case mod

[gazz9496]

ok i'm building a new computer...

i'll be putting my rig into a standard case for the next few weeks but i wanted to get some advice on modding a case.

most of the mods i plan will be really simple and won't actually affect anything but there were a few that well might.

the side door has a clear plastic screen and i was thinking of replacing it with a metal mesh with fairly small holes but i became concerned with air flow so thought i'd seek some advice from people here that do it more than me.

i'm aiming for a fairly high standard of finish using colourfull paints on the inside and out and very delicate changes to the front where i will be fitting a second 12 cm and adjusting the positions of everything else.

also plan to change alot on the inside where the drive bays are and move things around.

i'm open to other ideas though.

the best example of my case would be
Thermaltakeusa*»*Chassis*»*V Series*»*V9 Gaming Case : V9 Gaming Case VJ40001W2Z

the one i plan on modding is about 2 years old so not quite the one listed but the overall design is similar enough there are some differences though, my case has front door full length but the clear area on the side door is about the same size.

the internal drive bays and such are close to what i have as well.

now i know i could go out and buy that case but where would be the fun besides it's an old case and if what i do doesn't work i can always replace it with something else...and then mod it

 

[smarteyeball]

the side door has a clear plastic screen and i was thinking of replacing it with a metal mesh with fairly small holes but i became concerned with air flow so thought i'd seek some advice from people here that do it more than me.

It would have an impact on the positive/negative air pressure - but the level of impact would depend on what fans you are you using and where you plan to move the HDD cage etc.

Are you using a stock CPU cooler or an after-market cooler that can be orientated to exhaust to the top?

It would be a bigger impact if you didn't have a top exhaust fan and were just relying on Front>Rear flow

If you plan to move/remove the HDD cage the effectiveness of the front intake will be diminished if you plan on using mesh.

Also does your video card have exhaust out the back, or 'dump in the case' cooling?

 

[gazz9496]

card has an external exhaust twin slot.

well the thing is the hdd cage which has a few holes in it, already covers the front case fan and the mod i was planning was to literally trim away alot of the metal, lower it to the bottom of the case as there is an unused 5 1/4inch drive bay there.

i was concerned by the mesh idea from the start hence me coming here for a second opinion, so the mesh i was thinking about would have holes but very small ones, the side already has an exhaust fan built in...not my mod was there already, which was why i was thinking of changing the whole side.

 

[smarteyeball]

With a side panel a fan (should be intake, not exhaust) + top and rear fan exhausts, I doubt you'll have an issue using mesh.

Trimming the HDD cage will allow a little more cool air intake, but the biggest benefit would be fractionally cooler HDDs.

Overall I doubt that the mesh is going to be an issue for airflow/ temps.