Case Fan placement

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Carv

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jul 5, 2005
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Alright, I have two fans in the front of the case blowing air in and one on the side blowing air in aswell (all 80 mm) then I have one 80mm in the back of the case under the PSU blowing air out. Now I was thinking of replacing my 80mm fan in the back with a 120mm (Which will fit), but dont know if it would be a smart choice or not.
 
my server case has 2 80s in front and 1 120 in back
when i added the 120 and cut out eh grills i drop temps almost 10f
its very quiet also...i would go ahead and do it
 
Carv said:
Alright, I have two fans in the front of the case blowing air in and one on the side blowing air in aswell (all 80 mm) then I have one 80mm in the back of the case under the PSU blowing air out. Now I was thinking of replacing my 80mm fan in the back with a 120mm (Which will fit), but dont know if it would be a smart choice or not.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you have a pressurized setup right now. This is both good and bad. Good: All the accessories (drives, cards, etc) have seams where they "meat" the edge of the case, and the pressurized air will try and escape thru those seams. This will cool those components a little more than with equal airflow in/out. Bad: Without filters on every intake fan, dust will accumulate in those seams, especially inside the optical drives, never a good thing. And the case air will not be exchanged as quickly as an equal airflow setup would.
The best bet is to have just as many intake and exhaust fans to equalize the airflow, and make it move in ONE direction (front-to-back is best) So adding the 120 at the rear will help exhaust air faster, making your case more equal in the airflow department. Do it!
 
120mm fans are better then 80 if you have the space, since it is your only exaust it will help out a lot more because it can push air much faster than a 80 mm fan and is quiter too...probably
 
Thanks for the replies so far guys, I'm going to post two pics of my case now, and maybe that can help you out a little more.

First: Pic 1

If you notice, that fan that I have on the side of the case is blowing air right into the Zalman, and the Zalman is distributing it through the surrounding area. That 80mm that you see in the back is the one that I'm thinking about replacing, but I'm afraid that if I put the 120 there that it will rob the air that the fan on the side is bringing in. Also notice the PSU on the top, there is a fan on the bottom of it and that other fan that's visible, the fan in the back of the PSU is obviously taking out air aswell.


Second: Pic 2

Here is just to show you that the two fans that are in the front of the case are only bringing air in through those little holes, so I dont really know how much air is getting in there.

I was thinking about getting some sound dampeners for the PSU and fan to try and take care of some of the sound.
 
You could try to match the airflow (cfm, or cubic feet per minute) rate of the existing 80mm fan with a new 120mm fan. That way, you don't have to worry about the larger fan stealing any of that cool air, like you're worried about. :)
 
Carv said:
Any more help?
Click to expand...
Carv, that 80mm in the side could have a 80-120 adapter attached on the back of the fan. That will bring the air DIRECTLY to the Zalman.You may need a "deep" version adapter, if they even make them. Then add the 120 at the back panel. Your airflow troubles would be over.
 
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