How To: Properly Plan And Pick Parts For An Air-Cooled PC, Part 1

[kyuuketsuki]

[citation][nom]dirtyferret[/nom]pointless like most of tom's articles. no test benchmarks and the PSU orientation on the bottom is based of what? personal feelings? i've run the test myself and found the PSU makes less noise when it goes fan side up and "debris" can be kept out with a simple magnetic fan filter.[/citation]
Uh, no, it's based on the fact that you generally want to draw cool air from outside the case through the PSU rather than hot air from inside the case. The article is not super in-depth, but it does provide a very good overview on the basics. And if you really hate Tom's articles so much, then why the hell are you here reading and commenting on them?

 

[pwnorbpwnd]

Already have my air cooling methods down pat! =D

 

[Guest]

Great article. Loved it when I saw my Corsair 600T is a great case for airflow 😀
Especially with the mesh side panel.

 

[Rob423]

What a great article this is.

 

[eddieroolz]

Last time I built a machine was in the Core 2 Duo days, and back then most budget cases featured top-mounted PSUs. Since that's all I've seen really, I was inclined to stick with that for an eventual build of mine - but I'm glad this article illustrated clearly the disadvantages of the top-mounted PSU configuration.

Thanks for a great article!

 

[buzznut]

Perhaps more relevant would be a look at the current hot box FX CPU. A preview of what may come from AMD next year possibly.
I can remember my FX-62. Heat issues kept me from getting any higher than 3.15Ghz stable, but it was a good processor at the time.

 

[buzznut]

[citation][nom]iamtheking123[/nom]Every fan also has an arrow on the side of it embossed in the plastic that points out the direction of air flow and blade spin. A good rule of thumb though is airflow is away from the sticker that says 12V 1A etc.[/citation]

I've seen dozens of fans that have no designation whatsoever. What this should say is "every fan SHOULD have arrows showing air flow direction and rotation. But many of them don't."

 

[buzznut]

[citation][nom]eddieroolz[/nom]Last time I built a machine was in the Core 2 Duo days, and back then most budget cases featured top-mounted PSUs. Since that's all I've seen really, I was inclined to stick with that for an eventual build of mine - but I'm glad this article illustrated clearly the disadvantages of the top-mounted PSU configuration.Thanks for a great article![/citation]
Even better is a case that has the PSU in its own compartment away from other components. I can't think of a model name at the moment, but I've seen some from Antec maybe one of the P180 models?? Also pretty sure Silverstone or Lian Li or some such.

Anyway I am kicking around some ideas of building such a chamber in a future build. I'm thinking along the lines of a mountain mods type of design, except completely original of course.

 

[whysobluepandabear]

[citation][nom]Mark Heath[/nom]Good timing as the Australian summer approaches. You guys in the US think you have it hot :S[/citation]
I live in Vegas, I understand.

 

[FinneousPJ]

:lol: The hot dog machine was nice, here's a google translate link if anyone else wants to read it: http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tomshardware.de%2FHD6990-GTX590-Corsair-Obsidian-800D%2Ctestberichte-240761-11.html

 

[ivyanev]

I am against top mounted fan and any holes in the top of the case anyway .I know that is very efficient , but it is always possible to spill something.

 

[DSpider]

Nice image choice. For NOVEMBER !

 

[actionjksn]

[citation][nom]BeetlejuiceGr[/nom]heh i am just showing you a pic from my pc that the airflow is totally different because there is a watercooling system on the cpu, i hope that the picture is self explanatory for all.

[/citation]

That is a horrible setup with your fan orientation and your temps show it. You need to turn those fans around to the proper direction with the both front ones blowing in and the back and top blowing out. As it is the air doesn't know where to go, you have where the fans are fighting each other instead of working with each other.

 

[arun456]

Could u PLEASE MENTION how fan specifications matter practically.. i mean pressure verses CFM.. where what is appropriate?

 

[venky403009]

Excellent article after i read this I can able to understand the work of silverstone vertical mounting method,direct cooling for each motherboard components.In the next article please explain the vapor chamber cooling and the principles of heat sinks and heat pipes.

 

[dalmvern]

Great article on a topic I knew very little about. Thank you very much.

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

In the next article please explain the vapor chamber cooling and the principles of heat sinks and heat pipes.

They study this in 6th grade...

