# Airflow in a cheap case



## Thimblewad (Sep 22, 2016)

Soooo, I got myself this Thermaltake BlackEdition V3 a while ago, paid 30€ for it, it's pretty, a lot of fans can be put in it and I like it. I recently bought a few Arctic Cooling F12 fans (yes, 120 mm) and I tried to somewhat make an okay airflow. To give you an idea how everything is put together, I made this super-duper picture:






Blue arrows: intake
Red arrows: exhaust
Yellow? square: represents another fan that is on the side panel.

Also, to clarify why things are good this way (in my opinion): the GPU exhausts it's hot air on the side, so the side-panel fan exhausts all that air out immediately. Also, the fan on top is blowing air inside, feeding it to the CPU cooler and then it get's exhausted out. Is this a good way of putting it together? haha.

P.s.: Here are my idle temps:


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## DeathtoGnomes (Sep 22, 2016)

There is a old saying: Heat Rises.

Its like a fan that is never there but is always running at full speed.


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## eidairaman1 (Sep 22, 2016)

The top panel fans, back panel fan should be exhaust, bottom panel fan and front panel fan should be intake, if you have any side panel fans they should be intake. In due honesty I have 4 fans in my big case and my cpu is oc to 5.1GHz, no side panel fans at all


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## Thimblewad (Sep 22, 2016)

Well, if I put the top panel fan to exhaust wouldn't I get weird airflow, since the CPU fan blows air in the other direction and they would both be intaking air from "thin air"? Also, wouldn't doing the same to the side panel fan mess up the airflow that is coming from the GPU? For better understanding, I can takes pictures of the PC no problem, just let me know because then I have to unplug it


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## eidairaman1 (Sep 22, 2016)

Since heat builds at the top you have to have an efficient means of shitting it out. My case from manufacturer has the top fan as exhaust.

Ps set your front and bottom fan for a little higher speed for positive pressure.


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## erocker (Sep 22, 2016)

Bottom and front, in. Top and back, out. You may want to use a higher RPM fan in the front as your case is negatively charged due to having more exhaust.

*Sorry heh, just noticed eidairaman1 just posted the same thing.


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## slozomby (Sep 22, 2016)

Leonardo997 said:


> Well, if I put the top panel fan to exhaust wouldn't I get weird airflow, since the CPU fan blows air in the other direction and they would both be intaking air from "thin air"? Also, wouldn't doing the same to the side panel fan mess up the airflow that is coming from the GPU? For better understanding, I can takes pictures of the PC no problem, just let me know because then I have to unplug it



do you have both fan slots on the top in use? if you are using the top as intake you should only be using the front slot to put air in front of the cpu fan. if the fan is on the back slot its exhaust. if using 2 fans they're both exhaust.

most GPU fans push air onto the card rather than pull air away from it. so the side fan is there to supply air to the fans on the card.


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## DeathtoGnomes (Sep 22, 2016)

side fans were intended as a cheap way to direct airflow towards the video card. smaller and narrow mid-tower cases didnt have enough free space for hot air below the video card to have an adequate escape path, the side fan pushes fresh air in that direction. Bottoms fans help tremendously there too.


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## Thimblewad (Sep 22, 2016)

*@DeathtoGnomes* - I have a mid tower "sleeper" and there's maybe 3-4 cm (1.2-1.6") of space between the card and the panel when the case is closed. For example: My AC Freezer Ex. misses the panel by maybe .5 cm (0.2"). Is it then a good idea to go intake?

*@slozomby* -  As shown in the picture, only one slot on top is used. The second one is blocked by the CPU cooler. The front fan is intake, the top fan is intake and the bottom fan is intake.

*@eidairaman1* - Using and old Akasa fan controller so the fan speed thing: noted.

*@slozomby & @eidairaman1* - The GPU fans blow the air onto the card, but it flows out on the side of the GPU unit, which is right in the middle of the side panel fan (about 1 cm (0.4") away). That's why I think it's better that the side panel fan continues the airflow that comes out of the GPU and increases it.

I may be going to deep into this but man, I seek wisdom.

