HAF 932 bottom fans?

[shbek]

Hey, getting a Cooler Master HAF 932 pretty soon. I'm replacing the side and top fans 230mm fans for 120mm Scythe Kazes (120 x 38).
While I'm at it, there are two optional spots on the bottom for 2 120mm fans. It looks like I can put one in there, no issues. Just gotta keep the cabling in check and fingers away. =) Any clues about the second one under the PSU? Will a 120 x 25 fit under that casing? Or is that one there in the event that the PSU gets mounted in the top? I can't seem to get any good pictures of that area in the HAF 932, looks like people don't bother with fans there?

Oh, here is the HAF 932:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

 

[spinny]

You aren't really supposed to put a fan there, it's intended for the PSU's fan to have some breathing room. In any case, a fan does not fit under that little riser there.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

I have the Coolermaster HAF 932.

You can mount two case fans in the bottom panel only if you install the psu in the top rear of the case. You have the option of installing the psu either in the top rear or bottom rear.

You can install one case fan toward the front of the bottom panel if you mount the psu in the bottom of the case and the psu isn't one of those extra long ones which might get in the way.

This is the third thread in as many days about replacing the 230mm case fans with 120mm case fans. The HAF 932 has excellent ventilation, air flow, and cooling capacity. A technical review of stock cooling capacity was extremely favorable. Why do you want to replace the 230mm fans with 120mm fans?

 

[redgarl]

It's for your Power supply integrated fan like Spinny said.

 

[MRFS]

(1) mounting a modern PSU at the bottom rear
isolates that heat source by intaking cold air from
below the chassis, and exhausting it out the rear;
this location helps the PSU run cooler than it would
if it were intaking warmer air exhausted from
the CPU, RAM and video card(s);

(2) as long as there is no intake fan mounted
in a PCI slot like Antec's VCool product:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209016&Tpk=N82E16835209016
e.g. to cool a video card, the PSU's exhaust air
will rise up the rear panel without re-entering
the chassis;

(3) the main exhaust fan in the rear panel will
further assist that warmer exhaust air to
travel up and away from the chassis;
hot air rises, and it's very wise to harness
that gas law (just like hot air balloons
and fireplace chimneys, aka "stack effect");

(4) another good policy is to re-locate rotating hard drives
into upper 5.25" drive bays, using a good HDD cooler
like the one made by Antec, or this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835888311
this will likewise isolate that heat source and exhaust its hot air
directly towards the exhaust fan(s) in the top panel;
again, this prevents that warmer air from heating
any other interior components before it is exhausted;

(5) some of us are experimenting with 2 x PSUs
e.g. one for solid-state RAM storage, and the
other for the main motherboard, CPU and video etc.;
an AT-style PSU has its own ON/OFF switch
which can be used to maintain 5V "stand-by" power
for solid-state RAM, like the ANS-9010 and ANS-9010b
manufactured by ACARD in Taiwan:

http://www.acard.com/english/fb01-product.jsp?prod_no=ANS-9010&type1_title=%20Solid%20State%20Drive&idno_no=270

(6) the lower 3.5" drive bays in the HAF-932
are a good place to locate multiple 2.5" SSDs,
ideally in some variant of RAID array,
using 2.5"-to-3.5" brackets e.g.:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994072

Again, their heat output is minimal, and they
will inject minimal extra heat into the chassis interior,
when cooled by the HAF-932's large intake fan
located at the lower front of that chassis.


MRFS

 

[jimishtar]

why replace? all that fans will only make more noice. the stock fans are perfect. i added just one scythe slip stream 500 RPM on the bottom, everything else works n cool great.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

spinny & redgarl- That's not quite correct. An individual may install a power supply in either the bottom rear or top rear of the Coolermaster HAF 932. It is a matter of personal preference. In the event an owner installs a psu at the top rear of the case, then the owner has the option of installing 120mm case fans in the bottom of the case. The slotted psu support and sliding extension in the bottom rear of the case are removeable. Just two little screws hold it in place. I have a HAF 932 and it's in the owners manual.

BTW - My owners manual even shows how to install triple 120mm fans in the top panel. There are options designed into the case.

 

[shbek]

Gah, sorry, I had to go to a hunting class the last few days. Anyhow
A. Noise is not a problem,
B. A 230mm fan, or 4x120mm fans. So about 480mm fan area correct? I'd say replacing the side fan is totally worth it. 😛
C. Replacing the top was iffy if it was better, but since it fits three, approximately 360mm fan area. Thanks Johnny, would have never guessed it fit a third, that rocks.

D. This is going to be cooling a core i7 and a tri sli set up, the more cooling the better.

Although, does anyone know of better fans? I'd prefer them to be on newegg....

 

[spinny]

spinny & redgarl- That's not quite correct. An individual may install a power supply in either the bottom rear or top rear of the Coolermaster HAF 932. It is a matter of personal preference. In the event an owner installs a psu at the top rear of the case, then the owner has the option of installing 120mm case fans in the bottom of the case. The slotted psu support and sliding extension in the bottom rear of the case are removeable. Just two little screws hold it in place. I have a HAF 932 and it's in the owners manual.

Sorry for not being clear. I was responding to this:

Any clues about the second one under the PSU? Will a 120 x 25 fit under that casing?

The answer to which is no.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

The choice of case fans seems to be a matter of personal requirements and preferences. One person's idea of a quiet case fan may be another person's idea of a jet fighter. Generally the higher the rpm and cfm, the more noise is generated. Usually a compromise is called for.

My own personal preference is for the Scythe S-Flex series of 120mm fans. There are 8 different models to choose from ranging from 800 rpm to 2,800 rpm:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=scythe+s-flex

Scythe also offers quite a few other models:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110573%2050002108&name=Scythe%20USA

Other brands that are recommended quite often are Noctua and Yate Loon:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110573%2050012454&name=Noctua

http://search.store.yahoo.net/cgi-bin/nsearch?catalog=yhst-65556269779593&.autodone=nsearch.html&query=Yate%20Loon

Note - In the past there has been a minor problem with counterfeit knock-offs of the Yate Loon fans. Technical reviews discovered the problem when taking the fans apart to exmine the motors. Petra's sells the genuine article. Another problem applicable to all case fans is the sound level. The dba is overly optimistic. Manufacturers do not actually measure dba with fans mounted inside a case. They usually measure dba with the fan sitting in the open and from a distance of about 3 feet. It's not a realistic measurement.

Silentpcreview.com has done extensive testing of case fans for quite a few years. Their list of recommended 120mm case fans is very short. There are only 3 brands on the list and two of those are Noctua and Scythe S-Flex. Here's the link:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article63-page2.html