Maximum PC

Alright time for input, I am wanting to mod my case but not go too extreme all I want is more air flow, is that too much to ask? Any way, here is the case All I really want is to open the front bottom up a little but the power button is in the way. The 2x80mm fans sit right behind it, ok maybe slightly lower. I am looking for some ideas since the one I'm thinking of is very radical. Like chopping the whole bottom front off and placing the power button on the top some where along with the power and HDD lights. All ideas welcome

Yur link doesn't work as typed.

Maybe you should do something like this?



Pretty ease mod. Just need a hole say on a drill - lots of masking tape, some sand paper and a few tiny grills. See what the smallest grill you can get is. SInce they are just holes, you can mount the grill on the inside or outside. If on the inside, you can use epoxy to place them - so no screw holes.

I would see if your case will take a few 35mm diameter holes arounf the power button.

Manta

You could even spring for a cheap LED to back light them.

Manta

Not a bad idea, thanks Manta!!

If it were my case I would put a 80mm fan in the window over the top of the CPU and maybe one on top of the case, if you don't already have one.
But that's just me.

Ken_Campbell

Fold Until A Cure

That is already in the works i am waiting on the fans to get here. Thanks for the input though Brvhrt!!

Behind the power button, isn't there another panel that could be cut into? Usually cases have the front bezel that comes off of the case itself.

If this is true on this case, then it'd be much easier to cut a large hole for a big 90mm/120mm fan to mount there on the chassis. Then, all you'll have to do with the front is make an intake area, which can be carved around the button. With this idea, you can cut the intake how ever you feel fits the layout and be as creative as you want. Perhaps just a series of 1/4" slots...whatever.

Cutting the entire thing out isn't a bad idea really. You don't have to use the same power button at all, so don't feel like you have to relocate the thing anywhere. You could use any double-throw switch or button you can find (like a military covered switch). You could even go as far as not having an on/off switch at all and use the windows start up/shutdown feature to do the duties of turning on and off. Many of the BIOS' I've used have the ability to turn on the PC using a keyboard shortkey or double clicking of a mouse button. I haven't used a power button in a long time if that means anything to you.

That rear fan hole needs some work as well IMO. From the picture, it looks pretty restrictive. I'd just cut the grill completely out and use your own gaurd/grill.

Thanks Chumly I think I found a switch that might work out perfect and I definitely like better than the stock oneand it matches the case too Thanks for the ideas and help its greatly appreciated!!!

Actually, as I look at this more...

Do you intend to use a floppy drive? A couple fans (60mm?) or a ducted device could use that as an opening for a fan inlet with little to no cutting in the front bezel. Some filter media could simply cover it up.

Y.S. Tech Fans
Panasonic Fans (Panaflo)

Keep a few things in mind. One of the keys to keeping the temp down is equalized air pressure. So you don't want a 120mm fan in the side blowing in and a 120mm fan in the rear blowing in and one little 80mm fan in the front for exhaust. Equalize the pressure in the case, this is almost as important a factor as the airflow itself. If the pressure is unequal the flow will actually be restricted and you'll defeat the whole purpose. You'll create either a vacuum or a pressure chamber where the air either sits still because of lack of outlet or because it's being sucked out too quickly. The best airflow scenerio I have desinged to date uses two 80mm left-side mounted fans located towards the rear of the panel, you can stagger these a bit for style if you want. Those both are intake fans. A 120mm fan in the rear of the case venting, an 80mm fan on the top venting and an 80mm fan on the front intaking. The PSU most likely has one 80mm fan as well. On a P4 3.4GHz EE proc with a BFG Asylum GeForce 5950 card in place, 2 250gb caviar drives and running a moderate load the average temp ranged from 25-27c. Which is darned good for an air cooled rig. The CPU had a standard Intel HSF installed, nothing elaborate there. But you might consider something stronger if temps are your concern. If bling is not the thing, consider 1 120mm side fan rather than 2 80mm side fans, you'll do better in the long run there but, the selection of fans isn't as good.

