[SOLVED] Does airflow move heat better when move past components or directly through them?

[joe-pringle]

I'm building a custom computer case, and i plan on removing the casing of the power supply to expose the components so that the case fan can cool the components and the exhaust fan can remove the hot air more effectively (i know removing the casing of a PSU is very hazardous, but i know what i'm doing). My question is, would it be move effective if the fan was blowing directly into the components or should i have the PSU just off to the side, so the air wont be moving directly through it but the air surrounding it will be constantly moving out the case?

I imaging having airflow through the PSU will in theory cool better, but the airfllow will also be obstructed more, so the increased air resistance may offset any thermal advantage.

 

[popatim]

How old is this PSU that it has a fan mounted on the back of it instead of a large 120mm fan on the casing?
The design of the PSU is for air to be passing thru it and over the components in it. Removing the casing will change this and may actually cause heat buildup related problems.
Do you have an IR camera to make sure you don't create a 'hotspot' ?

 

[thx1138v2]

Interesting idea. There is one thing the PSU case does that you may not be considering: it helps keep dust off of the PSU components.

 

[joe-pringle]

How old is this PSU that it has a fan mounted on the back of it instead of a large 120mm fan on the casing?
The design of the PSU is for air to be passing thru it and over the components in it. Removing the casing will change this and may actually cause heat buildup related problems.
Do you have an IR camera to make sure you don't create a 'hotspot' ?

The PSU DOES have a 120mm casing fan. I simply want to minimise the amount of fans in my PC whilst still finding a way to maintain cool temperatures or even improve them.
I don't have an IR camera but that's a good idea, i'll make sure to get one before putting the case together/testing it.

Interesting idea. There is one thing the PSU case does that you may not be considering: it helps keep dust off of the PSU components.

I have considered this, but i figured as long as i spray air over it every few months, it shouldn't really be an issue. We'll see though.

 

[popatim]

Hmm. If your case has the PSU mounted on top then it might work. You may have to block of any high mounted rear fan vents. Air tends to flow along the least restrictive path.

If the PSU is bottom mounted then its supposed to draw air in thru dedicated vent holes on the bottom of the case and expel it (hot air) out the rear to keep the motherbd/GPU area cooler by design.

 

[joe-pringle]

Hmm. If your case has the PSU mounted on top then it might work. You may have to block of any high mounted rear fan vents. Air tends to flow along the least restrictive path.

If the PSU is bottom mounted then its supposed to draw air in thru dedicated vent holes on the bottom of the case and expel it (hot air) out the rear to keep the motherbd/GPU area cooler by design.

Here is the design of my case:

The gray box in the bottom right is the PSU. The bottom half the case will be separated from the top (motherboard) area, so i think that should help keep the warm air from the psu reachin the motherboard.

Also, the only vents are going to be directly in front of each fan which is facing the sides of the case. That way, both sections of the case will have their own unobstucted airflow that travels straight from the the front of the case, through the CPU/GPU/PSU/Drives, and right out the back. Should i add more vents? if so, why?

 

[popatim]

I assume you will have exhaust vents in the case at the rear. As for adding more I would not, you want some positive pressure in the case to help air push into places it would otherwise bypass if there were less resistance elsewhere.

 

[popatim]

Link us to a pic of the final build. I'd like to see how this turns out.