CM Elite 430 Case Fans Questions

[jtaskew91]

I am going to be buying the cooler master Elite 430 case and I am unsure what I should do about the case fans? The case can hold one front 120mm fan, one bottom 120mm fan, one side 120mm fan, one rear 120mm exhaust fan, and two top 120mm exhaust fans (A total of three intake and three exhaust fans http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6654).

So here are my questions: Will more fans eat up more power and in turn creating MORE heat? Are more fans better? if not, which slots should I put fans in?

Here are the specs in case they are needed

Intel i7-950
ASUS P6X58D-E
XFX Radeon 6970
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB)
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner
COOLER MASTER R4-L2S 120mm case fans

 

[jchoca]

Each fan is probably going to use like 3 to 5 W, so I wouldn't worry about the power added. The air circulation from the fans will probably greatly outweigh any heat added. More fans doesn't necessarily mean better tho. You should try to position intake and exhaust fans so you create the most flow. If possible try to position them so they don't conflict with your CPU and power supply fans. I think the main trade-off with having more air circulation is the potential for more dust accumulating. It's nice that the case has filters (although they will decrease the flow a little).

You probably won't be able to balance intake and exhaust perfectly, and you'll end up with positive or negative pressure inside the case. I think it might be a little better to have slightly negative pressure (i.e., vacuum, or slightly more exhaust) - that way you won't have lingering air with residual heat. In my case I have one intake fan in the front, one exhaust fan in the back, and another exhaust fan on the top. Managing the wires in the case will also help the air flow.

 

[jtaskew91]

Great response, thanks a lot! I will go for more of a negative pressure vacuum to help decrease the amount of dust particles that can get into the case.

Thx again

 

[jsc]

6 fans will use about 1.5 amps at 12 volts - at the most.

 

[jtaskew91]

Best answer selected by jtaskew91.