Thanks for the replies!


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## DeathtoGnomes (Sep 22, 2016)

Leonardo997 said:


> *@DeathtoGnomes* - I have a mid tower "sleeper" and there's maybe 3-4 cm (1.2-1.6") of space between the card and the panel when the case is closed. For example: My AC Freezer Ex. misses the panel by maybe .5 cm (0.2"). Is it then a good idea to go intake?
> 
> ....
> 
> Thanks for the replies!



between the card and the bottom of the case is dead air, there is not a lot fo air flow there, if the side panel fan is mounted higher, than the case was designed for that fan to blow onto the CPU with a stock cooler. Being you have a Freezer and not the stock cooler, you can do what you like with the panel fan. 

Do you have your Freezer so that it blows air out the back? or can you turn it to blow out the top?


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## ASOT (Sep 22, 2016)

Front need if possible 2x120/140 intake,top need to exhaust air from mobo,cpu..back exhaust,side exhaust(if u want keep it clean)


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## Jetster (Sep 23, 2016)

If you don't have bad heat issues you can have the top blowing in and only the back out. Positive pressure is much cleaner with filters

So every fan in only the rear out


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## Caring1 (Sep 23, 2016)

Turn the CPU cooler 90 degrees so it blows out the top, then the hot air rising gets assisted on the way out.


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## jboydgolfer (Sep 23, 2016)

About 7 years ago I bought a Thermaltake commander and even tho it was cheap it too had decent or better airflow


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## rtwjunkie (Sep 23, 2016)

You definitely want the front and bottoms as intakes like you have.  If possible, put more powerful fans on those intakes for positive pressure.  

As to the top, you asked if having both top exhausts as exhaust would impede the country getting air. Simple answer: no.  That's one of the reasons for the higher flow intake fans.

As has been said, the side panel has been designed to pump fresh air right onto the GPU.  Try it as exhaust and intake.  I have found on cases where I have a side it is more trouble and impeded airflow more than anything.  Usually the top and back exhausts have no trouble removing heat from all components.


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## P4-630 (Sep 23, 2016)

Back and top exhaust is the best way of doing it IMO.


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## Thimblewad (Sep 23, 2016)

Hey everyone! Sorry for the late reply, working in a pizzeria is just a fantastic job.

Well, after some tinkering, I got the PC out and turned the side panel fan so it's intake. Guess what? When I do that, the side panel bends in an odd way and prevents the fan from spinning at all. After that, I removed the fan altogether, did a 15-minute gaming test and the GPU is about 2-3 °C hotter without it, so I left it as is. All other components have the same temperature.

Then, I turned around the top fan (exhaust this time around) and the CPU temps went up almost 5 °C. I believe the reason for that is that the air sucked in by the front fan isn't enough (it's blocked by 2 HDDs and an SSD) and therefore the intake on top is needed for the CPU fan to work normally.

For best understanding, I'm including two pictures of my case so you get the idea (there's no cable management and I have a shitload of stuff in my PC):




↑ The front fan's air is mostly blocked by the HDDs and SSD. ↑




↑ The CPU cooler can't be turned in any way so I believe what I have set-up now is the best way to go through. ↑

P.s.: At no point in time was I asking to have 2 fans on top, that is impossible because of my CPU cooler anyway.

*Cable ties FTW*


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## rtwjunkie (Sep 24, 2016)

Well, it's not normal or best practice, but if that setup gets you the lowest temperatures, that's what you should use!


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## slozomby (Sep 24, 2016)

looking at the picture with all the gear in it makes more sense.

the only thing I can think of that should improve airflow would be to move the hard drives up to the 5 1/4 bays. either with standard brackets or something like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DGZ42SM/?tag=tec06d-20
with the backplane you'll get a little more air in the cpu area, offset somewhat by the fact that its cooling the drives.

that way you free up the bottom front fan to pull air towards the gpu.

possibly blocking the top rear grill to force the air across the cpu heatsink.


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## natr0n (Sep 24, 2016)

My advice run the case open like shown no case doors/panels. The only issue will be dust.


