Question Replacing Tempered Glass side panel with customized cardboard side panel for better airflow.

[Wrick Daz]

My PC generates a lot of heat while gaming(no OC but watt limited) even with 3 intakes and 2 exhausts and 2 noctua cpu fans..Room temps generally stays around 25-35C except in when sometimes it goes to 40C and in winter when temps goes around 15-20C)..
Specs: 13600kf with Noctua NF-D15, 3070ti, Deepcool 850W, Giagbyte B760M D2H DDR5

I have touched the side panel(tempered glass) while gaming and it was hot as if I could make an omlette by placing an egg on it..

When I removed the tempered glass side panel and gamed on the pc, the temps dropped by 3-5C everytime.. My cabinet is an ANT ESPORTS SX5 MID TOWER (https://www.amazon.in/Ant-Esports-Mid-Tower-Computer-Cabinet/dp/B0C2TV83LK?th=1) ..

Also the PSU is directly under the GPU(3 fan) and at the top of the PSU, the cabinet is made like a net and not solid.. I am afraid that hot air from GPU goes to the PSU..

So I thought of removing the tempered glass panel and instead use a cardboard panel with 2 more exhausts attached on the cardboard panel and using a PWM splitter for the fans.. May also coat the cardboard panel with electrical insulation tape... Will there be any problems ? (specially afraid of heat reacting with the cardboard)

 

[kerberos_20]

you can put some fans below GPU on that mesh like on this picture

PSU fan should be facing bottom, so it wont be taking hot air from GPU

 

[punkncat]

IMO, see if the side panel screws are long enough that you can put a spacer on each screw in order to create a ring of space all the way around the tempered glass. Even if they aren't long enough, it should be pretty easy to find a similar but longer fastener.

I got a couple different results on the linked case above, but the one I think it is has the four screws holding the glass side panel on.

 

[Wrick Daz]

you can put some fans below GPU on that mesh like on this picture

PSU fan should be facing bottom, so it wont be taking hot air from GPU

there is the PSU and also there are 2HDDs (the HDD slot is there).. the hot air will directly be released on them.. So I am not planning to go with that.. ( Specially don't want to bother the PSU and the HDDs because there is very less escape route for the hot air)

 

[Wrick Daz]

IMO, see if the side panel screws are long enough that you can put a spacer on each screw in order to create a ring of space all the way around the tempered glass. Even if they aren't long enough, it should be pretty easy to find a similar but longer fastener.

I got a couple different results on the linked case above, but the one I think it is has the four screws holding the glass side panel on.

tried that.. but the issue persists mainly where the CPU cooler is.. (++ the cooler is huge)

 

[Wrick Daz]

My PC generates a lot of heat while gaming(no OC but watt limited) even with 3 intakes and 2 exhausts and 2 noctua cpu fans..Room temps generally stays around 25-35C except in when sometimes it goes to 40C and in winter when temps goes around 15-20C)..
Specs: 13600kf with Noctua NF-D15, 3070ti, Deepcool 850W, Giagbyte B760M D2H DDR5

I have touched the side panel(tempered glass) while gaming and it was hot as if I could make an omlette by placing an egg on it..

When I removed the tempered glass side panel and gamed on the pc, the temps dropped by 3-5C everytime.. My cabinet is an ANT ESPORTS SX5 MID TOWER (https://www.amazon.in/Ant-Esports-Mid-Tower-Computer-Cabinet/dp/B0C2TV83LK?th=1) ..

Also the PSU is directly under the GPU(3 fan) and at the top of the PSU, the cabinet is made like a net and not solid.. I am afraid that hot air from GPU goes to the PSU..

So I thought of removing the tempered glass panel and instead use a cardboard panel with 2 more exhausts attached on the cardboard panel and using a PWM splitter for the fans.. May also coat the cardboard panel with electrical insulation tape... Will there be any problems ? (specially afraid of heat reacting with the cardboard)

also will this be a problem if I use the cardboard like I said here?..

 

[kerberos_20]

there is the PSU and also there are 2HDDs (the HDD slot is there).. the hot air will directly be released on them.. So I am not planning to go with that.. ( Specially don't want to bother the PSU and the HDDs because there is very less escape route for the hot air)

bottom fans as intakes

 

[geofelt]

I doubt what you plan on will be effective.
Seems to me that you have 3 120mm front intakes.
That should supply plenty of fresh intake air.
Whatever comes in the front will pass by the cpu cooler and the graphics card and exit out the rear 120mm fan..
If you have any top exit fans, they will tend to redirect the cooling airflow up and out of the case prematurely.

As to cardboard, I would not.
It could be a fire hazard.

You will get better cooling if you can keep your room cooler.
40c. may be the room temperature but the interior of the case will be hotter.
And, as you run the pc, it will measurably increase the room temperature.
Open a window to let the heat out.

You could replace the front 120mm fans with 140mm fans. 140mm will move more air quietly.

 

[Wrick Daz]

I doubt what you plan on will be effective.
Seems to me that you have 3 120mm front intakes.
That should supply plenty of fresh intake air.
Whatever comes in the front will pass by the cpu cooler and the graphics card and exit out the rear 120mm fan..
If you have any top exit fans, they will tend to redirect the cooling airflow up and out of the case prematurely.

As to cardboard, I would not.
It could be a fire hazard.

You will get better cooling if you can keep your room cooler.
40c. may be the room temperature but the interior of the case will be hotter.
And, as you run the pc, it will measurably increase the room temperature.
Open a window to let the heat out.

You could replace the front 120mm fans with 140mm fans. 140mm will move more air quietly..

you are right.. there are 3 intakes.. 1 exhause in back and one in top.. CPU has 2 fans.. ideal temperature of CPU stays around 48C and the ideal temperature of the system stays around 42C.. GPU ideal temperature stays around 46C..
The room I work is not air-conditioned ( and cannot be air conditioned due to certain circumstances).. ++ 2 doors always stays open to circulate the air.. may replace the front 120mms with 140mms in future but not now..

also regarding the cardboard, if I wrap it in electrical tape.. can it still have problems ?

 

[Wrick Daz]

bottom fans as intakes

it will be 5 intakes and 2 exhausts.. wont it be a problem ?

 

[geofelt]

I think you are trying to fix a problem that you do not have.

Graphics cards are designed to run at 80c.
Processors are designed to run as fast as they can subject to cooler and motherboard limitations.
That is 100c. for intel and 90c. for ryzen.

On top of that mucking up a nice case with electrical tape seems like the wrong thing to do.

Look at this video on heat impact on gaming:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNFgswzTvyc

 

[Wrick Daz]

I think you are trying to fix a problem that you do not have.

Graphics cards are designed to run at 80c.
Processors are designed to run as fast as they can subject to cooler and motherboard limitations.
That is 100c. for intel and 90c. for ryzen.

On top of that mucking up a nice case with electrical tape seems like the wrong thing to do.

Look at this video on heat impact on gaming:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNFgswzTvyc

Made the cardboard and covered the inside with electrical tape.. with 2 fans outside as exhaust.. worked well when ran the cinebench for 10 mins (81C max).. thinking of making a custom tempered glass with the same measurements and cuts..
Also another thing is I limit the wattage of cpu to 125W (default tdp as mentioned in intel website).. Else anything above 130W will get the temps above 90C and anything above 140W, the temps will be hitting 100C in no time.. to be honest, I am not comfortable with anything above 80C.. maybe sometime in the future I will change the cpu cooling to a liquid cooler..

 

[Wrick Daz]

also I recently saw that the GPU was sagging.. so I installed this (https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0BXL4FGQJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1) .. I hope it will not be a problem..