PC Airflow in a cabinet

[Maximilian Langer]

Hey everyone. I'm building a new computer and realised that I have enough parts left to build a system out of the leftover parts from the old computer. I wanna do this in my TV cabinet. First thing that came to mind was airflow, which I don't know much about. I can drill holes in the back of the cabinet for fans. Right now I have it more or less planned out like this


http://i.imgur.com/pSja6t8.png
(not to scale)


but tbh I have no idea whether it'll work and if there are dead zones in there somewhere (there probably are). Any suggestion on how this could be cooled with Max. 5 x 120mm Fans would be appreciated.
The cabinet is 65cm length and 48 cm in width.
(25.59" length x 18.89" width)

Thanks!

 

[gondo]

If you're not overclocking I wouldn't worry too much as long as you have a good CPU and heatsink.

Something that could be done is to put a grill in your TV cabinet. Sort of like take a 120mm hole saw and drill a hole. Install a piece of HVAC ducting from the hardware store. You can even get a grill for the front of the TV cabinet to make it look good or add a dust filter. Run that duct into the cabinet a bit and place the front of the computer case against the duct so the front fans get cool input air. Make sure the front fans are the only ones pulling air into the case. The side and bottom fans should be removed and the holes taped off with a foil tape. (foil tape is easy to apply and remove).

The intake could be cut into the side of your TV cabinet and you just need to turn your computer case. Flexible duct can be used to rout an outtake form the top of the case to the back of your cabinet. Just use some foil tape to seal the duct to your case. Don't worry about looks since it's all hidden inside your TV cabinet.

Another option is to consider a nice looking home theatre case and have it exposed so you see it. Like a stereo system. Silverstone is a classic manufacturer of home theatre cases.

 

[Maximilian Langer]

Woow okay. Much appreciated !!! But I feel like this is going to be a bit too much for a system this weak. I mean yeah I was gonna do a bit of DIY in here but this, this is a bit too much. Thanks so much though! I also thought about the case idea but I feel like that'd be wasted money, considering that it's supposed to be a build out of "scrap" parts. Would you change anything with what I currently have drafted out? or do you think that's enough airflow for an i3 and a fairly low-end graphics card?

 

[gondo]

I took another look and I'f I'm not mistaken the motherboard and components will be installed inside the TV cabinet without a computer case?

If so you should be fine. Just drill those motherboard standoffs inside the cabinet and mount the motherboard. Use some velcro to hold the PSU and hard drive down. Keep the intake fan low and the outtake high. You should be alright.

Also consider moving your PSU to the other side so the hot exhaust goes directly out instead of over the motherboard. Most power supplies now have the intake fan on the bottom. So you'll need to flip it upside down or drill a hole in the bottom of the cabinet and leave the power supply right side up. You could leave the power supply were it is to receive cool air and use a piece of flex duct to route the hot air out. The fan spreader may not be required. Try without at first.

One last issue that probably won't be an issue. You have no support for the video card. It'll be freestanding. You could take a bracket and screw it to the back of the cabinet and have it extend to the video card to screw it down. Just a sturdy piece of sheet metal or something as a standoff mounted at the exact proper height to catch the PCI cards. That would stabilize the video card but is not necessary.

Give it a shot and take temperature readings and let us know the results.

 

[Maximilian Langer]

will do. Thanks !

 

[Maximilian Langer]

Finished yesterday. You were right about the temperatures, it only made a 2-3 degree difference but hey, they didn't add any noise so I just left them inside. Result looked like this

http://i.imgur.com/IkmebnU.jpg

Thanks again for your opinion!

 

[ccampy]

Unless your gonna game of this ud just stuck with the Intel graphics

 

[Maximilian Langer]

Yeah I'm gonna game, it's connected to my TV and when friends are over I can play fifa or mortal kombat or other controller based games.

 

[gondo]

a lot of people don't realize that you don't need a case. Just a place to screw a few components.