Top blow hole - How to?

Caracortada_uk

Caracortada_uk

Caracortada_uk

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Joined
31 Aug 2007
Posts
62
Hi all. Sorry for being a bit of a noob here just wanting to double check things before i start cutting. Also the how-to on this in the case mod forum doesnt work, dead link. Does anybody have a link to a good guide? Is it possible to do it with a jigsaw or does a hole cutter need to be used? The friend cutting it for me is a joiner.

Would there be any airflow problem with the current 2x40cfm fans (1 intake & 1 exhaust) and a new under volted 120mm running very slowly? There also the PSU fan and 8800GTX exhaust but im assuming their airflows are negligible. Specs of fan im going to use: 2000rpm, 54CFM, 7-13V. Temps dropped by 10C with air leaving under natural convection so the fan doesnt need to be running fast.

The plan is to cut the hole, smooth it and then put a strip of U-shaped rubber around the hole to make it look nicer. Under this will go a 120mm fan vibration dampener, a 120mm Aluminium black mesh fan filter (again make it look nicer), another vibration dampener and then the fan itself. The reason for the dampeners it to lift the filter away from the U-shaped rubber to stop it pressing into the fan. Would the under volted fan be strong enough to push air through the filter or would a sheet of open guage aluminium mesh be better? Im thinking entirely asthetics here.



Finally two small questions.
1) The case mesh that is infront of the case fans, I know people cut this out for better air flow, but does it actually have an effect?
2) My HD was infront of the front intake fan with air flowing over the top and bottom, its temp was 27C. Now that air is only flowing over the top and the bottom is flush with the case its temp is 35C. Im assuming the temp sensor is on the underside circuitry and not inside? Would adding a small fan down there help things?

Thanks for any help.
 
I'm not a hardcore modder but some pictures would be good for me to visualise this. Personally I would get a hole saw from B&Q and cut the hole in one go. You will need to drill a pilot hole and have a steady hand on the drill. Allow the tool to do the work and go slowly :)

The main thing to check with that fan is how noisy is it? 54cfm is a fair whack of air and potentially could be noisy. To answer the question on the mesh, its more dependant on the size of the mesh concerned. A fine mesh will be harder to push the air through.

Why have you moved the hdd? If airflow is an issue then its good to have a slow turning fan over the hdd imo. However if the temperature is 34 degrees then thats way way below the max, if it was 50c then I would be worried.
 
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once u cut the hole do what i did and use some bowthorpe beading around the edges of the hole to get rid of sharp stuff and to add that pro look to it.
 
Dont worry about the layer of vibration material and mesh and so on, Just checked it with stuff i had lying about and it will work fine, plus look cool :D. Still 3 issues:

Will cutting the case mesh infront of the front and rear fans improve air flow a lot or hardly at all?

Does anybody know a source for 120mmx120mm mesh sheeting i can use for this? My local B&Q only sells it in large panels at £8 each, rather a tad pricey! Using the aluminium fan filter would not work due to too small an air flow so aluminium mesh it is.
 
sonicology said:
Is this the type of thing you're looking for?

Akasa Fan Filter - 120mm

It's out of stock at the moment (I just got the last one yesterday :p ) but I'm sure it will be back in shortly.
Click to expand...

No im meaning like this:
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/n...efview=search&ts=1189721071688&isSearch=false

Nice open wire mesh (like chicken wire but different design). Thats a 50cmx25cm panel, dont need anything that big if i can avoid it. I know theres mod shops in the states that sell small squares of stuff like this. Wondering if there is one in the UK.
 
I could tell you if i had your email as it is kind of a competitor but it mostly does watercooling parts.
They even offer a blowhole cutting service quite cheap £8.50 for 120mm discount on 2 or more holes you just have to pay for the postage cost there and return of your panel.
120 rad grills look cooler imo than mesh.
 
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