Hardware & Technical Case Fans!
- Thread starter KidA39
- Start date
The big problems with case fans is they encourage dirt and dust. It's just a reality that all bodies, human and otherwise, shed loads of skin. Add to that any other airborne particles.
The ideal would be large extract fans, drawing air out with as little resistance as possible, plus filtered intakes. But the filters would themselves, need to be designed with limited air resistance and ease of access.
I'm in the process of building a new PC. I've been looking at loads of different cases. Filters top and bottom even on sides. Yet frustratingly, many can only be accessed from the back!
The filters must be cleaned regularly. Removed, vacuumed then possibly washed and dryed.
Most seem to drag air in and let it bleed out wherever. Utterly pointless. The air intake has to be filtered and those filters will, by definition, limit flow.
The ideal would be large extract fans, drawing air out with as little resistance as possible, plus filtered intakes. But the filters would themselves, need to be designed with limited air resistance and ease of access.
I'm in the process of building a new PC. I've been looking at loads of different cases. Filters top and bottom even on sides. Yet frustratingly, many can only be accessed from the back!
The filters must be cleaned regularly. Removed, vacuumed then possibly washed and dryed.
Most seem to drag air in and let it bleed out wherever. Utterly pointless. The air intake has to be filtered and those filters will, by definition, limit flow.
Gone the all Corsair route in an Air 540 case. Two 140mm AFs intake on front. Two 140mm SPs intake pull through radiator on top. One stock 140mm exhaust on back, to be replaced by another AF. Now you may say, why do I have 4 intakes and only one exhaust? The case has significant apertures all around it, particularly around the base. So by having more air moved inwards, it will have to find its own way outwards. I'm hoping this arrangement will avoid dust collection from the surface the case sits on. The more observant of you will note the CPU heat therefore is kept in case. I chose to do this to keep CPU temps minimal as they run 100% 24/7, even if it means internal temperatures may be fractionally higher. If the GPU kicks in, I really don't want that heating the CPU either.
Having more intake should keep dust from settling and being that cases are not airtight any heat should rise and escape out of whatever openings you have. I just built my new system so haven's seen much dust. I have a Corsair 750D with stock AF140 fans (one exhaust out back and two front intakes) and a H110i GT in push exhaust. My CPU never gets above 45C even with the two CPU cooler fans on quiet mode. My GPU's run a little high for my liking so I may switch those top exhausts to a pull intake or just get rid of the stock fans and replace them, especially the fronts with some Cougar Vortex.
+1 for Fractal Design case (have the Define R5). Not only is it very quiet, but roomy and very well laid out for cable routing and access to all your components. Also, front-removable filters! By far the best case I've worked with personally (about the only gripe I have with it is top-facing USB ports; don't like having them where things can fall into the holes).
I like the Noctua fans as well. I've typically built for low noise rather than raw cooling performance, and they work well there. (Also using their U14S CPU cooler)
I like the Noctua fans as well. I've typically built for low noise rather than raw cooling performance, and they work well there. (Also using their U14S CPU cooler)
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