Alternative airflow in SOLO case?

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Morten74
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Alternative airflow in SOLO case?

Post by Morten74 » Tue Oct 05, 2010 5:30 am

I an attempt to silence my rig further (swapping that HX750 is top priority), I just had a few ideas that I wanted to run by you guys:

1) Getting e.g. a Seasonic X650 PSU, and mounting it with the intake vents facing upwards and making a 12 diameter hole in the top cover of the SOLO. This way the PSU would not take in the 'hot' air from inside the case (in the normal set-up it takes in the warm air coming from the HSF, which might not be optimal).

2) Install e.g. a Scythe Kama Bay in the front of the case and reverse the airflow - take in the cool air from the back which would then 'feed' the PSU and HSF and the expell the hot air through the front.

Has this been done, or is it just plain stupid and waste of money?

:-) Morten
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Ralf Hutter
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Post by Ralf Hutter » Tue Oct 05, 2010 5:45 am

I use a hand-built intake duct that runs from the front of the case to the PSU. Let the PSU pull in it's own isolated air supply without the need for additional fannage or external case mods.

Pics in this post with a bit of follow-up discussion in the next several posts.
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speedkar9
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Re: Alternative airflow in SOLO case?

Post by speedkar9 » Tue Oct 05, 2010 6:45 am

Alternative? How about flipping it over? :lol: Then you can duct the PSU and CPU individually to the front, and separate the graphics card region.
Generally though I think reversing the front to back flow in the Solo wouldn't work too well because its front end is quite restricted. Maybe it would work in an open case like the 300/902/CM elite.
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Vetotat
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Re: Alternative airflow in SOLO case?

Post by Vetotat » Tue Oct 05, 2010 7:14 am

Morten74 wrote:1) Getting e.g. a Seasonic X650 PSU, and mounting it with the intake vents facing upwards and making a 12 diameter hole in the top cover of the SOLO.
I'm having similar plans for my SOLO, but instead I would use an X-400 fanless. I envision a 140*140mm cutout covered with a radiator grille.
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frenchie
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Re: Alternative airflow in SOLO case?

Post by frenchie » Tue Oct 05, 2010 7:31 am

Morten74 wrote:Has this been done, or is it just plain stupid and waste of money?
I tried almost that exact setup, but the Kama bay is quite restrictive and if you need to get rid of some decent heat, you're going to have to run the fan in the kama bay (I recommend changing it to something better, the original one is not great). Having that fan in the front of the case will make it noisier (the noise will escape straight to your ears).
I also tried positive pressure that way : no fan in the kama bay, the back fan as intake, and the GPU as intake (I've modded that part of the case) and a slow fan in the PSU as exhaust. The hot air does get pushed of the front of the case.
My results were higher temps and not much difference in noise... :(
So I'm back to the regular airflow pattern in the solo.

Maybe you should try it for yourself, see what it does ! It might work for you :)
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Morten74
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Location: Denmark

Post by Morten74 » Tue Oct 05, 2010 1:32 pm

Thank you all for your inputs!

@frenchie: I think I'll stick to the normal airflow for the time being, maybe just cut out the exhaust grill...

:-) Morten
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Morten74
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Post by Morten74 » Tue Oct 05, 2010 10:25 pm

Just one more thought...

Would it be possible to place a PSU e.g. a Seasonic x650 or Corsair AX750/850 upside down, having the intake facing upwards, but without cutting the case. Instead making some sort of intake (metal mesh?) in the upper 5.25" drive bay, and and placing a metal/plexi plate on the rails where the PSU rests, in order to create a separate chamber for the PSU? I guess the question would be if the clearence above the PSU would be sufficient to supply fresh air from the front when the fan in the PSU kicks in...

How much clearence is there above the PSU in e.g. a P183 or a P180 mini?

As usual any feedback is very welcome :D

:wink: Morten
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quest_for_silence
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Post by quest_for_silence » Tue Oct 05, 2010 11:39 pm

Morten74 wrote:How much clearence is there above the PSU in e.g. a P183 or a P180 mini?

They are very different products, with reference to clearance: the P183 may sport the CP-series PSUs, which are 12cm high (ATX PSU are less than 9cm high): however in such closed separate chambers, PSUs which has straight through airflow are to be preferred, IMVHO (or you're likely to mount even an intake fan, at least to foster PSU's longevity).
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Morten74
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Post by Morten74 » Wed Oct 06, 2010 2:23 am

Hmmm, you might be right... I'll give the "install upside down and cut a 120mm round hole in the top cover" idea some more thought. I would not think that the fan in the AX750 would ever spin up with my setup, so it should not be a problem having a fan facing upwards...

:-) Morten
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Ernmalind
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Alternative airflow in SOLO case

Post by Ernmalind » Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:09 am

Nice setup.

I think with either alternative the monitors are the most expensive part of this anyway.
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