PC cooling fans in bartop

[gman314]

I'm in the final stages of setting up my bartop, and was wondering if cooling fans were necessary (or at least recommended).  Obviously, I have the large fan of the power supply and the fan that attaches to the CPU, but is this enough?  Up to two additional fans can be attached to the motherboard, but I am not sure where it would be wise to mount them to.  The back door of my cab has vertical slits (which I also hinged in order to easily open), but would this result in sufficient air flow?  I refuse to make holes in the sides of the cab, since this would mess up my sideart.  Any advice?   

[BASS!]

How about some photos I could say cut a hole in the top of your machine, but is there a top?

[gman314]

It has a top, but I already made holes in it for the power button and speakers (I wouldn't want to throw off the symmetry  )  The only thing I can think of would be to mount the fans on the bottom of the cab's inside (very close to the door).  I guess being very close to the vented door would result in the best airflow.  On the other hand, though, my cab is not nearly as cramped as a traditional PC tower.  But would that mean that the additional fans are not totally necessary?
Sorry about the lack of pics, by the way, since  I do not have a digital camera  at the moment.   

[SavannahLion]

I guess being very close to the vented door would result in the best airflow.

Not always, you might short circuit the airflow.

The best thing would be to look at photos.

[leapinlew]

I put some kind of cooling in all of mine. I learned to spend some money on a good quality QUIET fan too.







These are all 120mm Scythe Fluid Dynamic Bearing fans from Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185005

Good luck with your build.

[gman314]

Well, in my possession, I have 2 small 12v fans.  Also, let me add that the back door of the cab has 12 vertical slits, which run from just about top to bottom, that are about 3/16" wide.  In addition, this back door is hinged, which means that I have the option of slightly leaving it open during long stretches of play. 
Once again, the problem with the fans is that:   1) I'm not sure where to mount them to   2) I really don't want to drill any more holes into my cab, and   3) The fans' wires are not nearly long enough to extend to the motherboard (even though I'm assuming that I can just splice the wires in order to extend them).
Would the vented/hinged door, along with my CPU and PSU fan be enough, though?  If not, I'm thinking about adding one fan to the top part of the door, and the other to the bottom part of the door (both facing outward).  But this would mean that I may need to drill two more holes into it.  I'm confused (and I want to try to get this done this weekend)   

[DeLuSioNal29]

Keep in mind also that you don't necessarily have to wire them up to your motherboard.  You can also get the type of fans that plug directly into the molex connectors on the power supply.  The only drawback is that they will always be on maximum speed (which is what you want) as opposed to variable speeds when connected to the motherboard (it starts off slower and quieter and speeds up as necessary when the motherboard heats up)

~ D

[leapinlew]

Well, in my possession, I have 2 small 12v fans.  Also, let me add that the back door of the cab has 12 vertical slits, which run from just about top to bottom, that are about 3/16" wide.  In addition, this back door is hinged, which means that I have the option of slightly leaving it open during long stretches of play. 
Once again, the problem with the fans is that:   1) I'm not sure where to mount them to   2) I really don't want to drill any more holes into my cab, and   3) The fans' wires are not nearly long enough to extend to the motherboard (even though I'm assuming that I can just splice the wires in order to extend them).
Would the vented/hinged door, along with my CPU and PSU fan be enough, though?  If not, I'm thinking about adding one fan to the top part of the door, and the other to the bottom part of the door (both facing outward).  But this would mean that I may need to drill two more holes into it.  I'm confused (and I want to try to get this done this weekend)   

Just depends on your situation. You may be able to get away with it. You may not.

Down the road, after the components gather a insulating layer of dust, and it may start locking up. Turn it on, give it a whirl and give it a feel. Any chance you can drill a hole in the base, and pump air into the unit and let it vent out the back?

Obviously I think the fans are a good idea. I don't know if they are 100% necessary, but the ones I have are so quiet they provide peace of mind.

[ark_ader]

Best getting a fan controller.  I have 5 fans going off in my slim cab project and it can be quite noisy on standard power, yet they are whisper quiet and still does the job on 3rd of the strength.   The controller occupies one slot on the motherboard chassis.

I got mine for $15 a while back at Frys.