 

[ChromeTusk]

Even better is a case that has the PSU in its own compartment away from other components. I can't think of a model name at the moment, but I've seen some from Antec maybe one of the P180 models?? Also pretty sure Silverstone or Lian Li or some such.

Anyway I am kicking around some ideas of building such a chamber in a future build. I'm thinking along the lines of a mountain mods type of design, except completely original of course.

Some examples of chambered cases:
Antec Performance series - mini P180s, P180s, and P190s
Antec Veris sereis - Fusion HTPC enclosures
Antec NSK 2480
Silverstone Tek Temjin series - TJ07, TJ11

I would not consider the Silverstone Raven RV03 a chambered case, but its unique placement of the PSU separates the heat almost completely.

 

[RedJaron]

Graphic cars are always upside down in a Tower design. When are they going to change the standards to flip them around and have the heat sinks pointing upwards to aid in cooling?

Do this, and where would you put the intakes? Having the intakes facing down means it's easier for the fans to grab the colder air on the bottom of the case ( preferably from a bottom intake fan. ) Flip them on the top of the board and they have to pull warmer air back down into the card. Unless you can think of a way to route cold air from the bottom and route it through to the top of the board?

 

[RedJaron]

You can test this, grab a good tower case, with a bottom mounted PSU, well groomed cabling, and make sure the case has no perforated walls (which defeats the purpose of air pressure testing). If you have 6 fans, 3 point in and 3 point out, in any configuration, it will cool less effectively than arranging the same 6 fans in a 4 in 2 out configuration.

Too many variables for the average user: fan size, RPM, CFM, placement, case layout, etc. This isn't meant to be an in-depth dissertation on thermodynamics, it's a basic - intermediate cooling guide for the average DIYer and/or enthusiast.

 

[RedJaron]

Thanks, Tom's, for a good primer on cooling basics. There's some nice reminders for old-hands as well as some new tips some other enthusiasts may not know.

 

[ChromeTusk]

Do this, and where would you put the intakes? Having the intakes facing down means it's easier for the fans to grab the colder air on the bottom of the case ( preferably from a bottom intake fan. ) Flip them on the top of the board and they have to pull warmer air back down into the card. Unless you can think of a way to route cold air from the bottom and route it through to the top of the board?

I agree with you that it is easier for downward facing fans can pull cooler air more easily, especially in the ATX tower form factor. However, if the CPU and PSU can be chambered separately from the expansion cards, the fan up configuration can work. Take a look at the layout of the Mac Pro which uses that type of chambered, upside down layout. Two fans in the front create a wind tunnel through the chambers.

 

[RedJaron]

I agree with you that it is easier for downward facing fans can pull cooler air more easily, especially in the ATX tower form factor. However, if the CPU and PSU can be chambered separately from the expansion cards, the fan up configuration can work. Take a look at the layout of the Mac Pro which uses that type of chambered, upside down layout. Two fans in the front create a wind tunnel through the chambers.

I wouldn't mind seeing compartmentalized / modular cases, but since they're not standard, few manufacturers will risk making parts for them. Unless you make non standard cases that still adhere to some ATX measurements and will fit ATX components without modifications. But does that lead to something like the Level X case that's prohibitively expensive?

I'm not sure how you can effectively separate the CPU and card airflow with a generic case. Suppose you have a partition wall between the two. It doesn't have to touch the board, but it does need to be relatively close to it for airflow separation. How can you assure it will fit the majority of motherboards without touching circuitry, VRMs, heatsinks and pipes, etc. It'd have to be some sort of custom work where the end-user has to cut away from the partition to fit their own board.

But ultimately, if you're separating the cards from the CPU, why would you want the fan on top of the card at that point? It would be right up against the partition, and that doesn't make sense to me. Unless you're proposing departure from the ATX motherboard, which would make this whole thing moot.

 

[deadlockedworld]

I want to see the 90 degree turned Silverstone cases in the next airflow review. I would be interested to see how they stack up.

 

[RedJaron]

I want to see the 90 degree turned Silverstone cases in the next airflow review. I would be interested to see how they stack up.

I have a Raven 3. It works wonderfully. Granted, I don't have a current rig to compare it to thermally or acoustically. But Tom's did a comparison review on it and five other cases a few months ago. You can check some specs on the Ravens there.