Airflow Direction & Fan Questions

[OrbitzXT]

I'm ordering my new computer tomorrow and just making small adjustments to the things I want, I plan on using this case. It has space for 3 120mm fans. I'm going to replace the fans that come with it with quieter/powerful...er, ones. The fans are located on the top, side and back. I imagine the top should be exhaust since heat rises, I'm just not sure about the other two. Also how can I tell what direction to face the fan when installing them so I know if its going to take in or blow our air?

Lastly, I want to get some small fan to mount in the external 3.5" drive bay to blow on the RAM and keep it cool. I looked around NewEgg for something like that and can't seem to find it. It wasn't under Memory Cooling, and I looked through 300 or so fans on the site to see anything like it but no luck.

 

[Ripper3]

That case looks kinda cool, I like the front panel.

In terms of directions, the top fan will be exhaust, yes. The saem thing for the rear fan, since, again, heat rises, and that rear fan will be close to the back of the CPU heatsink, so it could do a push-pull system, if the CPU HSF is close enough to it.
In terms of facing the fans, I've found that some fans have arrows on the sides. One points where the air flows, the other, which way the blades spin. In general though, it's always the same. The three plastic bits that connect the casing to the motor, and subsequently, the fan, will be in the flow of air.
Basically, as long as you don't get crazy fans, just mount them in the same way the stock fans are placed.

About the RAM fan, you're better off getting a cooler than mounts above the RAM, like the OCZ or Corsair RAM coolers, as they'll be able to direct the airflow more evenly over the RAM. If you place the fan in the 3.5" bay, one stick of RAM will be getting more air than the other(s), and the air will likely disperse, so that the air is more like a smoker coughing on the RAM, rather than a mini-jet thrusting the air out.
It's a shame you are buying a case with a front door though, because another option would be the Scythe Kama-bay (I think it's called), which places a 120mm fan in the space regularly used by 3x5.25" bays. With the front door though, airflow would basically be 0, with the door closed.

 

[OrbitzXT]

I'm not sure if I could bring myself to get a different case. This one will match the piano black finish of my Sharp Aquos HDTV and PS3 on the desk. Should the Zalman 9700 CPU HSF point toward the back of the computer to blow out through the 120mm fan that will be exhausting air?

 

[Ripper3]

Yes, and if you're sticking with Intel, it's easy enough to do, since it should just use the push-pins.
Just turn it so that the fan is closest to the front of the case (since the fan pushes air through on the 9700 AFAIK), and it will exhaust the air from the HSF through the back, which should be sucked out of the case by the exhaust fan. The PSU will also help along the way, obviously.

Also, just remembered, I didn't mention the side-fan. I thik, if there's no fan at the front of the case, near the HDDs, the side fan will be your intake. It's in a good position too, since it should be near to your GPU, so it should help your GPU's cooling a bit.

It is a shame it has no front intake fan, your HDDs will be getting little air, and the intake fan on the side won't be feeding your CPU, so it might receive some warmer air.
Generally, it shouldn't make a huge difference though, maybe a few degrees. It'll live.

 

[keakar]

read my airflow guide and it will give you answers to all those questions

 

[Urizen]

I'm ordering my new computer tomorrow and just making small adjustments to the things I want, I plan on using this case. It has space for 3 120mm fans. I'm going to replace the fans that come with it with quieter/powerful...er, ones. The fans are located on the top, side and back. I imagine the top should be exhaust since heat rises, I'm just not sure about the other two. Also how can I tell what direction to face the fan when installing them so I know if its going to take in or blow our air?

Lastly, I want to get some small fan to mount in the external 3.5" drive bay to blow on the RAM and keep it cool. I looked around NewEgg for something like that and can't seem to find it. It wasn't under Memory Cooling, and I looked through 300 or so fans on the site to see anything like it but no luck.

mmm I remember a classmate of mine who had a similar case (ie. with a fan at the top) - one day he'd accidentally spilled coca & some of it fell on the case, thanks to the top opening he lost his mobo along with several components thereon including his CPU lol ^_^

 

[Ripper3]

mmm I remember a classmate of mine who had a similar case (ie. with a fan at the top) - one day he'd accidentally spilled coca & some of it fell on the case, thanks to the top opening he lost his mobo along with several components thereon including his CPU lol ^_^

