hey guys im still on the planning stages for my Power Rangers HTPC and was wondering about air flow. Since its going to be a pretty tight squeeze i was thinking about putting two 40mm fans on the front of the toy that im modding into a case and was wondering if it would even move enough air to be worth it?
Any airflow is better than no airflow, and depending on what system you are using for an HTPC a small 40mm fan or two may very well do the job. That having been said, I also have seen 40mm fans that push 60+CFM at high pressure. Granted, they came out of a server and sound like a banshee, but those are just an example of how you can find fans to meet any need. I would recommend against using server fans for an HTPC, but 1 or 2 high quality 40mm fans may not be bad, you can certainly find some quiet ones. Also there is the option of a radial blower fan [sometimes called a squirrel cage fan]. These come in all sorts of configurations too, but you can find a nice thin one that moves a fair amount of air, and is relatively quiet. Could you provide some information on the system you are building so we know how much power (heat) you are going to be dealing with?
The trouble is, low noise 40mm fans don't push much air around. For example: http://uk.farnell.com/ebm-papst/412-2-036/fan-pc-w-conn-40mm-12vdc/dp/1875278 - 18dB, Flow Rate - 5.9cfm. It'll be very quiet, but it may not cool well enough. You could see if you can find a noisy one that pushes air like billy-o then tame it with a fan controller
Smallest I've used are Noiseblocker 60mm fans (two of them) - these shift enough air to keep my ITX HTPC cool and they're extremely quiet too - silent if you tune them down a bit with a fan controller. I wouldn't want to leave them in charge of cooling a more powerful system though.
Could you not just create vents on the front, and have a larger fan set back with ducting towards the fan to stop the fan from just circulating air? Essentially force it to draw air in from the small opening. Depending on the case: win/win
40mm are generally a no-no, apart from the odd one on a problem heat sink where just that little bit of extra air is needed for stability.. but to be honest, if you need that, the cooling system being used probably isnt up to scratch. Using larger but very thin fans might be easier? I think you can now get 10mm thick 60,80,92 and 120mm fans which you can then undervolt to make them utterly silent, while still moving substantially more air than a mass of 40's ever would
thats what i was afraid of. well im unable to fit 80mm fans on the toy im using but i can put them in the base of it with the power supply, what if i did this but formed some sort of duct work at like a 90 degree angle would this work without being insanly loud?
Could you please describe the hardware you are planning on using with this? If its just an E-350 you could easily get away with a 40mm fan. If not then I strongly recommend listening to everyone else, or get a radial blower fan; they can be a little more difficult to track down (well at least the quiet ones) but they are perfect for a low profile application.
well im mounting board and hardware in this http://www.collectiondx.com/toy_review/deluxe_pyramidas_carrier_zord so space is an issue i was thining about 40mm in the chest area but now im thinking of two 80 in the base area and piping it upwards with a 90 degree duct
What kind of motherboard are you putting in there? At any rate a blower doesn't look like it will be your best option. Ducting up a pair of fans should work (and as others have suggested).
hey, Like someone else suggested, why not try a 'blower fan' (laptop style) you can get some quiet ones from old 8800GTX's, practically ANY recent-ish ATI card.. or from an old laptop! Even if air isn't directly blowing from the output of the fan, the intake will still be moving some air.. These fans are much more efficient than conventional fans when they get small (thats why they use them in laptops and gpus etc) It does mean a slight re-design, but something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LAPTOP-HEATSINK-FAN-ACER-5920-ASPIRE-UK-SELLER-CHEAP-OO-406-/200726443871?pt=UK_Computing_LaptopAccess_RL&hash=item2ebc3a775f#ht_627wt_1163 would probably be good.. yes at high speeds theyre noisey but if you keep them at 3.3v they should be quiet! (typically laptop fans are 5v) 2x 40mm at low speed may be ok.. only one way to find out! Let us know your temps if you do
