cooling improvement

[brr]

I took the advice of another poster here and cut away the sheet metal
holes in front of my exhaust fans on my old inwin tower case. Also
added a second fan next to the original. Now have two fans (80mm)
blowing out without any obstructions on either side, and the airflow
is impressive. Seems to have lowered case temperatures about 5
degrees F. Sheet metal snips did the job.

 

[Timothy Daniels]

I took the advice of another poster here and cut away
the sheet metal holes in front of my exhaust fans on my
old inwin tower case. Also added a second fan next to
the original. Now have two fans (80mm) blowing out
without any obstructions on either side, and the airflow
is impressive. Seems to have lowered case temperatures
about 5 degrees F. Sheet metal snips did the job.

Yes, it's amazing how the airflow is increased by taking
away those obstructions. Did the noise of the fans or the
airflow itself increase noticeably?

*TimDaniels*

 

[John H.]

I took the advice of another poster here and cut away the sheet metal
holes in front of my exhaust fans on my old inwin tower case. Also
added a second fan next to the original. Now have two fans (80mm)
blowing out without any obstructions on either side, and the airflow
is impressive. Seems to have lowered case temperatures about 5
degrees F. Sheet metal snips did the job.

Probably looks (and feels) like hell though. I'd hate to do that with a
new case. What I've never understood is why at least some of the better
case manufactures don't have proper fan cutouts (one punch per fan, more
square than round) in their cases. Some cases with multiple round holes
appear to have an 75+% blockage, while others with honeycomb shaped
holes like the Antec Sonata don't look too bad. A wire grill would still
be better.

 

[Rod Speed]

(e-mail address removed) wrote

Probably looks (and feels) like hell though. I'd hate to do that with a
new case. What I've never understood is why at least some of the better
case manufactures don't have proper fan cutouts (one punch per fan, more
square than round) in their cases. Some cases with multiple round holes
appear to have an 75+% blockage, while others with honeycomb shaped
holes like the Antec Sonata don't look too bad. A wire grill would still be better.

But worse for EMI radiation from the case. Thats a legal
requirement now in many countrys so its not surprising that
they do it the way that meets the most stringent requirements.

 

[Rod Speed]

Don't chrome wire grills meet the EMI requirements?

Not necessarily, particularly in the case walls.

That's all PSUs usually have.

Oh crap. And there's quite a bit of metal between
the inside of the case where the higher frequency
stuff is produced and the psu fan grill anyway.

 

[John H.]

Not necessarily, particularly in the case walls.

But the chrome grills certainly look nicer and allow greater air flow
with less noise. What the case manufacturers *could* do at least is
punch a pattern that could easily be converted to a totally open hole of
the right shape if the user desires by cutting through 3-4 very narrow
strips of metal. I know I would cut them out and chances are you would
too.

 

[Rod Speed]

But the chrome grills certainly look nicer
and allow greater air flow with less noise.

Completely irrelevant if the case manufacturer
has to comply with legally mandated EMI levels.

What the case manufacturers *could* do at least is
punch a pattern that could easily be converted to a
totally open hole of the right shape if the user desires
by cutting through 3-4 very narrow strips of metal.

That wouldnt necessarily produce the
legally mandated EMI levels either.

And few reputable case manufacturers would
deliberately allow the new owner to flout the law.

And its distinctly arguable if the case
would be approved like that anyway.

I know I would cut them out

Seperate matter entirely.

and chances are you would too.

Nope, I dont bother with case covers. Or systems
that need high air volumes with case fans either.

 

[brr]

Yes, it's amazing how the airflow is increased by taking
away those obstructions. Did the noise of the fans or the
airflow itself increase noticeably?

*TimDaniels*

It's louder than the single fan, but not much. I think it may have
helped some getting rid of the obstructions. Unfortunately I don't
have a sound meter, but my system sounds more pleasant today than with
the original fans and hard drives

I was amazed at how heavy the two metal cutouts were. Those old InWin
cases were tanks.

 

[brr]

But worse for EMI radiation from the case. Thats a legal
requirement now in many countrys so its not surprising that
they do it the way that meets the most stringent requirements.

On the InWin, it's not too bad as the full tower case puts these top
fans above the power supply box which I'd imagine shields most of the
cpu and video card noise from the cut away areas.

On the other hand, the store that set up the system didn't bother to
put the metal front panel inserts on the 5 inch bays, so RF integrity
went out the window on delivery I din't find out about those
inserts existed until about a year later.

 

[Rod Speed]

On the InWin, it's not too bad as the full tower case puts these top
fans above the power supply box which I'd imagine shields most of the
cpu and video card noise from the cut away areas.

On the other hand, the store that set up the system didn't
bother to put the metal front panel inserts on the 5 inch
bays, so RF integrity went out the window on delivery

Yeah, thats often the case. While its a problem with the legally
mandated radiation levels, its hardly ever a problem in real
life because the legally mandated levels are rather silly.

I din't find out about those inserts existed until about a year later.

Yeah, thats the main downside with getting a system assembled
by someone else. It does help with warranty claims tho.