Front Case Fans Worth Installing?

SIMP

SIMP

Member
I own a Centurion 534 case as seen below. I am currently only running the fans that came with the case which are the side 120mm and the back exhaust 120mm fan. My question is this, seeing how the hard drive bays are oriented, is it worth installing additional fans in the front grill? I have some extra fans handy but didn't know how well they would help cool the drives or affect air flow inside the case. I sure would appreciate a little feedback on this issue. Thanks for your help.

CenturionSideView.jpg
 
Yes. Any cool air coming into the case is generally good. With your Drives positioned the way they are, the air that gets by them will 'vent' into the case, rather than be 'pushed' in. However, the cooler air will help keep HDD temps down - I'd say go for it:)
 
I'm going to have to say no,
you'd be better off upgrading individual component cooling
modern SATA HDD dont need cooling (even raptors)
 
Yeah, like imsati said, any cool air that you can draw into the case is good!

If you look at the Antec 900, that cools like a champ! Why? Because it has two 120mm fans on the front :)
 
What do you have to lose? More fans is always better. Heck I have 6 fans total on my stock hp case!! LOL
 
Well, I must agree. Why not go for it? I just installed a fan in the front and one under the wind funnel so that it blows directly on my CPU. I also put in a fan controller so I could turn them up or down as needed. I just wished it a blow hole on top. Thanks for the input all.
 
I wish I could put a fan controller in my pc but my stock HP case wont allow me to b/c there is no 2.5" bay!
 
Yeah, the fan controller is nice to have. The case can go from super loud to ultra quiet very quickly.

How about the dust with extra fans? Has it posed a problem for other users? I was wondering if those fan filters are worth getting. Seems like they may actually block air from entering the case.
 
If the filters are thin and light enough, there's not much of a problem. As far as dust, yes, but the buildup catches on the outside mesh on the front Intake (Elite 330 case).

I used the exact case you have for a build recently, and IIRC, it has a mesh front, too, so I imaging you'd end up wiping any dust away every 2-3 days - nothing major. Inside the case, I hardly see any, though I do have stock filters that came with the case. The CPU duct vent is the same as the front mesh for me - wipe every few days. So long as you open the case and blow away dust once a month/2 months, there shouldn't ever be a problem, regardless of filters.
 
Kornowski said:
Yeah, like imsati said, any cool air that you can draw into the case is good!

If you look at the Antec 900, that cools like a champ! Why? Because it has two 120mm fans on the front :)
Click to expand...

Psh, my TT Armor has two 120mm fans in the front, and 3 exhaust fans (1 120mm, 2 90mm) and I'm still really disappointed in the cooling. My friends Xclio Windtunnel cools much better, and is cheaper.


oh well...hopefully when I get better fans, things will improve.
 
What heatsinks do you have? Usually heatsinks makes a bigger difference compared to fans, unless you have REALLY low rpm fans.
 
More fans is not always better, anyone who thinks otherwise has a very limited understanding of airflow and cooling.

But, you said you already have the fan, so why not check your before temps, install it, and compare it to your after temps?
 
fortyways said:
More fans is not always better, anyone who thinks otherwise has a very limited understanding of airflow and cooling.

But, you said you already have the fan, so why not check your before temps, install it, and compare it to your after temps?
Click to expand...

Watch out fortyways, that's ^ your 666th post! :eek: :P

On topic:

I'm in the same situation. I have a spare 120mm that I could put in the front too and my HDD cage is facing the exact same way. I'm not having any cooling problems though...
 
ramodkk said:
Watch out fortyways, that's ^ your 666th post! :eek: :P

On topic:

I'm in the same situation. I have a spare 120mm that I could put in the front too and my HDD cage is facing the exact same way. I'm not having any cooling problems though...
Click to expand...

Then don't put it in, as it'll just make your computer louder :).
 
Yeah I guess I'll leave it alone for now.

BTW:
Hey diduknowthat, just wondering, do you have the DS3L version of the P35 mobo? if so, is it a good combo with the Q6600?
 
I put in a fan on the side panel, down near to the front as possible (no room on the front panel for a fan). Hard drive temps dropped 20°F, so I'd say it was a good idea!
 
SIMP said:
Yeah, the fan controller is nice to have. The case can go from super loud to ultra quiet very quickly.

How about the dust with extra fans? Has it posed a problem for other users? I was wondering if those fan filters are worth getting. Seems like they may actually block air from entering the case.
Click to expand...

I def need some filters. I added a fan to the side that sucks air in towards my cpu and a fan in the back that pushes out. I need to get a filter for the side as the other day the side panel were the fan is was covered in dust and when I opened it up there was some dust inside my case. Filters are cheap so Im gonna get one soon or just make my own.
 
ramodkk said:
Yeah I guess I'll leave it alone for now.

BTW:
Hey diduknowthat, just wondering, do you have the DS3L version of the P35 mobo? if so, is it a good combo with the Q6600?
Click to expand...

Yup, I have that board. It's a great little board, although missing some premiums, such as firewire and raid. I have yet to overclock, but it's suppose to be one of the best boards for the money for that.
 
I have a DS3R version of the P35, and its great so far. I've taken the processor to 3.25 Ghz from 2.33 and its still stable. I might take it 80 mhz more so I can claim a 1ghz OC, but im fine for now :)
 
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