side window fan - in/out and where

[myhamster]

You guys know about those fans on the side panel of puter cases? Well, what would be the best place to position the fan?


1. Lower Left - near the PCI slots, but there's really nothing hot there.

2. Center - Kinda near the northbridge and video card. the fan the video card isn't facing the panel fan. But the fan on the active cool northbridge is. If the northbridge fan blows into the mobo, it'd work, but if it blows out of the mobo, the side panel fan would interfere with air flow.

4. Center Top - over the cpu fan (which blows into the mobo according the the last thread).

5. Right Top - over the RAM slots

3. there we go.

Considering the way the air flows (from bottom right to top left), maybe it'd be best to put the fan near the PCI's on the bottom left? It seems like most manufactured cases have it in the center, but maybe that's just a symmetry thing.

Also, the fan itself doesn't make much noise, but I think having a hole on the side panel lets out a lot of computer noise right? Anyone ever compared them?

Thanks,
Eric

[myhamster]

Oh I see. Yeah, I didn't consider sucking air out of the case with the side panel fan.

I have 1 80mm fan in the front, 1 80mm fan in the back. I thought "positive pressure" was suppose to be good for the air flow, so I wanted to balance it out. Caz as it stand, I have 2 blowing out (back case fan and CPU fan) and 1 blowing in (front). If I add the side panel fan blowing in, it's two for two.

Also, where should I put the magnetic speaker thing that came with the case? It's pretty magnetic. I think all it does is beep.

Eric

[bachviet]

Air flows from low to high and front to back.

Front case fans suck air in while rear case fans suck air out. You could do either with side case fans. Top case fans should suck air out.

[Bires]

Putting an intake fan above the CPU/video card will keep hot-air eddies from forming that will kill your overclocks.

My recommendation:
lower-front: in
side-pannel: in
power supplt: out
upper or rear exhaust: out


I've also heard of using the side panel with a duct or custom heat conduit that connects to the CPU's heat sink, so all all leaving the duct will pass over the CPU's heat sink first, forcing fresh air to be continueally passing over the CPU's heat sink, similar to how Dell designs their cases, only far more powerful.