Here's a site that previously used a case that had over 1700cfm of airflow through their case and decided that maybe they didn't need quite that much. So they tested many different configurations of fans and look what they came up with:

http://www.short-media.com/article.php?111.0

Wow, after hours of testing the result is:

Exactly like most SPCR'ers already have it.

But it is nice to see how much time they put into it. Those tests couldn't have been much fun. (better them than me)

Now Ralf, for this P160 case you've gotten we expect to see at least twice as many configurations tested. ok?

Why didn't they just leave the cover off instead of filling most of the sides with fans? Maybe they were building a hovercraft.

I assume that is an 80mm PSU fan. It would be interesting to see a test with a 120mm PSU fan and no rear or other fans except for the top (and perhaps without that). I haven't read everything here but I gather a single 120 in the PSU can be enough to cool the case?

Also, it would be better to have the drive cage in front of the front fan (undervolted of course) to trickle flow for cooling. I definitely want that in my next case.

Yes, that's the point I wanted to make. People talk about so many different fan configs and these people tried about all of them that I could ever imagine and yet they came back to the good 'ol standby.

Some people just have to try things for themselves though. But that's fine. Learning by experience is a powerful tool. Just think, now these guys can start educating others on the fallacy of uber-fanned boxes. Progress happens on step at a time....

It's a good thing that these cases weren't on castor wheels.. otherwise the airflow may pull/push the computer across the room!

I don't care what their setup says. I want intake fans in the front dammit

Same here! I'd rather have a filtered fan in the front than have to figure out how to keep the dust out of the optical and floppy drives and everything else inside the case..

1. Why do you need a fan on the front to have a filter?
2. If you're that worried about dust getting in, how about removing dust from the area outside the PC? I'd rather vacuum once a week than run a useless fan continuously.

There's another advantage of front intake fans. You can cool your hard drives better.

Does SPCR have an archiving system for very useful articles not generated on this site?

http://www.short-media.com/article.php?111.0 would surely fall in that category. Its conclusions seem fundamental.

John Coyle

Important detail they don't mention: when they're not using all the fans, what do they do with the others? Cover the holes, leave the fans in place but turned off, or remove the fans for best airflow? Someone has already asked about that in the comments section, but there's no answer at present.

Yes they do. there's a "Usefull Web Links" page on the main site.

1. Certainly you could use a filter without a fan on the front, but I'm not really excited about the prospect of sealing every other little air entry path, as I indicated in my post.
2. We'd probably need to vacuum daily, or more often, perhaps because we have two cats.

Would a whole cat fit through the vents?
And I'm sure you wouldn't have to vacuum him out.. just open the case and he'll jump out. Also, designate a no-go area around your computer to stop the cat getting sucked in again.

(I'll get my coat..)

makes a good filter though

No, but if you just put the front intake fan in w/o wasting money on a filter or guard the cat might fit through a bit at a time (Best to use one of those nice heavy aluminum frame Evercools)

Of course you probably wouldn't then be able to vacuum the cat out, more likely you'd need a hose... :yuck:

However it would greatly reduce the problem with dust accumulation!

Gooserider

(Contrary to any impressions generated by the above, I actually love cats, (they're very tasty... ) )

Seriously, almost happened to one of my kittens a couple of days ago..

Behind my computer there's lots of cables in a mess. Kittens love to play with cables. As he's behind the computer, a flow of warm air and the humming of a fan attracts him. "Let's stick a paw in there!" I suddenly hear the clonking sound a fan makes when forced to stop spinning by something being put in the path of it's blades, and a kitten screaming and running out of the room.

I don't think he'll hang around that general area in the near future.

LOL, ecto, you are one cat torturing monster

(snip lots of fun and irony)

...however i do also removing the fan covers for better airflow, so it could happen to me as well.. However i did not use case fans, just fans into my PSU... This probably saved my poor little kittens from getting a harm...

It is worth noting that the exhaust side of a fan is fairly safe. The hub support spokes make a minimal guard, and the blade shape is such that it will push a finger (or other body part) back out of the way. OTOH, the intake side is much more dangerous, as there is nothing to protect the blades, and the spinning blade shape puts the chopping edge first!

For my own system, I have no hesitation about having a fan's output side exposed, but I insist that the intake side of each fan either have a guard, or be positioned such that no exposure is present on the intake side. (for instance the intake might be inside a shroud...)

Gooserider