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## Caring1 (Sep 24, 2016)

Leonardo997 said:


> P.s.: At no point in time was I asking to have 2 fans on top, that is impossible because of my CPU cooler anyway.
> 
> *Cable ties FTW*


Not if you mount them externally to pull air out, or blow it in.


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## DeathtoGnomes (Sep 24, 2016)

Caring1 said:


> Not if you mount them externally to pull air out, or blow it in.



I was gonna say this. I did that with lighted fans in a case mod build (this case.) because the case was too small. Sometimes you have to give up on the looks to get what works well. The other option here is buy a bigger case.  


I agree move those platter drives up out of the way of the front fan, and the SSD down 2 slots.


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## peche (Sep 26, 2016)

this is a great idea for cooling on your case sir!





also the correct airflow for your case is this one:






Regards


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## Thimblewad (Sep 26, 2016)

peche said:


> this is a great idea for cooling on your case sir!
> /picture/
> also the correct airflow for your case is this one:
> /picture/
> Regards



I'd go for any of those two, but the first picture shows GPU's that have a blower fan (most probably) and I can't go with the second one because my side panel fan doesn't "fit" if I put it on intake. I have concluded that the best setup is my initial one. Of course, you all helped a lot and I wouldn't know that without you.

Thanks guys!


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## DeathtoGnomes (Sep 26, 2016)

Leonardo997 said:


> I'd go for any of those two, but the first picture shows GPU's that have a blower fan (most probably) and I can't go with the second one because my side panel fan doesn't "fit" if I put it on intake. I have concluded that the best setup is my initial one. Of course, you all helped a lot and I wouldn't know that without you.
> 
> Thanks guys!


would ya mind posting couple pics of the side panel fan mounted on both intake and exhaust?


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## peche (Sep 30, 2016)

Thimblewad said:


> I'd go for any of those two, but the first picture shows GPU's that have a blower fan (most probably) and I can't go with the second one because my side panel fan doesn't "fit" if I put it on intake. I have concluded that the best setup is my initial one. Of course, you all helped a lot and I wouldn't know that without you.
> 
> Thanks guys!


@Thimblewad giving a nice cable management to your rig will also provide better temps, 


Regards,


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## Thimblewad (Oct 4, 2016)

Well, here it is. After some tinkering (again) and putting all my HDDs and the SSD on the 5.25" bays to clear the front fan airflow, I get the following result (room temperature 20 °C):


Idle:
Auto fans ↓





Manual fans (100%) ↓



Full load (CPU+GPU):
Auto fans ↓



Manual fans (100%) ↓



Honestly, there still may be room for improvement, but considering I have quite a hot system, everything is only air-cooled, I think that the results I'm getting are quite remarkable and I don't really feel like rearanging everything just to drop the temperatures by a degree.

*Both the CPU and GPU are overclocked and overvolted so these results should not really be compared to anything except to the same overclocked and overvolted components that I have (read signature)!*


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## Vayra86 (Oct 4, 2016)

Speaking from experience here, this case had my previous system in it.

- It's a loud case - zero sound dampening and very little in terms of vibration dampening. Place it on a solid surface. A piece of heavy material like thick carpet or vinyl will help alot with dampening the HDD resonance.

- It's a dusty case. custom fan filters are a *must* if you don't want to use it as a vacuum cleaner. Especially front and bottom.

- It cools well, its almost entirely open on every end, so don't over do it with case fans, it's a waste of time. One intake on the front for your HDDs and one out which is preinstalled at the back will do you fine, adding more won't help you at all. Been there done that  The GPU cooler will direct the airflow out to top/back as well. IF you place more case fans, you should also start covering some holes, (wind tunnel effect) most notably the ones at the top and bottom of the case. If you want to add an extra fan, use the bottom port for an extra intake fan, and stick to ONE exhaust at the back. Cover the holes on the top with something. That will reduce the dust buildup and maintain good temps.

Bottom line, don't go overboard. If you want better case cooling, you will need a better case, and especially one with dust filters.

