CM 200mm Fans

[Ciara]

Just imagine all of the hard and optical drive slots filled

With all your Hard Drive slots full you may have a problem with in-coming air, have you tried removing one Hard Drive (just to see the difference in air flow ?)

 

[LiquidSnak]

Did you orient the side fan for intake or exhaust?

 

[linnemeyerhere]

LiquidSnak, The OP's case has top mounted fan in exhaust plus rear case fan in exhaust. The best flow would have front intake blowing lots of air over drives and side fan blowing cool air in for GPU and CPU. I think the front case fan at 700 rpm can't push enough air into case and over the hard drives. Suggest another Noctua 140mm to push air into front of case. I understand case has optional bottom fan mount but case sit's on floor or has nominal air flow. Do you agree?

 

[LiquidSnak]

I would agree about a better fan in front. Does the case have the ability to take dual front fans per chance? My temperatures dropped drastically when I switched from one 140 to to 120mm fans.

I know, I should probably just look it up, huh?

Also, I am a fan of Scythe fans, they are quiet and push a ton of air.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

I think the HAF full towers have twin front fans, the mid tower looks to have only one 200 with option for 120/140mm in lieu. Like you I think a faster/quiet/higher rpm fan would push more air over the drives.

 

[seekermeister]

The front fan is only a single 200mm and I do not think that it has the optional mounts for multiple smaller fans...only the top, side and bottom do. The front fan is sandwiched between the case and the drive rack in a fashion that just replacing it would be a task. It should be understood that none of my temps are problems, therefore I'm not willing to do anything drastic or costly. I bought the side fan as an experiment, but it seems that experiment failed. At most, I might dual 120mm fans on the side panel, if the temps do become a problem, but if I'm right about the 200mm fan causing the higher temps because of their obstruction to airflow, I doubt that dual 120mm fans would fare any better. While they would expose a smaller profile to the airflow, they are also square, rather than round, like the 200mm, and would produce more drag.

I have considered putting Lian Li rollers on the case, like I have done with my other computer, which would raise the case ~1 1/2" off the stand, but haven't because of the stand itself (it would be too easy for it to roll off, even though it does have a wheel lock). Of course, even on the bottom, it would be an obstruction to airflow, but I doubt as much as on the side.

EDIT: Hmm, a curious thought popped into my head. Even though I would not mount the fan externally on the side, if I had Lian Li rollers, I think there would be room to mount it externally on the bottom, but then the fan would probably not have any better clearance than mounted internally without the rollers.

EDIT 2: Another odd thought...what would happen if I mounted the fan externally on top, having two fans mounted one over the other? I thought about this because I made a DIY shelf (which sits over the blowhole) that would hide it somewhat, being less of an eyesore.

 

[LiquidSnak]

If you are worried about the case rolling off, instead of putting it on rollers, put the case on blocks of wood/plastic/whatever the heck looks good and is around.

This would get it off the ground a sufficient amount and not be spendy or risk rolling away on you.

I think your temps went up because the additional inlet on the side is disrupting the airflow, not the fan itself. It seems that you have air moving in one solid direction from the fan configuration you had before, and that the air flowing in the side is bad juju. You could try using it as an additional low RPM exhaust fan, see what that does to temps, and it also wouldn't hurt to try it on the bottom as an intake. Air moving in one direction is key to good cooling.

 

[seekermeister]

Since the wheels do lock, the blocks wouldn't be any better, because it really isn't whether it would roll off, but whether I would knock it off. Either way, it would probably be just as stable as it is now, but I simply don't trust myself. In addition to getting older, I'm also getting clumsier.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Seekermeister,
Try slowing the side fan down with the provided resistors this could allow the are flow to normalize. Don't push/pull the top fan. But do think about a stand that raises the case off the floor, better air flow, less lint/dust and better ergonomics.
Computer Tower Stand - CPU Stand, Rolling CPU Stand

 

[seekermeister]

Seekermeister,
Try slowing the side fan down with the provided resistors this could allow the are flow to normalize. Don't push/pull the top fan. But do think about a stand that raises the case off the floor, better air flow, less lint/dust and better ergonomics.
Computer Tower Stand - CPU Stand, Rolling CPU Stand

In so far as lint/dust goes, what I use for a stand is better than that (raises the case ~13"). I converted an old aquarium using drilled board as a top. Even though I drilled a lot of holes, with the idea of providing airflow to a botton fan, I don't believe that there are enough, and if they were, the board might become to fragile to use.

Although the stand that you linked appears fairly good, it still doesn't raise the case much more than my Lian Li rollers do, and the Lian Lis are far, far more durable. I bought them because I often had to roll the case over obstacles, like the legs of my desk, and anything plastic and not bolted to the case would either break or slip.

That is where the legs for the shelf that I made came from...inverting an old plastic stand that broke on me. Fortunately, it almost looks like it is part of the original case.

EDIT: I will play with your fan speed suggestion though.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

I use the black Kantec and it's great !
Kantek - CPU Stands

 

[seekermeister]

I use the black Kantec and it's great !
Kantek - CPU Stands

Have you ever checked these out?

Kustom PCs Lian Li WB-01 Wheel Set Silver

They are made so strong, that they would probably outlast a lot of different rigs. Of course, they don't provide a lot of elevation, but they don't create an obstruction to airflow either, if mounted properly.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Look like skateboard trucks, I like them and for hardwood or tile their perfect. Carpet would be good as long as the PSU is top mounted. They look like they would outlast the case !

 

[seekermeister]

Look like skateboard trucks, I like them and for hardwood or tile their perfect. Carpet would be good as long as the PSU is top mounted. They look like they would outlast the case !

They work well for me on tile or carpet. Of course my carpet might not be as plush as your's. The only problem that I had with them is that the rubber isolators that they provide for the wheels will slip off if there is a side load. I haven't done it yet, but I'm thinking of trying Gorilla Glue on them. The problem with that idea is that unless there is some way to stretch the bands, before mounting them on the wheels, they would simply scrape off the glue before it set.