Good luck with your rig,
TIM

Thanks again for the ideas guys!! i think i will imploy a bit of everything after openning the casse up and finding what my options truly are, the plans have changed a bit. It looks like i will end up with one fan up front two in the side one in the back and one up top. after it is all done i will see was i can do to get some pics posted.

I don't totally agree with The Insane Modder on equalizing air pressure. If the pressure for in is the same for out, then ya...the total case pressure is the same. But the only gain of this is??? I dunno. I can only assume that it would keep the case from whistling in extreme differentials.

I'd actually prefer more negative pressure and encourage suction from the rear. If there's any Navy engineers listening, they may get a better idea from looking at the Gas Turbine enclosures. Keeping a negative air pressure on the "case" encourages airflow around not just the important parts, but all of them. In a computer case, there's a coutless number of little gaps, holes, and slots air can come from besides the fan inlets. With negative pressure (more exhaust out back), you can actually get the flow from fan-to-fan, but also from these other "fan-less inlets". It's like a fan is there, but there actually isn't. Air WANTS to come in, so let it.

Sorry for the lack of techno-babble, but I'm really trying to dumb it down. Oh! Good experiment! Think of an attic fan (midwest people may only know what these are). You set a negative pressure by blowing air out into the attic and open all the windows. Air flows really well throughout the house with one fan. You can duplicate this by putting a box fan out one window, then open the rest. If you go to each one, you'll notice that there's air comming in from each one. The only draw back I can see is if a "window" is barely open (a slit, like where the case panel butts the case) and it squeels. Opening another window further can stop this from occuring because you're telling the air, "here...this is a better route. Don't force yourself through this little hole over there".

Thanks Chumly!! Actually i do know what you are talking about with the negative presure i actually have a engineering degree just don't get to use that end of my expertise very often so it is starting to lag. But any way the fans should be here today and i should be able to finish it up tonight if not i will have to pack it away since it seems yet again we have a hurricane coming our way talk to you guys on the flip side.
-Dane-

hmmm....I'm no engineer or anything, but it seems to me if you TRUELY want to equalize the air pressure in the case to that outside the case, the only way you could do it is by turning all the case fans off......Then watch your moniter screen turn blue, or black, or first blue then black.....

Ken_Campbell

Fold Until A Cure

I wasn't clear enough I guess. I don't mean that the air pressure inside the case should equal the pressure outside the case. But rather the air going in should equal that going out or as you said, that the venting air should exceed the intake air. Your explanation was clearer than mine it seems. If you look over the description I gave you'll see that there's slightly more venting than pulling of air in that design. Of course you don't want to go to extremes there, you do want the air to flow, otherwise you'd have all the fans blowing out and that'd do, well, nothing. But, um, to put it another way... Yeah, what he said.

the generall idea is have the same amount or air coming in and going out. with that set up all fans are used to their full potential meaning higest air flow meaning coolest temps. it would be very tough to siginificantly change air pressure inside a case. like insane said if all fans are blowing out it does absoulutley nothing.

Exactamundo... Off topic for a sec, your name, um, does that have any relation to the tetragrammaton? Just curious. PM me so we don't take this way off base.

Ok back to the topic. So other than cooling the beast, what other things have you considered doing to it and need some help with? I'm familiar with the case you're using, I've ripped apart 3 of them in the past year and rebuilt 'em from the frame up. They're good shells to work with. Actually, they're not bad cases overall and very inexpensive too.

I think now the front is the main issue since apparently powmax doenst think ahead in its designing process. Try this link! this is the link to some quick pics i took and some i didn't. i got to run let me know if it works. also give me some feedback.

Right, in which case, you just scrap the front, which is what I did in 2 out of the 3 instances. Although I had slightly different versions of that case (it seems to come in lots of varities). Overall though it's the same. Just take the front and toss it in the trash and get to work with some bondo.

Right, in which case, you just scrap the front, which is what I did in 2 out of the 3 instances. Although I had slightly different versions of that case (it seems to come in lots of varities). Overall though it's the same. Just take the front and toss it in the trash and get to work with some bondo.

I have never used bondo and i would say that i am not sure i want to altogether scap the front since i may have some use for it yet. check the pics out you'll se