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Drilling a blowhole in my PC case
TheBana
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
The airflow in my case is pretty dire, I only have space on the back of the case for a 90mm exhaust fan and have a 120mm sucking air in through the side panel.
I've lowered my CPU core voltage to 1.25V (it seems to max at 1.3V under load) and have a Gigabyte AM2 mobo which many seem to have a voltage issue as the proper default makes my CPU reach around 80C+ under constant load. Now it tops at just over 60C, which is still too warm for my liking...
My case also has a mount for a 120mm fan at the bottom/front although the power switch covers it so a fan there wouldn't be much use I'm guessing. Great design.
What I intend to do is drill a blow hole on the top of the case and put a 120mm exhaust fan there, keep my 90mm exhaust on the back and put my other 120mm fan in the spare 5 1/2" bays sucking air in.
This seems like it should keep my CPU supplied with fresh air while the heat is sucked away nicely..only it'll probably cause negative pressure as there'll be more air expelled than coming in...is this so terrible?
Anyway, to the point...
I bought some High Speed Steel Twist drill bits which apparantly are the correct ones for drilling metal, I read that masking tape over the drilling area helps with marking out holes and to stop slippage/scratches.
I also have a Seasonic S12II which has a fucktonne of cables and isn't modular, so I plan on running my cables under the motherboard to stop them getting in the way.
I've never done this before so I'm looking for tips/advice before I take the plunge and start drilling holes in my PC case...obviously I'll remove all the hardware first and give the case a good dose of compressed air/vacuuming after to make sure there are no stray bits of metal...I wouldn't want to short anything out after the job's done.
Anything I should look out for...be cautious of?
Will the end result be worth the effort?
Thanks.
I've lowered my CPU core voltage to 1.25V (it seems to max at 1.3V under load) and have a Gigabyte AM2 mobo which many seem to have a voltage issue as the proper default makes my CPU reach around 80C+ under constant load. Now it tops at just over 60C, which is still too warm for my liking...
My case also has a mount for a 120mm fan at the bottom/front although the power switch covers it so a fan there wouldn't be much use I'm guessing. Great design.
What I intend to do is drill a blow hole on the top of the case and put a 120mm exhaust fan there, keep my 90mm exhaust on the back and put my other 120mm fan in the spare 5 1/2" bays sucking air in.
This seems like it should keep my CPU supplied with fresh air while the heat is sucked away nicely..only it'll probably cause negative pressure as there'll be more air expelled than coming in...is this so terrible?
Anyway, to the point...
I bought some High Speed Steel Twist drill bits which apparantly are the correct ones for drilling metal, I read that masking tape over the drilling area helps with marking out holes and to stop slippage/scratches.
I also have a Seasonic S12II which has a fucktonne of cables and isn't modular, so I plan on running my cables under the motherboard to stop them getting in the way.
I've never done this before so I'm looking for tips/advice before I take the plunge and start drilling holes in my PC case...obviously I'll remove all the hardware first and give the case a good dose of compressed air/vacuuming after to make sure there are no stray bits of metal...I wouldn't want to short anything out after the job's done.
Anything I should look out for...be cautious of?
Will the end result be worth the effort?
Thanks.
Monster Hunter Tri - TheBana/FZVK6U; Skype - TheBana84;
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you be better off putting another fan in the side of the case.
actually a better option might be to buy a slot fan.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106083&cm_re=slot_fan-_-35-106-083-_-Product
these will fit right in some empty PCI slots and provide some extra airflow. muich better than start drilling holes trough your case.
It's been a while since I've done some overclocking..but that seems VERY high. You may have an issue with your Heatsink and fan not being properly mounted on your cpu.
The Antec 900 has a giant hole in the top and, at least for me, it's never really been a problem.
I stand corrected
So does my Antec p182. No issues.
It's got a little cover that goes over top to prevent things falling into the fan (PIC). You'd probably want to put some sort of grill over the hole but it works fine.
I've reseated my HSF many times, using Arctic Alumina each time, I recently changed the stock cooler for a Thermaltake TMG A3, it's definitely a lack of airflow. It no longer goes to 80C+ that was a voltage issue caused by Gigabyte mobos, fairly common with AM2 boards it seems.
It does still get up to 60C though.
I'm not sure what you mean when you say you have twist drill bits to work with. Like a regular 1/4" bit that you plan on "milling" out a large hole with freehand? I wouldn't reccomend that plan, unless you're on a super tight budget and you don't care what the end result looks like.
I've had good luck with adjustable hole cutting drill attachments like this one. That's a bit spendy for a single job though.
Another option (and a very handy tool to have around) is a nibbler. If your case is made of steel though, your hand is going to be hurting. This thing can cut holes of any shape into sheet metal, easy. It's also a budget solution, so that might be more appealing here. I have cut 120 mm case fan holes with one of these on 2 seperate occassions, through steel. Making round holes is a little more challenging than square holes, but it will do it.
As for stuff going into the hole, use a regular fan grill, like this one. Cheap and easy. To block smaller debris, I put a dust filter mesh behind it (couple bucks at Home Depot) which also makes it look nice (imo).
Hope that helps.
edit: I would suggest cracking open the case and taking a picture before and after your cable routing. You might get some better suggestions for how to solve your problem once people can see it, before you go and spend money on a solution that may not help.
