I am putting in giant fans to keep my smaller cpu fan on it's slowest speed all the time... I did this once before.. not pretty but it worked great here is my new case side with a test tinted window A clock any faster than my current 3ghz makes that fan fly so pick a design or show me a smarter solution. Thanks -lab EDIT:: it looks like my case side was upside down when I took thoes pictures EDIT2: the system has been stable E6600@3ghz for 3months now, just gets loud when you play a game or something. the 8800 is an upgrade, I just had to use the 2 pcie connectors on the psu + it is a silent card right out of the box
Er... how about ducting an intake directly to the CPU fan? Since the CPU fan is perpendicular to the side of the case, that's the only thing in imho that will help. That *might* help reduce temperatures by a few degrees, but when the CPU really starts to work hard, it's going to rev up again. A fan controller (like a Zalman fanmate) or a larger CPU fan would also definitely help. Can you point the CPU fan in any other direction (downwards perhaps)?
if you needed cool and quiet u could use water colling 1 fan instead of three and should cool your cpu well. thats just a sugestion but it should also free up room on your windows as well
I'd be tempted to say that, if the CPU heatsink fan is only revving up when it's under proper strain, it's doing a good job. I also don't think that cooling would be improved if it was facing the CPU for two reasons. A: the direct air blowing at it ain't going to do much to cool something running at high temperatures, also, as it is now, the airflow looks liek it's working with the extractor at the back. so the air is drawn over the hot metal, and is then sent straight out of the case. If ti were facing the mobo, the hot air would circulate around the components before being caught by either the extractor or PSU. I like the duct idea. Also, get a larger fan, that moves more air. The side fans might change the air pressure in the case, which could make cooling worse. But, try it, it looks ready to test!
here is a video of what the fan sounds like at idle/full http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYLTxGA-vZ8 I did pull off the side panel. with it off the fan sits at idle That 120mm fan in the back is only at 5volts :| This system is alot harder to cool quietly than anything I have ever owned ><
If anything 2 or 3, get some cold are intake right in front of the CPU cooler so that fresh are is pulled along the heatsink. The second fan on the bottom of the side panel could also help provide fresh air to the video car but I think you'd be fine with just the top fan on the side panel.
Not Pretty? i kind of like it, a bit more finishing like a grill or mesh would have made that look sweet. Design 3 looks better, but in design 2 the fans would blow more over the center of the card.
Is it just me, or does it look like that particular cpu fan would benifit so much more from a side duct from the back or so since the fan is not parallel to the motherboard but perpendicular? Also I say design 3, the first two just look far to plain, the offset fans give it a little more flair. But I would at least cover up those fans with some sort of grill or mesh to play into the tinted theme of the window.
here is what i'm considering.. With my last mod project... http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=62334&highlight=dark+frost I used this to make plexi fan grills.. I'm sketching a design up.. no real idea yet to be honest... I want to use one large piece of plexi
