Adding a fan "port" in a NZXT Beta
 

Hi All,

I just ordered an NZXT Beta (and sort of immediately regretted it) and I was thinking of adding a port for a 90mm exhaust fan on the back lower part of the case just below the gfx card. I would cut the metal port placeholders (can't think of a better name) to allow a fit for the fan, then replace the empty spaces around the fan with tinfoil.

Anyone think this is possible/a good idea? It really just has 1 exhaust fan I think. So I think it needs two. I'll have 3 intake. One on front and 2 on sides.

Or would It be foolish to put one side fan as intake (the fan closer to top) and one as exhaust (closer to bottom, pushing out hot air from the gfx cooler)? I am having trouble understanding this case's optimal air flow. Hm after reading this.. it sounds like a bad idea, the 90mm fan as exhaust just medial to these seems to be a better idea and have them both as intake.

I'm confused! :biggrin::help:

Judging by a quick look at the case, it would appear that there is airflow from the bottom front across the motherboard components and then exhausting out the 120 fan mid-rear. That shouldn't be too bad actually.

If you want airflow close to the area you've indicated, you can always use a low rpm fan on the side which would more than likely make the whole case positive pressure (rather than neutral) and exhaust the excess through the port above the area you've indicated.

Have you thought of about adding a fan to the top instead?

Probably help the airflow a lot more and shouldn't be to hard to do :whistle:

+1 for positive pressure. Works decently in my FT01-BW which came setup as positive pressure by default. And if you filter all the intake fans, dust becomes far less too.

Also I'd suggest getting some of those vented slot covers like such: Silverstone Aero Slots which would allow the air to escape easily.

So having one exhaust fan shouldn't be a problem then? The setup I'm going to have when it arrives is 1x120mm in front, 1x120mm back exhaust, 1x120mm and 1x90mm on the side, pushing air into the case. So the positive pressure created by these should do a good job at just pushing air out the exhaust fan /ports eh? The 120's I have coming are medium rpm ones I think ( Scythe Slip Stream Kaze Jyuni 120MM Fan 1200RPM 68.5CFM 24DBA ) I'm not sure about the performance of the stock fan that comes with it. I may put that on the side if it's weaker than the Kaze.


I'm going to have an after market cooler on my HD4850, so that's really what I was worried about around the bottom there, as it would just be pushing air against the bottom of the case with no real direction it will be sucked out.

I will definitely pick up some filter material for these fans though.

Also I'd suggest getting some of those vented slot covers like such: Silverstone Aero Slots which would allow the air to escape easily.

Actually I was very surprised to find out last night that this little budget case has fenestrated slots that are not common until you get to much more expensive cases!

Have you thought of about adding a fan to the top instead?

I was looking at that option too, but it being a top mounted PS, would I have to place the fan quite far forward, up by the CD drives?

Put a fan on the bottom and raise the feet.

Yeah, if you have more intake than exhaust, the air will end up being "forced" out of all the cracks/openings/vents in the case as it tries to equalize with the outside air. My FT01 has dual 180mm intakes (top and front) and only a single 120mm exhaust. You can definitely feel air coming out of the vents on the back. And assuming all the intake fans are filtered decently, you can see why dust won't get in as much compared to negative pressure which subsequently sucks in air/dust through all the unfiltered cracks and openings.

As for direction, the front fan should assist in moving the air coming in from the side fans towards the back of the case.

Ah, from that first picture they looked like the cheap tear-out ones that never go back in.

Exhaust or intake? That possibility excites me because even if I screw it up, noone will see it! Muhaha.:bananafunky:

Now that I am understanding the positive P idea of this case, I may be content when I get it. I'll have to see though. Still need a place to put this 90mm fan I have :).

I'm not an expert on airflow, so take these comments with a grain of salt..... ;)

If I were to attempt to "tune" the airflow in the case, I'd want to make sure that the main case airflow (front to back) remained the most active, and that any fans I put on the side were minor contributers to the overall airflow. My concern would be that high airflow (or pressure) coming in from the side would disrupt the natural flow (front-to-back) which might end up working against the cool air coming from the front fan.

As much as they're frowned upon, my own personal feeling is that the theory behind the "side fan with funnel directly to stock cpu fan" is sound as it shouldn't affect the natural front-to-back airflow over motherboard components. If you've got a powerful side fan which isn't confined in any way, I'd be concerned that the results would run counter to that theory.

Really, the only way to know for sure is to try it out with different configurations (and rpm) on the various fans to find which one offers the best overall component cooling.

Yes and no, typically those ducts get pretty close to the rear case fan and I'm guessing that reduces the airflow a fair bit, or at the very least creates some turbulence. Also they don't always line up exactly anyways.

Could be like Silverstone and hookup one of those Halloween fog machines to a flexible tube and see how the smoke flows in and out of the case. I've always wanted to since I have a fog machine (it was only like $30), but never gotten around to it.