Note that the AIDA64 benches are pretty light especially for GPU, compared to in-game load.


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## peche (Oct 4, 2016)

I have a friend that have an Tt V3 and has a complete setup on it, Watercooling AIO, SLi and he achieves great temps, he have a great cable management,  and also he added another fans, for better cooling!

as a advise, take out DVD drive, which is seldom used this times and Ziptie another fan on that place for giving extra strength to your airflow!, also try to clean out the most cables you are able to, and use the provided Air flow information given on the case, that case also its pretty old, is like one of the first ones with the bottom placed  PSU, he might have dust filters, which are like pretty simple, and could be washed,  but the cable management its pretty important, cables could block airflow, trap some dust an look pretty ugly… like a public library computer…



Spoiler: Cablemanagement on Tt's V3

















Regards,


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## jboydgolfer (Oct 4, 2016)

@op, I'm not clear if you mean that your case is running too hot or you're just preventatively thinking out the air flow. A great option would be to get one of those PCI mounted fans that remove heat that is originating in the gpu area, they are cheap and effective for the most part.  In my experience if airflow becomes a problem instead of trying to manage heat it is better to try to prevent Heat.meaning reduce the generated heat via more effective gpu cooling,  switching to SSDs, or something along those lines, basically address the issue from both ends.Wire management would also likely help

by PCI fan i mean one of these, the price i found was $6-$much more, but this exact one was $8usd.


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## Thimblewad (Oct 4, 2016)

Guys, after so many of you saying I should manage my cables and maybe rethink this whole situation... I snapped. And after going to the store, buying cable ties, hard-modding the case, a pack of cigarettes, a couple of beers and having a few nervous breakdowns, this is it's "final form", it's over 9000! 

I added a fan infront on the top of the case, because the lower intake fan is blocked by the HDDs anyways, but that's pretty much it. Also, cable management (I wish I had cable sleeves but hey, I'm allright)

  

I hope I did well, it took me 4 hours ffs xD


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## Kanan (Oct 4, 2016)

Thimblewad said:


> Guys, after so many of you saying I should manage my cables and maybe rethink this whole situation... I snapped. And after going to the store, buying cable ties, hard-modding the case, a pack of cigarettes, a couple of beers and having a few nervous breakdowns, this is it's "final form", it's over 9000!
> 
> I added a fan infront on the top of the case, because the lower intake fan is blocked by the HDDs anyways, but that's pretty much it. Also, cable management (I wish I had cable sleeves but hey, I'm allright)
> 
> ...


Yeah good job, I guess that case couldn't be much better ventilated.


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## jboydgolfer (Oct 4, 2016)

Thimblewad said:


> Guys, after so many of you saying I should manage my cables and maybe rethink this whole situation... I snapped



i meant no offense, it was only a added suggestion to increase airflow and thereby cooling.


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## peche (Oct 4, 2016)

Thimblewad said:


> Guys, after so many of you saying I should manage my cables and maybe rethink this whole situation... I snapped. And after going to the store, buying cable ties, hard-modding the case, a pack of cigarettes, a couple of beers and having a few nervous breakdowns, this is it's "final form", it's over 9000!
> 
> I added a fan infront on the top of the case, because the lower intake fan is blocked by the HDDs anyways, but that's pretty much it. Also, cable management (I wish I had cable sleeves but hey, I'm allright)
> 
> ...


great job! im proud of that work even when i have nothing to be with it! 
hop the temps will lowerdown, and you hardware will live moar!

Regards,


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## Thimblewad (Oct 4, 2016)

jboydgolfer said:


> i meant no offense, it was only a added suggestion to increase airflow and thereby cooling.



No no no no no no no, no hard feelings, hahahaha, something just clicked in my head and well, I started and finished a new project with my computer and I can't tell you how happy I feel right now!



peche said:


> great job! im proud of that work even when i have nothing to be with it!
> hop the temps will lowerdown, and you hardware will live moar!



The temps aren't really a problem, they never were, I just don't have much of a life and I spend time doing stuff to my PC, haha. Idle temps:





Guys, thanks for the support, I believe my PC finally has a bit of that "gaming PC" look and it works fantastic!


