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Airflow

D

Decker87

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
415
This question is mainly about airflow. I'm guessing this is the forum where airflow is discussed the most, so I put it here.

Anyway, I'm building a cheap computer for my girlfriend's family. They won't be playing any games and I won't be overclocking it that much. The problem is, they have a really, really crappy computer desk. It hides pretty much the entire case, the sides only have about 3" of clearance and a little more on the top. The back of the computer desk has a few slits about 3 inches long and maybe an inch wide for a little airflow.

My question is, what kind of airflow could work with this? I've been looking at this case here , but will the side fan that runs air to the HSF do any good?

Can it suck very much air from a basically stagnant area about the size of two big dictionaries lain on top eachother?

What are some other options?

Also, how big of a difference will applying Arctic Silver rather than whatever they package in retail CPUs make?
 
I see people are viewing this topic, feel free to post your input...any is appreciated.
 
Can you cut any from the back of the desk? That would help.

Is the case area of the desk in front exposed? If not, can you cut out a section and mount in some speaker cover fabric? That way air can be drawn in.

Depending on the case, you could mod it to put a 120 in front, that would help.

Eventhough the side only has 3" of clearence, it still can get air from the side. Not as much as you might like, but it still gets some.
 
first of all what are going to be the system specs and are they onnly going to use it for word processingh and surfing the web?
 
Yeah, depends on the system you are building, if its some crazy prescott rig, your gonna need more airflow, but if its just a northwood or AXP or something, shouldn't be a problem
 
It's a celeron D setup that's, well, cheap...they don't have a lot of money right now.

I won't be doing a ton of overclocking, but even for a stock CPU better airflow is always better, so I just want the best I can get.
 
your going to overclock for your girlfriends family? wouldnt they jsut want it to be stock since they arent doing any opwer hungry apps.? there should be a way to mod the desk, you can maybe remove or drill the back of the desk right? or take away one of the sides?
 
No, they won't want me to do anything with the desk. MAYBE cut slightly bigge rholes in the back, but that's it. And yes, I will overclock a little bit...not that they will notice the difference, but since they will want the numbers, they will think more of me since I did more with it.
 
If you can get them to authorize cutting just a little hole in the side of the desk, where you have that vent on the side of the case, you could set up a funnel that will allow fresh, hopefully coolish, air into the case. You could also cut a hole in the top of the case, and mount a 80 or 120mm fan to vent heat up.
 
Would a simple blowhole on top the case also help with this? Is there any way I can dremel a blowhole and make it look professional?
 
Putting a blowhole in the top will help some, most likely. Head to the case modding forum and I'm sure they can point you in the right direction. Just a word of warning; if you're going to do some dremel work, I'd get a shit case and try cutting that first - it'll give you some experience so that you don't much up the case that is going to be used for the computer, meaning that it will hopefully look, as you put it, more "professional."
 
Peach said:
Or just buy a case with a blowhole :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Without knowing how much he wants that particular case, and depending on the bits and pieces that he has lying around, it might be cheaper to just cut the blowhole and save some cash, hence my suggestion.
 
I have a prescott so I know about heat (unoffically). Depending on your fan count you should try and have one more exsaust than intake ratio. ex... 3 blowing out 2 blowing in

Blowing "cool" air onto your CPU is:
1. NOT EFFECTIVE
2. Good way to gunk up the CPU with dust.
3. Not allowing your cpu fan to do it's job.
4. Inhibits the intake fan unless you perfectly match fan speeds.
5. Disrupts air flow.

Intakes should be in the FRONT of the case...AWAY from the CPU.

All fans around the cpu should aid in drawing heat away from the CPU.
1. The fans in the rear should be blowing OUT.
2. The side fan/s should be set to blow out as well.
3. Blowing "cool" air directly to your cpu traps the hot air around your cpu and keeps it there.

Overclocking...

Unless your going to be the unpaid sys. admin for your girlfriends computer I would NOT overclock her system.
1. Any overclock creates system unstabilities
2. When it crashes (it will) they'll call you.
3. That might be an exscuse to go over though...

I could get more indepth but this is already a LONG post.

Recommendation.

Set fans in front to blow air INTO the case.
Set fans in rear and side (near cpu) to blow air OUT of the case.

Arctic Silver (5) is a GODSEND..Absolutely recommend. It alone brought temps in the high 60c down to low 30c..
1. Don't add too much..more is NOT more.
2. Anything with a heat sink wants/begs AS5.

I don't pesonnally have a blowhole on top of my case. But it would SEEM like a good idea, except that it would disrupt the airflow from the front to back...Unless it is a TALL or server case, where this a large area for a heat pocket to form.

Last but NOT least.

Cable management!!! all the fans in the world do not replace cable management. That is another post for a another time.

Take a look at the other threads about cable management for tips tricks and pics of that science.

I'm no expert all this is PURELY from experience and what I learned in school.

have fun experiment and post up to tell us how it worked/didn't work.
 
Thanks enigma. No offense to the rest of you but that's the most helpful reply I've gotten on these forums. I guess the computer I am typing this on right now is done wrong too...I have two fans right next to the CPU blowing in and one going out (nothing in the front). I guess I will have to redo this.
 
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