How can i modify a front panel for intake?

[exocer]

Heres what im working with guys
http://tinypic.com/dcysg
http://tinypic.com/dcytu
http://tinypic.com/dcyut
http://tinypic.com/dcyyr

I want to make a front intake for a 120 size fan or 2 80mm fans in the front panel and have no idea where to begin. The on/off button placement becomes an issue as it is placed directly in the center where i wanna place the fan, also where would i put the red and green neon leds for power and load?

After all the modding i've done..should i just chuck this and get a new case or is it worth modifying this case i've worked so hard on?:D thanks guys

[GLScooby]

Absolutely do NOT chuck it. MOD IT!

I have dealt with a similar case. The one I worked with was stamped out in the lower front for 2 80mm's. Is this the way yours is? Put 'em in and enjoy, although the flow wouldn't be the greatest.

For max flow, the thing to do would be relocate the button and LED's. I'd bet (without being there to measure it myself) that the power button will fit on the unused 5 1/4 bay. If I recall correctly, the Button and LED's are all the same piece that can be moved. Take the front panel off to verify this. My aunt has a similar case with the same button/LED setup. It unscrews(unsnaps?) from the front panel completely. Cut a hole in the 5 1/4 faceplate for the button/LED unit, and start hacking the lower spot on the panel for the 120. Also, cut out the metal case as well. I'd mount the fan to the front panel for ease of screws and finger guard installation.

[thrawn86]

hm, I'm betting theres an opening at the bottom of the plastic faceplate for airflow. Thats all the intake you're going to get with those front fans unless you want to do some hacking like scoob suggested.

I'm not absolutely sure why you would want front intake though.

[exocer]

GKScooby you're definitely right about being able to relocate the buttons and leds. I'll post some pics up for ya once im actually done with the mod. Oh by the way, its only stamped out for 1 80mm fan at the moment but im sure i can mount them in the front panel and cut some of the case away to make them fit. there seems to be enough space for it especially since im not using a floppy drive anymore.

thrawn86, I thought it'd make the case look a lot cooler and also, the only intake getting a reasonable amount of air inside the case is the side fan, the front intake is muffled by a hole about 3mm x 8mm located at the bottom of the face plate, abosolutely nothing gets in from there.

From my understanding it was always best to make sure intake and exhaust were balanced?

Also it'd look pretty cool having 2 80mm fans on the front panel :p :D

[Bearded Kirklander]

Dremel MotoTool can be your friend. :)

You could do like some other cases do and put the fans in front of the hard drives at the front of the case:

http://beardedkirklander.spymac.net/airflow.jpg

Seems to work well.

Good luck. :)

[exocer]

My slave drive is located right in front of where I want to mod the case, hope this turns out alright because a replacement front panel for this case is something I am sure i wont find ANYWHERE lol..

[BlueOval]

Originally posted by exocer
From my understanding it was always best to make sure intake and exhaust were balanced?

Also it'd look pretty cool having 2 80mm fans on the front panel :p :D
Other than modding for 'coolness', I disagree with the concept of intake/exhaust balance and with the concept of positive airflow - more intake than exhaust. I'm a proponent of negative airflow - or more exhaust than intake.

I personally do not run any intakes at all on my main rig, having only 2 80mm exhausts. Case fans by their very nature are better at pulling air through a case rather than pushing air through it, so your exhaust fans will pull air from the front of your case all the way through it and out the back.

I have a fan hole in my side window that I have completely sealed. Doing it this way nets me a cool 37/38C on the proc under a full load Folding 24/7 and being overclocked with a higher than stock Vcore.

[exocer]

wow...I guess i'll nix the whole idea, makes no sense to go through all this work without a noticable gain...All i know is that once i turned my side fan around to blow air into teh case, my case temps dropped about 5 degrees and also my cpu temps a few degrees. Based on those results i expected something similar from adding the intake fans in the front panel...

also keep in mind that i have 2 top fans and a rear 80mm fans, tahts a total of 3 exhausts compared to two intakes of which one intake really works.

[BlueOval]

Having more exhaust than intake is a good thing. ;)

[exocer]

wow...I guess i'll nix the whole idea, makes no sense to go through all this work without a noticable gain...All i know is that once i turned my side fan around to blow air into teh case, my case temps dropped about 5 degrees and also my cpu temps a few degrees. Based on those results i expected something similar from adding the intake fans in the front panel...

[GLScooby]

Originally posted by exocer
From my understanding it was always best to make sure intake and exhaust were balanced?

As you can see, case airflow is a 'hot' topic. There are 4 ways of thinking on this issue:

1. Positive, (more intake than exhaust) - Proponents of this way say it reduces case dust.

2. Negative, (more exhaust than intake) - Based on the 'fans draw air better than they push air' argument. (This is the method I prefer)

3. Balanced, (intake=exhaust) - Pretty simple, 'goes-in-it equals goes-out-it'

4. Bah, air cooling. Gimme water or phase change.....

The facts are this. Of the first three, there is very little reliable evidence that is universal enough to back up the claims that any one is better than the other. There are too many factors involved such as case size and configuration, ambient temp, heat load, fan size, cabling, flow path, restrictions, etc. One individual's results will not be typical of your results. Unless of course your hardware and the other factors are identical, which they rarely are.

It is wiser to heed the warning they print on product boxes everywhere these days:

Results will vary.

Try different combinations of the 3 main ways. See which one works the best, or if you can see any difference at all. Have some fun with it too.

Who ever said functionality was a requirement for modding cases? I think a big 'ol 120mm would look smokin' on the front of that rig!

[exocer]

GLScooby, im right there with ya! Especially a blue led 120mm fan, that'd look awesome on this rig.

[James]

http://www.darksavior.net/~james/fangrills.jpg

This is the mod I did on my old Enlight 7237 midtower. :D

I modified the front with 2 80mm Sunon 50cfm, 2 rear 80mm 50cfm Sunon's. :D Man that thing is loud, but it keeps my server super cool.

[exocer]

James, pretty cool and i wish it were that easy for me to mount fans on the front panel like that.