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## peche (Oct 4, 2016)

@Thimblewad we are here to help! and also we are happy to see you did a good to your own rig!
 have a great day sir!

Regards,


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## rtwjunkie (Oct 4, 2016)

Thimblewad said:


> Guys, after so many of you saying I should manage my cables and maybe rethink this whole situation... I snapped. And after going to the store, buying cable ties, hard-modding the case, a pack of cigarettes, a couple of beers and having a few nervous breakdowns, this is it's "final form", it's over 9000!
> 
> I added a fan infront on the top of the case, because the lower intake fan is blocked by the HDDs anyways, but that's pretty much it. Also, cable management (I wish I had cable sleeves but hey, I'm allright)
> 
> ...



You did well with the cable management!


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## DeathtoGnomes (Oct 5, 2016)

Awesome modding there, clean too. With that bottom fan you dont need to move the hard drives and that upp front fan looks like it belonged there the whole time. 

Soooooooooooooo..... When ya gonna paint the case?


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## Thimblewad (Oct 5, 2016)

peche said:


> @Thimblewad we are here to help! and also we are happy to see you did a good to your own rig!
> have a great day sir!
> 
> Regards,


TPU has never dissapointed me and if there's anything I need to know, I know this is the place to ask. The only thing that makes me sad is the fact that I haven't noticed that earlier, but well, now I have the chance to "redeem myself", haha. + I'm improving my English, what more could I ask for, heh.



rtwjunkie said:


> You did well with the cable management!


Thank you!



DeathtoGnomes said:


> Awesome modding there, clean too. With that bottom fan you dont need to move the hard drives and that upp front fan looks like it belonged there the whole time.
> 
> Soooooooooooooo..... When ya gonna paint the case?


Paint the case? Dude, dude, don't go there, hahahahahaha. Thinking of color, I think that everything in my case, you know, "fits" together, except of course the cables, but that will be sorted when I buy a new power supply. This one might be good enough for years to come so I'm not bothering. I'd need another black SATA cable tho.
The only thing I'm painting are the front fan screws, they MUST be black. The front fan was a hard mod I did today, I had to use A LOT of tools, but it was totally worth it.


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## Vario (Oct 5, 2016)

Ditch the grills on that front fan and any other fans, fans work a lot better without grills and the front fan has some 5.25 mesh vent or something in front which would keep your hands out of the blades.


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## Thimblewad (Oct 5, 2016)

Vario said:


> Ditch the grills on that front fan and any other fans, fans work a lot better without grills and the front fan has some 5.25 mesh vent or something in front which would keep your hands out of the blades.



The grill on the upper front fan is there for spacing, because otherwise the blades scratch on the case. But I will remove both of the grills inside. Unfortunately, the one on the top fan is there for safety reasons, since the fan is on the outside of the case (don't want my brother going there with his fingers, or even myself by accident).


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## DeathtoGnomes (Oct 5, 2016)

I wouldnt cut that front mesh at all since it will help somewhat filter some dust, its easier to clean that outer mesh than inside anywhere. The steel wire grills dont impede air flow all that much, so dont worry about that top fan at all, although, its a shame it didnt fit inside the case, its a thick fan.

There are people that dont care or dont have to worry about dust, they also cry that the sky is falling.


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 5, 2016)

Add a fan on the back of the motherboard socket


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## Thimblewad (Oct 5, 2016)

DeathtoGnomes said:


> I wouldnt cut that front mesh at all since it will help somewhat filter some dust, its easier to clean that outer mesh than inside anywhere. The steel wire grills dont impede air flow all that much, so dont worry about that top fan at all, although, its a shame it didnt fit inside the case, its a thick fan.
> 
> There are people that dont care or dont have to worry about dust, they also cry that the sky is falling.



There's no way I'm cutting anything, the hard-mod for the fan was enough for me already, haha. And as far as dust is concerned, if you look at the picture I posted after managing the cables, the PC was last cleaned at least a month ago, no dust filters what-so-ever.



eidairaman1 said:


> Add a fan on the back of the motherboard socket



You mean on the other side-panel? I don't really think I wanna do that, hahaha.


