New build Airflow Diagram (WITH PICS) - advice?

[Lennox]

Just put the new PC together. Going to power her up today. Can anyone take a look at the pictures below and tell me what the ideal cooling layout is: Case A, Case B, or Case C? (Or some other configuration?)

Note 1: I know the PSU isn't in there yet. That's also arriving today.
Note 2: I know I still need to bundle/rearrange wiring for good airflow
Note 3: I have an optional dual-slot VGA cooler (Antec "VCool") which has been lying around for a while, thinking of using it. That's what's causing the confusion for me: if it's also an intake fan, do I now not have enough fans blowing out? Etc.

Note 4: The chassis is perforated- see below:

Now, the different options I'm thinking of:

All input is appreciated. I'm not so good with airflow, so I have no idea if hot air from the vid card will vent by itself through the holes in the chassis, or if it really needs a fan, or what...

 

[Silverion77]

Ok for 1 the PSU is going to be sucking out air...not putting it in that would be weird, cause it would be hot

Generally u want to intake through front and exhaust out back thats the best cause it creates flow from one side to the other

I guess use the VGA cooler if u have it (so B) but the PSU will be putting air out not in

 

[orangegator]

Case "B" is probably your best setup. And FYI almost all psu's exhaust air out of the case, not blow it in. This is how you want it to be anyway.

 

[Onus]

You've got quite a few of your fans backwards. The PSU pulls air out of your case, not into it. The PCI slot cooler also is an exhaust, not an intake.
Finally, the front fan is an intake, not an exhaust. You may want to put your hard drive in a lower bay so cool air blows over it.

 

[pbrigido]

These guys have it right. The best arrow configuration you have going in all of your diagrams is the CPU heatsink and fan and the fan on the back of the chassis. Both of them are perfect...taking the hot air directly out of your machine.

Some of the other air flow patterns need worked out. It was already posted, but air should come in from the front of the tower and exit out the back. That is typically why both your PCI Fan and your PSU fan will direct the air that way.

 

[geofelt]

As others have said, the PSU should be exhausting air, not taking it in. Every psu that I know of exhausts the air. When your PSU arrives, and you install it, dangle a piece of tissue behind it to see where the air flow really is.

Do the same test for the front fan which should be an input, and the rear fan which should be an exhaust.

If your slot cooler behaves the way you described, it is unfortunate, because it can be effective. It should draw air in to the fan, and exhaust it out the back slots. This has the beneficial effect of getting some of the hot vga air out of the case before it can recirculate and heat up your cpu.

 

[Lennox]

>>The PCI slot cooler also is an exhaust, not an intake.

I was hoping this was the case, but it appears to be an intake. If you look a the fins on the fan in a top-down view, the blades are concave. Also, the box advertises "intakes fresh air for VGA card".

Barring any other comments, I'll go with "Case B", with the obvious correction that the PSU will be exhausting hot air, not intaking. My one concern with this configuration is that the hot air coming away from the video card fan isn't getting directly routed anywhere- should it vent out the side of the chassis OK?

>>You may want to put your hard drive in a lower bay so cool air blows over it.

Why is this? Is it better to cool the top of a HD than the bottom?

 

[Silverion77]

He means to put it INTO the airflow, cool the whole thing

 

[Lennox]

>>He means to put it INTO the airflow, cool the whole thing

Re-mount the entire HD so that it's seated in the middle of the front intake fan's airflow? Wouldn't that disrupt airflow considerably? Also, I think jtt283 meant to mount it below the fan:

>>put your hard drive in a lower bay so cool air blows *over* it.

Is the HD placement important, or just splitting hairs? I always thought HD cooling was less important than everything else (cpu, video, ram, mobo, etc)