How important are fans and ventilation for a "normal" computer?

JohnJSal

JohnJSal

Active Member
I got to thinking the other day, I've been a little distracted by the thought of getting a case that has great airflow and keeps everything cool with 3+ fans, that I almost didn't stop to ask myself if this is even necessary. In my experience with PCs (I'm thinking of either pre-made or custom Dell-type PCs) the case is usually pretty basic, no real ventilation like mesh fronts, and I doubt there's more than one or maybe two fans in the case, and usually you don't even hear them.

So my question is, is this good enough? What's the big deal about getting super slick cases that have great air flow and keep everything cool at the cost of sounding like a jet engine? These other PCs that I'm referring to never seem to have any heating/cooling problems, so why get something more intense than that?

Granted, I will have an 8800GTS (G92), but that alone will be the resource hog of the computer. Everything else will be just normal components, AFAIK. So in this case, where I've got a pretty decent gamer video card, but it's not really going to be a "gamer" computer, is there any benefit to getting a case with a lot of fans and great cooling, etc.?

Or would something as plain as this suffice:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129018&Tpk=antec+solo
 
In my experience with PCs (I'm thinking of either pre-made or custom Dell-type PCs) the case is usually pretty basic, no real ventilation like mesh fronts, and I doubt there's more than one or maybe two fans in the case, and usually you don't even hear them.
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Hey, John. Where have you been hiding - haven't seen you in a while. You actually answered your own question:) Mainstream systems from pre-build companies aim to have pleasant-looking, silent computers, as many folks will keep their PC in the living room and don't want it to be and eyesore or hear it while they're trying to do other stuff. They have design their cases to be silent and often use special HS's. The drawback, yes, is the cooling. In order to keep it silent, there is often no CPU fan (instead a very large HS) and only one low-speed exhaust fan. Temps are generally noticeably higher inside. However, one thing to take note of is that there are generally 'ducts' inside that sort of isolate the CPU/HSF from the rest or the sace, so the exhaust fan is really only pulling away from the heat from a small area.

With the new technologies today, like Korn mentioned, unless you plan on OC'ing, it really depends on what temps you want. A new C2D, with the right HS in the right case, with some form of ducting, might run cool enough.

In order to cut down on the noise, you could also find low-speed intake/exhaust fans, keep your Fan Speed Settings enabled in BIOS, or insulate the case.
 
Well, I have found the one drawback with the Dell Inspiron cases. They don't have adequate airflow at the front of the case, and thus the harddrive overheats. To make it that much worse, they use Caviars... The combo of heat and Caviar seems to make for a nasty combo.
 
imsati said:
Hey, John. Where have you been hiding - haven't seen you in a while.
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Hey there! Yeah, I've made a new appearance lately but probably for the last month or two I've kind of been at a dead end in my computer building career. :) But I just started a new job and now I have the funds, so I'm simply waiting for my credit card to arrive and I will start ordering! (I figure it's a good idea to put these things on a card, for the security.) For a while I guess I just ran out of questions to ask, but as you see, that problem is remedied! :)

So anyway, as far as my needs go, I plan to build my PC and then pretty much never really touch it anymore until it's time to upgrade a component or two. I'm not going to be tinkering with it every day, nor do I plan to overclock. I do, however, want to insure that nothing overheats, etc. But is running too hot the same as overheating? Is it a problem if something runs hotter than normal?

One idea I had was to get the Antec 900 and run the fans on low. Somehow I really doubt that I need them any higher than that, and on low I'm guessing they are pretty quiet.

But again, this gets me wondering, what about some simple case like that one I linked? It doesn't have any kind of open ventilation, and it only has one rear 120mm fan. It's made to be a fairly quiet case.

And I guess here's the big issue that it comes down to: I am building this PC so that it will run some of the latest games, but I don't consider it a hardcore gaming machine. Basically the only components that will help with gaming are the E8400 and the 8800GTS(G92), everything else is pretty "normal". No watercooling, do dual GPUs, none of that fancy stuff.

So I'm torn between considering this a gaming machine or just a regular PC. Somehow I have it in my head that a simple case like the Antec SOLO, for example, just won't be good enough for it, won't be able to "handle" the components, and I guess what I'm *really* asking here is, is this worry founded at all, or can any case support any kind of rig?
 
Well it really depends on what case you get. Generally really cheap cases either have poor ventilation, or are really loud, mainly because they use 80mm fans and the case material itself do not dampen sound.

More expensive cases, however, like the P180, offers pretty good ventilation while being very quiet, due to its triple layered panels. However you can make any case relatively quiet by using high quality silent fans and nice aftermarket CPU and GPU heatsinks.

As for the case you linked to, if you want to use high powered components in it, you'll need a relatively powerful rear fan, as no matter how nice the heatsinks are, your components are going to overheat unless the case can expel the hot air, and in that case, there's only 1 fan.
 
Being an owner of the Antec 900 as well as the E8400, I was sort of worried about the loudness of the fans.

The case you pointed out was ~$80 US. The A900 is ~$100. The 900 comes with 4 fans default and an optional 2 more. I am running it with the 4 default fans on lowest speeds, as well as a Zalman 9700 HSF on lowest.