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## slozomby (Oct 5, 2016)

nice job. the only thing i'd recommend is putting a space between those spinning disks but I'm not sure how much more air that would provide and you might have to redo a coupla cables. probly more effort than its worth.


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## Thimblewad (Oct 5, 2016)

slozomby said:


> nice job. the only thing i'd recommend is putting a space between those spinning disks but I'm not sure how much more air that would provide and you might have to redo a coupla cables. probly more effort than its worth.



Thanks. Well, I could actually go and put the SSD one slot lower and then do the same with the lower HDD, no need to do anything to the cables, it's possible, but I think that 25 °C is okay for the HDDs, the front fan is doing a good job.


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## micropage7 (Oct 5, 2016)

Thimblewad said:


> Thanks. Well, I could actually go and put the SSD one slot lower and then do the same with the lower HDD, no need to do anything to the cables, it's possible, but I think that 25 °C is okay for the HDDs, the front fan is doing a good job.


dont forget to put some air filter to catch some dust


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## peche (Oct 5, 2016)

DeathtoGnomes said:


> Awesome modding there, clean too. With that bottom fan you dont need to move the hard drives and that upp front fan looks like it belonged there the whole time.
> 
> Soooooooooooooo..... When ya gonna paint the case?





Thimblewad said:


> Paint the case? Dude, dude, don't go there, hahahahahaha. Thinking of color, I think that everything in my case, you know, "fits" together, except of course the cables, but that will be sorted when I buy a new power supply. This one might be good enough for years to come so I'm not bothering. I'd need another black SATA cable tho.
> The only thing I'm painting are the front fan screws, they MUST be black. The front fan was a hard mod I did today, I had to use A LOT of tools, but it was totally worth it.


its better to mod the case and add a bigass window on it, which is pretty easy, all you need its a dremel for making the cuts, and something to rivet the new window, 



Vario said:


> Ditch the grills on that front fan and any other fans, fans work a lot better without grills and the front fan has some 5.25 mesh vent or something in front which would keep your hands out of the blades.


thats a great advise! + 1  here



DeathtoGnomes said:


> I wouldnt cut that front mesh at all since it will help somewhat filter some dust, its easier to clean that outer mesh than inside anywhere. The steel wire grills dont impede air flow all that much, so dont worry about that top fan at all, although, its a shame it didnt fit inside the case, its a thick fan.
> 
> There are people that dont care or dont have to worry about dust, they also cry that the sky is falling.


well, the mesh on that case its pretty decent and also works great as dust filter, otherwise dust will be turbo pushed inside




Regards,


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## RealNeil (Oct 5, 2016)

peche said:


> this is a great idea for cooling on your case sir!
> 
> 
> 
> ...





eidairaman1 said:


> The top panel fans, back panel fan should be exhaust, bottom panel fan and front panel fan should be intake, if you have any side panel fans they should be intake. In due honesty I have 4 fans in my big case and my cpu is oc to 5.1GHz, no side panel fans at all



This way will produce the best results. It works via the principle of convection whereby heat rises, and it brings cool side-panel air directly toward your GPU. (helpful in SLI/Crossfire situations too)

EDIT: I just got a look at your finished case and I have to say that you did a good job on it.
This should work for you for a long time. You certainly maxed out the cooling capabilities of that case on air cooling.


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## peche (Oct 5, 2016)

RealNeil said:


> This way will produce the best results. It works via the principle of convection whereby heat rises, and it brings cool side-panel air directly toward your GPU. (helpful in SLI/Crossfire situations too)


the bad thing here is that the sid panel isnt working or could not be using a fan since the video card blockes the fan place... but the cable management might maximize airflow inside case, 

Regards,


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## RealNeil (Oct 5, 2016)

He did the best he could with what he's got. When it's possible to use a side panel fan, it helps a lot.
And you're right about the cable management.