Also, top fans should be intake not exhaust. All your exhaust should come from the rear of the system.
That is not typically true. In a standard ATX setup the best location for intakes are Front, Left and Bottom, while exhaust should be Rear, Top, and Right where applicable, to maintain the best airflow. Think of a spline going between your intake and exhaust locations, ideally this line should cross directly through your CPU heatsink. If you have intake on the top, it will come in and immediately go straight to the back exhaust which is bad for 3 reasons; 1. It's path is only grazing your CPU heatsink, 2. It's cancelling the negative pressure of your rear exhaust fan meaning air coming in from other locations is not exiting at the most ideal location (top rear), and 3. It would be sucking in hotter air from the rear of your case as it rises up.
Also, I've got better performance from setups with negative pressure, so I wouldn't consider that a bad thing.
Perhaps you were using something not standard?
If I caught someone using one of my awls as a center punch, I'd be mildly upset.
Also, I can't speak for any other case, but the top exhaust fan on the P180/182 (which puts the power supply at the bottom, allowing the top fan to be directly over the CPU) always struck me as a good idea. I've never seriously analyzed the airflow inside a computer case, though.
Edit: I do agree with using a hole saw over the circle cutter, cheap adjustable circle cutters scare me to death.
I can only assume this is true. From what I've seen in Dell and HPs, they often use plastic channeling to guide the fan intakes over the CPU heatsink, so in that scenario a top intake fan could be completely viable. I'm pretty sure the OP does not have this however, since he was asking if he should cut his own hole in the top of his case. Therefore, exhaust fan is going to be better.
You want higher CFM in than out so that you can put mesh filters on your in ports and never worry about dust.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
I was planning on drilling a series of holes, rather than one big 120mm hole for my blowhole. I know it won't be as good, but I'm thinking it'll be enough ventilation to improve my situation.
I'm a little worried about it 'dimpling' rather than getting clean, flat holes. What are the odds this will happen? I should be able to file it down if it does dimple, right?
Considering we were the OEM for major medical device manufacturers like GE, Becton Dickenson, and Abbott I am thinking our engineers probably had an idea what they are doing. Also, the only mention ATX standards make of ventilation is ensuring that the PSU is adjacent to the CPU, if the fan within the PSU is expected to be the only exhaust fan.
Bana, you wouldn't cut a 120mm hole for a 120mm fan, you would just cut out the center portion. I'm sure some googling can find you a template to use. Don't just drill a bunch of holes with a regular drill, it'll look and work like shit.
Or, like i suggested, post a pic of the innards so people can critique and make specific suggestions. Unless you have some uber gaming rig with a crapload of hdds and video cards, chances are you don't need a top fan or to have to worry about mangling your chassis.
I know I won't need a 120mm hole, I'm pretty sure it's more like 104mm or something there abouts.
If someone could find me a circular drill bit on this site... http://www.diy.com that'd be neato. I can't seem to find one.
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http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?fh_view_size=10&fh_eds=%3f&fh_reffacet=specificationsProductType&fh_location=//catalog01/en_GB/categories<{9372015}/categories<{9372047}/categories<{9372200}/categories<{9392077}/specificationsProductType=holesaws___hole_cutters&fh_refview=summary&fh_refpath=facet_159016185&ts=1268863591697
This one is 102mm and is suggested for wood, metal and masonry:
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9287714&fh_view_size=10&fh_start_index=30&fh_eds=?&fh_location=//catalog01/en_GB/categories<{9372015}/categories<{9372047}/categories<{9372200}/categories<{9392077}/specificationsProductType=holesaws___hole_cutters&fh_refview=lister&ts=1268863695732&isSearch=false
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
Now from the picture it has a larger central hole and four smaller, outer ones...this attaches to my drill...how?
Would I need a seperate bit which would go between my drill and the holesaw?
EDIT - Apparently I need a mandrel...correct?
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
Most home use or standard office cases intake at the bottom and expel at the top due to warm air rising. unique conditions can certainly change that requirement though. Either way though it doesn't matter. For the home user you can intake at the top, expel out the bottom, or front to back, whatever, as long as you try to generate steady airflow from one point to another.
Your hot air problems could be caused purely by cable clutter. You mentioned re-routing. Id try that. Or reseating your CPU heatsink like has been recommended. Make sure the fan is working too. Ive had my core 2 duo run with just passive cooling on the heatsink when the stock fan died on it. Worked fine for just general desktop stuff but would crap out on strenuous stuff.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
I think most power supplies have their fans oriented to support a bottom-to-top, front-to-back airflow configuration, though.
Also if you're going this route I'd clamp the top piece of your case tightly to a piece of wood. Drill through the metal into the wood. That way the weight you're putting on the metal doesn't bend it inwards as you drill.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
My Coolermaster Centurion has 2 big 120mm holes + fans on the top, never had an issue.
Pheezer is also 100% correct. The metal that cases are made of, at least the panels, are not that strong and can bend under the pressure of a drill easily.
I'm just going to address this since others have effectively dealt with everything else;
There is no way on earth that a couple of case fans could create a pressure differential in excess of 1:1.0001
The people who are telling you to worry about negative pressure inside your case are talkin' jive, so to speak
What thread are you reading? The two of us that mentioned negative pressure (as a negative) merely pointed out that it makes it so that you can't effectively filter the air coming in.