I haven't really checked the temps yet through a program as I haven't started overclocking it yet, but just putting my hand by the rear exhaust fan, the air feels cooler than any other case I have ever felt. The only time it comes near to room temperature, is when I've been gaming for hours on end.

Granted, this computer sits inches away from my computer monitor atop of my desk (about 2 feet from my ears), and there is an open side vent. The noise is just about zilch, and with headphones on, the only thing keeping me from forgetting I actually have a computer case right there is the bright blue glow of the fans, the 9700, and the 2 cathodes.

And seeing as the E8400 has very low energy consumption, I would assume the temperatures would be low.

To put it in perspective: With my old CoolerMaster Centurion 5, if I had my computer running for ~2-3 hours straight, it would start to heat my room with my door closed. Now with the A900 I find myself turning up the heat as it almost acts like an air conditioner.

Good luck with the choice. Tell me if you need the idle/load temperatures of my machine.
 
But again, this gets me wondering, what about some simple case like that one I linked? It doesn't have any kind of open ventilation, and it only has one rear 120mm fan. It's made to be a fairly quiet case.
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That's a sleek-looking case. Simple, yet elegant - I like that:) I checked the Antec website site and though it only comes with one 120mm rear fan, the specs mention it has room for two 92 mm front fans.

As far as your gaming decision or not, cases that offer extreme airflow/cooling are generally considered best (such as the 900). It's not to say that a less-extravagant case won't work, just that you won't see as much airflow, thus higher temps from the CPU/GPU/Chipsets. For what you mentioned in your last post, it seems like major cooling isn't an issue. Honestly, I'd go for one that was pleasing to look at, but offered decent cooling (or able to be upgraded to such), and the Solo Black you picked seems to offer both. It all comes down to personal preference I suppose:)
 
imsati said:
That's a sleek-looking case. Simple, yet elegant - I like that:) I checked the Antec website site and though it only comes with one 120mm rear fan, the specs mention it has room for two 92 mm front fans.

As far as your gaming decision or not, cases that offer extreme airflow/cooling are generally considered best (such as the 900). It's not to say that a less-extravagant case won't work, just that you won't see as much airflow, thus higher temps from the CPU/GPU/Chipsets. For what you mentioned in your last post, it seems like major cooling isn't an issue. Honestly, I'd go for one that was pleasing to look at, but offered decent cooling (or able to be upgraded to such), and the Solo Black you picked seems to offer both. It all comes down to personal preference I suppose:)
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I find the SOLO nice-looking, and I keep coming back to it as an option for maybe a simpler build (like for my parents), but I think my choice now is between the Antec 900 and the P182. Both are nice-looking (not a huge fan of the front door on the P182, but no big deal; I'm also unsure how bright the 900 LEDs will be in my room at night) and I think either one would do fine for my setup. Both are more or less performance cases, so cooling is a factor. From what I've read, the P182 is very quiet as well.
 
tuxify said:
Granted, this computer sits inches away from my computer monitor atop of my desk (about 2 feet from my ears), and there is an open side vent. The noise is just about zilch
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Well that's good to know. I think mine will be placed underneath my desk, so a little farther away from me than yours seems to be. And I don't imagine needing the fans on anything higher than the low setting. I also don't plan to get any aftermarket coolers or anything like that.
 
JohnJSal said:
Well that's good to know. I think mine will be placed underneath my desk, so a little farther away from me than yours seems to be. And I don't imagine needing the fans on anything higher than the low setting. I also don't plan to get any aftermarket coolers or anything like that.
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You might need something faster than a Antec fan on low setting. Seeing there's minimal ventilation in the case, the single rear 120mm fan will need to keep the airflow going throughout the entire case.

I have 4 120mm fans in my P180b all at low which keeps my Q6600 at about 35ºC idle and my GPU at 55º idle.
 
JohnJSal said:
I find the SOLO nice-looking, and I keep coming back to it as an option for maybe a simpler build (like for my parents), but I think my choice now is between the Antec 900 and the P182. Both are nice-looking (not a huge fan of the front door on the P182, but no big deal; I'm also unsure how bright the 900 LEDs will be in my room at night) and I think either one would do fine for my setup. Both are more or less performance cases, so cooling is a factor. From what I've read, the P182 is very quiet as well.
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The fan LED are pretty dark, and if it's under your desk it shouldn't be a problem unless you sleep with your head right next to your computer at night with the computer on.

JohnJSal said:
Well that's good to know. I think mine will be placed underneath my desk, so a little farther away from me than yours seems to be. And I don't imagine needing the fans on anything higher than the low setting. I also don't plan to get any aftermarket coolers or anything like that.
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The lowest settings still puts out pretty good airflow, so lowest should be the only thing you need. That's all I keep mine at.
 
diduknowthat said:
You might need something faster than a Antec fan on low setting. Seeing there's minimal ventilation in the case, the single rear 120mm fan will need to keep the airflow going throughout the entire case.

I have 4 120mm fans in my P180b all at low which keeps my Q6600 at about 35ºC idle and my GPU at 55º idle.
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I was talking about the 900, not the SOLO. I'm pretty sure the single fan of the SOLO wouldn't be good enough on low.
 
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