 on system; and 67 on PWM.

This case is big enough you can get inventive like I have, and add some fans in. YMMV

 

[drbenjamin]

I got this case because of it's rep as quiet and cool. After a fair bit of monkeying around w/fans, etc. I have settled on taking off the side when I OC (which is only when I'm gaming, and only for those games where it makes a difference). Otherwise I just have the PSU fan in the lower section, top and rear fans on low and a fanless Scythe Ninja on the CPU. It's whisper quiet, and when I take off the side I get lower temps than with twice as many fans blowing at med speed. Not ideal, I know, but works for me.

 

[Captain Slow]

I have found the stock Antec fans have fairly poor airflow, no matter what way you configure them.. Best thing you can do is get some better ones, Yate Loon 120mm medium or high-speed should fit the bill. Medium speed is the better compromise as the high speed ones are pretty noisy at 40db.

 

[2k3eblade]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I did most of the above and found that my case temp dropped about 2-3c and my cores dropped 1-2c. However, this is still not as good with the case side panel off. Here is a recent pic of inside the case:

The green arrows represents fan air flow.

 

[Captain Slow]

PSU cables especially around the 5.25" drive bay, area are pretty messy. If it will fit in okay, put the middle HDD cage back in and strap a 120mm fan to it, using the provided clips. This really seems to help bring in some cool air for the whole case, mostly the videocard.

 

[2k3eblade]

PSU cables especially around the 5.25" drive bay, area are pretty messy. If it will fit in okay, put the middle HDD cage back in and strap a 120mm fan to it, using the provided clips. This really seems to help bring in some cool air for the whole case, mostly the videocard.

I installed the middle cage with the stock 120mm fan and this lowered my case temp more by 1-2c and my cores 1c down. I think I am getting close to my ideal temps. Also what the hell is the black box behind the middle cage? When I open it, there is nothing inside of it.

 

[kro9]

I installed the middle cage with the stock 120mm fan and this lowered my case temp more by 1-2c and my cores 1c down. I think I am getting close to my ideal temps. Also what the hell is the black box behind the middle cage? When I open it, there is nothing inside of it.

its for storing screws and stuff, with my p180 the little pack of screws came in it.

 

[PC_User]

I just have the top 2 Antec fans running at low speed, with another 120mm Antec installed into the top hdd cage running at low, as well as the 4th 120mm antec between the PSU and lower hdd cage. I also put a medium speed 120mm Yate Loon into the 5.25" drive bay that blows onto the ram and towards the rear of the case. This setup is relatively quiet and pushes a lot of air. My E6750 cores are around 30-32C at idle.

 

[drdeutsch]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I did most of the above and found that my case temp dropped about 2-3c and my cores dropped 1-2c. However, this is still not as good with the case side panel off. Here is a recent pic of inside the case:

The green arrows represents fan air flow.

What fan are you using to blow in with in front of the lower hard drive cage? How did you mount it? I need to get a fan for right there, but it doesn't really look like I can mount one there.

 

[Kaldskryke]

What fan are you using to blow in with in front of the lower hard drive cage? How did you mount it? I need to get a fan for right there, but it doesn't really look like I can mount one there.

I don't know how 2k3eblade was able to do it, but I had my own way:

There's a metal bracket thingy in the way, but it comes out really easy by drilling out just a couple rivets. Then I just stuck my fan on with double-sided tape. You may have to remove the dust filter as its tabs may contact the fan blades. I just doubled up the tape to get the required seperation, but then I wasn't able to get my drive cage back in afterwards.

 

[drdeutsch]

OK. I've been wondering how I could mount a fan down there to blow in and over my hard drives while still being able to fit the cage back in. I think I may end up moving my hard drives up into the middle cage fan and using the fan to blow cool air over them there.

Not sure, quite yet. I may need to experiment with a few setups.

 

[2k3eblade]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I did most of the above and found that my case temp dropped about 2-3c and my cores dropped 1-2c. However, this is still not as good with the case side panel off. Here is a recent pic of inside the case:

The green arrows represents fan air flow.

I updated the system with new fans to quiet the computer more however my temps slightly raised by 1c. I am thinking of change the direction of the top fan back to blow air out of the case. Here is a more recent pic of inside the case:

OK. I've been wondering how I could mount a fan down there to blow in and over my hard drives while still being able to fit the cage back in. I think I may end up moving my hard drives up into the middle cage fan and using the fan to blow cool air over them there.

Not sure, quite yet. I may need to experiment with a few setups.

I am using a 92mm fan.

 

[ClariorHincHonos]

A. Cable management. Go get some zip ties, take about 2-3 hours, and clean the hell out of it.

B. Research better fans. Some suggestions: Yate Loon for quiet but good airflow, Silverstone, or Skythe S-Flex.

C. Try to pull as much heat out of the case while adding a good amount of cool air. In your case, the top and rear fans should be exhaust. Front fans should be intake. The lower compartment fan should pull air through the hard drives and out toward the PSU.

