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How Should I Setup My Fans

L

lcboyee1123

Gawd
Joined
Aug 9, 2004
Messages
541
I'm gonna get the Silverston TJ05-X that can hold up to 5 fans....1x120mm intake, 1x120mm exhaust, and 3x80mm fans...2 on the left side window near the graphics cards and 1 on the right behind the hard drive rails...now, my question is, what is the best way to set these fans up...obviously the front 120mm fan is intake and the rear 120mm is exhaust, but how should i set up the other three fans for optimal cooling?? and also, what are some recommendations for some good 80mm fans? i think im gettin the thermaltake 120mm fans with Blue LEDs since blue is the "theme" of my case...but i need some 80mm suggestions pref. without LED's since the 2 120mm fans and the two cold cathodes that im gettin will be a bit much...thanks guys!
 
You know, you don't have to use all five- more isn't always better. My case, for example, is a Chieftec Matrix. It has mountings for two 80s in the back, two eighties in the front, and one in the side panel by the video. What I did with it:
Lower of the two on the back, intake onto the CPU
Side, intake across the video
Front, exhaust. You can choose if you have multiple, I took the lower of the two- it doesn't block any hard drives.
That's it! It's silent and effective.
There's also a 120mm PSU fan, but that just siphons off a little from that back intake and spirals it right back out.

My CPU never breaks 45C, and my case temps are 46C at full load. This is with an XP@2.4, and a GF6800 unlocked and overclocked.
 
yea but i figured it is always better gettin fresh air on ur key components?? would it be a good idea to just havae 1 side fan intake on video card and 1 fan exhaust for hard drives then?
 
I'd say yes. Intake at the back, intake at the side (1x), and exhaust in front, by HDs. This is how I have mine set up.
 
err what i was sayin was have the reg. 120mm in the front as intake and the right side 80mm as exhaust for the HD Cage...and then have an 80mm intake on the left side by vid card and the standard 120mm exhuast in the back?
 
You want to minimize turbulence in your case, as this creates noise and often lowers efficiency. Having an intake and an exhaust with a 90-degree twist will cause lots of turbulence. Besides, your hard drives don't need their dedicated air channels, just make sure they have a fresh supply of air. This is way the single 120mm at the front is adequate.
Also realize that the side intake is under your video card, while your 120mm exhaust (back) would be above it. The reason I have both of these as intakes is to reduce eddies inside the case. (Eddies=turbulence and hot spots.)

The only downside to the design I described is that the exhaust is actually lower than either of the intakes, which creates some extra work. It would actually work better if I turned my case upside down, a la BTX. (Hmmm... That gives me an idea! Flipping the opticals should be easy, flipping floppies- gasp!- is a piece of cake, and the only problems left are my PSU and the door on my case!)
 
I personally have mine set up like this: 2x80mm intakes in front of hdds; 1x80mm intake on side panel in middle; 1x90mm slot exhaust 3 slots below my video card; 1x80mm exhaust underneath my psu at the same level as the cpu heatsink; power supply fan goes right over processor. I get idle temps around 30C and load of about 35C. My video card idles at 53C.
 
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