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 5, 2016)

Thimblewad said:


> There's no way I'm cutting anything, the hard-mod for the fan was enough for me already, haha. And as far as dust is concerned, if you look at the picture I posted after managing the cables, the PC was last cleaned at least a month ago, no dust filters what-so-ever.
> 
> 
> 
> You mean on the other side-panel? I don't really think I wanna do that, hahaha.



so the case doesnt have  cutout over where the CPU sits normally in the motherboard tray?


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## peche (Oct 5, 2016)

eidairaman1 said:


> so the case doesnt have  cutout over where the CPU sits normally in the motherboard tray?


yes it has, take a look


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## Shrike42 (Oct 5, 2016)

natr0n said:


> My advice run the case open like shown no case doors/panels. The only issue will be dust.



Not sure it's a good idea to run with the panels off from what I understand, as this would actually disrupt the airflow one is trying to direct over the components and could actually result in higher temps.


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## natr0n (Oct 5, 2016)

Shrike42 said:


> Not sure it's a good idea to run with the panels off from what I understand, as this would actually disrupt the airflow one is trying to direct over the components and could actually result in higher temps.




Ask yourself this. People use open test bench systems right do they ever have higher temps ?

If you place fans where you know hotspots exist you have no issues.


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## peche (Oct 5, 2016)

natr0n said:


> Ask yourself this. People use open test bench systems right do they ever have higher temps ?
> 
> If you place fans where you know hotspots exist you have no issues.


respect that opinion but not shared it... cases are  meant to be used with bot panels and closed, not gonna discuss the topic...

Regards,


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## natr0n (Oct 5, 2016)

peche said:


> respect that opinion but not shared it... cases are  meant to be used with bot panels and closed, not gonna discuss the topic...
> 
> Regards,




I use lots of hard drives and swap them out so because of that I'm used to having no case/panels. 

Of course if you have a modern case you want everything closed.


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## Vayra86 (Oct 5, 2016)

There is the dust issue. Open cases are just a bad idea.

@OP: great job!


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## Thimblewad (Oct 6, 2016)

Again, I can't thank you all enough for all the help.

I see that some of you are thinking of going open-case style and whatnot, but since the beginning, my task was to make my PC look like a "sleeper". That's why I have decided to keep the case closed and not too flashy. The only thing that bothers me when it comes to looks is the fan on top but unfortunately, I cannot place it any other way than on the outside of the case itself (the RAM clamps interfere with the fan).

As far as the temperatures go, I have tested many different scenarios, fans on, off, intake, exhaust and all sorts of mumbo-jumbo with them and stress test after stress test, the current configuration yields the best results. Also, my computer was never really running hot, I just wanted it to run a little bit cooler. In-game temperatures for the GPU never go over 55 °C (see signature, Furmark: 67 °C) and the CPU never goes above 40 °C(AIDA only 35??) (also see signature).

Dust. Another issue quite a few of you are worried about. I live in a village, my house isn't that dusty and I'm totally fine if I clean my PC every 2 months or so. I know that winter is coming, we'll be heating the house and everything, and that of course means more dust, but I am not concerned about that at all. If the need arises, I will buy some dust filters and install them.

Also, a lot of time before I got to this many fans and all, I already had issues with vibrations caused by the fans. Solution? Well, you're gonna laugh but here goes: I put some double-sided thick duct tape between every fan and the case itself (a pad about 0,5 cm x 0,5 cm) where the screws go and I haven't had any vibration issues to date (I know anti-vibration bolts exist but "ain't nobody got time fo dat" )

So what's left for me to do?
I'm definetly ditching the grills on the side-panel and bottom fans, the other ones must stay for reasons stated before. After that, maybe I'll just go clean everything up (I haven't cleaned it for a month by the way, see post #31) and take some more pictures 

EDIT:
Comparing to what we've started with and what we've accomplished, I think we all did a great job. In the beginning, I never in my wildest dreams imagined, that this thread will reach such a huge amount of support and regular updates. You're the best!

Before (clickety-click on the image):


After (clickety-click on the image):
 

↑ And these are just the looks! ↑


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