Should have used a more powerful fan, then it would have blown the coke away from the insides
Well, with any luck it could have, heh

 

[Urizen]

Should have used a more powerful fan, then it would have blown the coke away from the insides
Well, with any luck it could have, heh

a 100000rpm fan, maybe



or he could've just covered the top fan - of course this would've kinda defeated the fan's purpose, but at least his rig would still be alive ^^

 

[Bluefox1115]

That's a sexy looking case, and I love the Chieftec style cases, and miss them!, but I don't think there is enough fans? that front intake will be blocked by HDD's.. :\

 

[OrbitzXT]

I really like the look of the case but I'm considering finding something different. I plan on having 4 HD's, a 3870 X2, a Q6600 and at a later date a second 3870 X2. So that's a lot of heat to manage, I may need something that can handle it better. Any recommendations? Under $200 preferably...unless I really like it, and excellent for cooling. I'd also like a Full Tower

 

[Ripper3]

Well, my Cosmos certainly has a lot of space (can take E-ATX motherboards, so an 8800 ultra, and the likes wouldn't even reach the edge of the motherboard tray), and the new Cosmos-S is coming soon, which should fix some of the problems with the regular Cosmos. It will fit a 3x120mm radiator in the top, and will have a Stacker style arrangement, with the front full of 5.25" drives, so you can add and remove adaptors for HDDs as you wish and need.
I can't fault the Cosmos for cooling either, as it's quiet, and yet it's not suffocated because of the sound absorbing material.

 

[Bluefox1115]

I would have to agree with the Cosmos, or a Stacker, or even the new Thermaltake Xasier 6

 

[mrw1986]

mmm I remember a classmate of mine who had a similar case (ie. with a fan at the top) - one day he'd accidentally spilled coca & some of it fell on the case, thanks to the top opening he lost his mobo along with several components thereon including his CPU lol ^_^

Haha that same thing happened to me! I got really luck though. The coke fell through the opening and settled at the bottom of my case.

 

[OrbitzXT]

I think I really like the Cosmos, the only issue I'm reading with it is that the hard drives can get hot in it, and since I plan on using 4 whats a good method of dealing with that heat? Can I put a fan to cool them off, if so what is it I need to buy on NewEgg?

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

The way you can tell that the fan is pushing air out is to hold it in one hand and then turn the computer on and see which direction the air is blowing towards the most. See the fan at the top of the case? That is pushing air out. So if you wanted the rear fan to push air out as well, just mimic the top case fan. The opposite way is taking in air.

 

[warup89]

I just purchased the APEVIA X-JUPITER G-Type [full tower]:

I haven't used it yet but for the way the fans are set [and well the size of the case] the airflow seems good. Theres a big 120mm fan blowing right into the HDDs [also the fan isnt blocked by the case's door], x2 120mm fans for out take and a 120mm fan for side, facing the video card, also there is an option to put a 80mm or 120mm fan on top as a blow hole[plus theres a hatch to close it or open it]. Im also considering running 2 x2 3780 and i thought this would be a very promising case.

-but looks also depends when buying a case, so you might like the look or not.

 

[OrbitzXT]

I like that case warup, I also like this one, a Thermaltake Armor

I'm gonna have to make a tough decision tomorrow.

 

[warup89]

That one is a very popular case, and the cooling solution looks good too, right now i own a thermaltake case [soprano] and i love the tough metal feeling it has, not flimsy aluminum like most. I didnt bought the armor because of lack of side fan, but now for what i see you can get a separate side panel with a 250mm fan (here)

-good luck choosing

 

[Mussels]

no one answered your question of which way the fans blow

Fans will have two sides - one flat with a sticker that is immobile, the other side will be rounded and spins with the fan blades. The air blows from the rotating side to the side with the sticker.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

I like that case warup, I also like this one, a Thermaltake Armor

I'm gonna have to make a tough decision tomorrow.

I love that case. So roomy.

Heres a couple pics of mine:

http://i26.tinypic.com/bil3lt.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/2h807jm.jpg

Thats the best cable management I can do at this point.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

no one answered your question of which way the fans blow

Fans will have two sides - one flat with a sticker that is immobile, the other side will be rounded and spins with the fan blades. The air blows from the rotating side to the side with the sticker.

I did.