 

[2k3eblade]

A. Cable management. Go get some zip ties, take about 2-3 hours, and clean the hell out of it.

This is going to sound stupid as hell but how do I cable management? I've seen post where tape was used to keep the power lines behind the P180B case. But I have a P180 case and they don't have those nice little holes for those lines. I'll search around the forums to try to find some examples of cable management. If anyone knows some good examples (of posts or a website diagram) using my P180 it would be greatly appreciated.

B. Research better fans. Some suggestions: Yate Loon for quiet but good airflow, Silverstone, or Skythe S-Flex.

I saw some Yate Loon D12SL-12 for cheap at petrastechshop. I've ordered from them before and they are very personal with their customers which I like a lot.

C. Try to pull as much heat out of the case while adding a good amount of cool air. In your case, the top and rear fans should be exhaust. Front fans should be intake. The lower compartment fan should pull air through the hard drives and out toward the PSU.

I'll reverse the top exhaust fan to see if I get any improvement since I increased the number of intake fans by two. I routed the 24pin ATX power connector through the bottom 120mm fan hole and then moved a 92mm fan in front of the hard drive bay. I don't know if that is ideal but it seems to keep my drives cool.

 

[ClariorHincHonos]

This is going to sound stupid as hell but how do I cable management? I've seen post where tape was used to keep the power lines behind the P180B case. But I have a P180 case and they don't have those nice little holes for those lines. I'll search around the forums to try to find some examples of cable management. If anyone knows some good examples (of posts or a website diagram) using my P180 it would be greatly appreciated.

Check out this thread for wiring ideas:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=791179

I saw some Yate Loon D12SL-12 for cheap at petrastechshop. I've ordered from them before and they are very personal with their customers which I like a lot.

Those are good fans. I use those currently and I'm happy with them. A lot of people will tell you the same.

I'll reverse the top exhaust fan to see if I get any improvement since I increased the number of intake fans by two. I routed the 24pin ATX power connector through the bottom 120mm fan hole and then moved a 92mm fan in front of the hard drive bay. I don't know if that is ideal but it seems to keep my drives cool.

Typically in server cases you see the air pulled through the drives. Obviously this must work, so I'd say that's your best bet. Plus, depending on the model, the 120mm will move more air, which should cool your drives a little better. And hopefully you can find a better way to route the ATX power bundle.


Cable management take a while to learn, it's one of those things where practice makes perfect. You'll see some great examples in that thread. The very base idea of cable management is to clear the airflow path so it circulates unencumbered and easily. Basic supplies you'll need:

1. Diagonal cutters or scissors (something to trim zip ties). I used the diag's because they seem a bit better suited for the job.

2. Zip ties. A variety of sizes comes in handy, and you can get different colors if you want to match things and what not.

3. Tape (optional IMO). Some people use tape...I'm not one of them. But I've seen it used, as you mentioned.

4. Zip tie standoffs (also optional). I like these-I think it makes things look cleaner. Drawbacks are that they are kinda hard to get off, and they don't always fit where you need them.

Let me know if you need anything else, and I'm sure there are some other folks that can offer their opinion as well.

 

[silent-circuit]

Take a dremel and cut out holes of your own in the motherboard tray to route wires, then line them with electrical tape (the good thick rubber kind) to prevent damaging wires you run through. You'll also probably want to notch the 'rib' behind the back panel. Done right, you can get cleaner results than with Antec's own 'access holes'.

 

[2k3eblade]

Take a dremel and cut out holes of your own in the motherboard tray to route wires, then line them with electrical tape (the good thick rubber kind) to prevent damaging wires you run through. You'll also probably want to notch the 'rib' behind the back panel. Done right, you can get cleaner results than with Antec's own 'access holes'.

Another dumb question. Is the motherboard tray removable? I don't remember seeing any release to them on that panel side. Case modding is something I am weak at so I might turn this into a winter break project. I guess I can leave the case panel off if the system gets too hot. Thanks for all the quick responses everyone

 

[silent-circuit]

Another dumb question. Is the motherboard tray removable? I don't remember seeing any release to them on that panel side. Case modding is something I am weak at so I might turn this into a winter break project. I guess I can leave the case panel off if the system gets too hot. Thanks for all the quick responses everyone

Motherboard tray isn't removable, no, but I believe the back panel is, which will let you see the underside of the tray. At least, it is on the later revision cases, and if not you can always drill out the rivets and use 'fan' type screws to close it instead of standard size case screws.. though I seriously doubt this'll be an issue. Just make sure you take /everything/ out before dremeling/drilling anything to avoid screwing it up with little metal shavings, and make sure you vacuum and wipe everything down well before reassembling the system. Take your time with it.