Case fan

upec

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Dec 31, 2007
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I have an Antec 1030B. The case already has two fan install on the back that are blowing air out. The case also has two 80mm Snap-in fan mounts in the front. I am going to add two fan in the front. Shoud I make the fan to blow the air out of the case or suck the air into the case?

I would really appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.
 
Set the two fans in the front to blow into the case, and the two in the rear to blow out.

This will allow the air that enters the case to exit out the rear. The idea is to have the cool air that enters the case pass over the internal devices. The exhaust fans will pull the air away from the mainboard.

With the other small holes in the case sealed, this creates a certain amount of "draw", such as in a chimney.

I have the same case. I have one fan in the lower front section of the case blowing in, and another placed directly inside the hard drive bay, blowing on the drives. The case has been modified on the side panel, with a third fan blowing on the video card. Then ... the two rear exhaust fans, and a dual-fan power supply.

All the intake fans have an aluminum mesh filter, to control dust, including the intake fan on the PSU. The metal grills in the center area where the the fan holders are located have been removed, to allow for greater airflow.

This configuration is excellent for cooling, and is relatively quiet, surprisingly enough.

I thought I would elaborate on the subject, in case you found the information to be of interest.

Toejam31

<font color=red>My Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847" target="_new">http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847</A>
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<font color=purple>"Have you noticed how much they look like orchids? Lovely!"</font color=purple>
 
I have the same case.......the Antec soho 1040b w/ 400 Antec PSU. I've looked long and hard into which are the best cases out there and everything I've read said that this case is awsome. Actually, the coolermaster is supposed to be better but who wants to spend 300 bucks on a case? I bought mine at Directron.
I was iffy at first cause I hear there are two types of black offered in this case......black/black and charcoal black. I called them up and said I specifically wanted a black case to match my monitor and drives. When I put my order in I requested only a 400 w psu with it and nothing else. When I got it I was surprised to see that it came with 4 fans....and they didn't even charge me for them.....I guess I lucked out. However, I bought 4 thermaltake 80 mm fans thinking my case would be bare and so now I have 8. I'm still waiting on a motherboard so I can't tell which fans are better..Any input?

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I am extremely pleased with the antec case. Looks even better in person than it does in the pictures. Very quality product.

I do have a few questions for you guys though:

1. Not sure if there is any difference between the charcoal black and the black/black case. Anyone know?

2. I see that you are talking about fan filters. Sounds like an awsome idea as I am constantly blowing all of the dust out of my case (and fans) with one of those aerosol can deals. I've looked into fan filters, but I don't know what to get..those fibre ones or aluminum ones. From what I gather, the fiber ones trap more dust but hinder air intake. I'm not sure about the aluminum ones (I'd like to know). Seems to me like they'd let more air in but not filter as well...is this true? Also, I've even heard that you can take panty hose and rubber bands and that they should do the trick.

3. If the aluminum filters work just as well and let more air in I'll go with them. However, do they fit overtop of the 80 mm fans themselves...like caps, or do you have to screw them onto your case directly in front of the fans? If they just snap on to the fans themselves, will the whole fan/filter thing still fit into the clips that are installed with the antec case? This may be a problem!

Anyway, I'd appreciate it if anyone can give feedback. Does anyone know where I can get these filters if they will fit?

Thanks

"If It Ain't Broke....Tweak It!!!"
 
Does anyone have any suggestions or know-how concerning fan filters?

"If It Ain't Broke....Tweak It!!!"
 
The aluminum filters work very well, just good as the plastic fiber, and I think that they'll last longer. It's easy to pop them off and wash them. You can screw them onto the fans, or directly to the case.

I think it's better to attach them to the fans. If you examine the areas around the fan holders carefully, you'll notice a slight problem with finding enough metal for drilling extra holes for the screws. There's already too many holes in the chassis ... hence the fan holders.

The filters <i>are</i> slightly larger than the fans, even though the screw holes match up, so if you want to connect one to a fan, and then place it in one of the fan holders that come with the Antec case, you'll need to take a dremel tool and cut them down to size. It's not difficult, and the metal is fairly pliable, but you should be aware of this. I once trimmed 16 of them in a day ... and boy, they get hot when the blade on the dermel starts cutting! Wear gloves.

But I figure it's worth it ... they'll last damn near forever.

Here's a good, reliable site for ordering them:

<A HREF="http://www.2cooltek.com/" target="_new">http://www.2cooltek.com/</A>

As for the fans ... ball-bearing are considered to be better than sleeveless, and will last longer, but are louder. Beyond that, I've never seen much difference, unless the fan has a higher RPM.

Toejam31

<font color=red>My Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847" target="_new">http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847</A>
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<font color=purple>"Have you noticed how much they look like orchids? Lovely!"</font color=purple>