Case Mod Question

[alp1987]

I'm getting a new video card and it doesn't come with a fan. Its passively cooled. So i started to worry about temperatures within my computer case. I have a custom side panel that i made. It has a 11" by 14" cutout on the side that is protected by wire mesh that i bought so that nothing could be dropped in it. I figured it would keep my board and processor cooler and from what information i gathered it has. Well i started reading about case mods the other day and found out that there could be problems with doing this. I read that there could be hot spots from improper airflow and that it would allow dust to get in and hurt my processor, Hard Drive ect.

So Heres my question. Is it better for there to be a complete side on it or my custom side? I ran some temperature test and this is what i found.

With Custom Side
Processor 19C
Mainboard 23C
Power/AUX 38C
ACPI Thermal Zone 40C
Hard Drive 18C

With Proper Closed Side
Processor 18C
Mainboard 25C
Power/AUX 29C
ACPI Thermal Zone 40C
Hard Drive 21C

The temps favor custom side but i still have to deal with the dust issue. Thoughts?

 

[nvalhalla]

"The temps favor custom side"

not for the PSU it doesn't. Without the side, there should be better airflow. That doesn't mean that you don't need fans. I would make sure to get a fan on the intake and exhaust and you should be fine. Anyone else have experience with open side cases?

 

[nvalhalla]

As for dust, yes you'll get dust, but not too much more than having a properly closed side. Just clean it every couple months with compressed air.

 

[godsizesnakeyes]

I prefer a closed case without mesh panels. Then filtered intake vents or fans with quality filters that dont create much added noise or restriction.

 

[Groveling_Wyrm]

You will find arguements for both open and closed cases.

In the end, it is up to you, to determine the bese cooling for your system. Experiment a little, try placing fans in different places. Try to figure out where your dead spots are, and put fans blowing air into those areas.

Dust is a given in life. No matter what you do, dust WILL get into your case. The best you can do is minimize it. Some people believe in filters, while other people say filters will clog and create even more problems. Either way, the best prevention of dust problems is regular maintenance and cleaning of your case.

 

[shall1990]

I've seen this before, never tried it myself, but I think it does the job.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details-print.asp?EdpNo=120565&Sku=V13-4200

 

[casemods]

Keep the side on, lol.

I have an antec super lanboy case and I added a 120mm fan to blow air onto the cpu cooler, and an 80mm to blow air into the hard drive cooling area (and I added a second hard drive bay fan on top of the 120mm that comes in the front so that it has twice the hard drive cooling and added case cooling)

Post some pics if your case.

And as far as the video card is concerned, get a GPU cooler (I recommend the zalman 80mm one but get one with an LED so you can make sure it's turning)