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Do most people add fans to the cabinet back?
Ginsu Victim:
My MAME cab is too close to the living room, so it's distracting when she's watching TV or reading. When she's gone, I crank that ---smurfette---! Marvel vs Capcom MUST be loud!
Beretta:
most motherboards these days can handle automatic fan adjustment.. IE: control fan speed based on temperature..
if you have it set up like this then the fans will be fairly quiet unless the cpu is getting hot, in which case would you rather have 1. the cpu be throttled back, possibly causing the game to become choppy?, 2. the fans are louder then usual (running at 100%) but at least you can still play the game and you processor is'nt cooking.
if your motherboard does'nt have this feature then you can buy standalone fan controllers..
you can also hook up a thermistor inline with the fan, or install a pot so you can manual adjust the fans for the right balance of cooling and noise.
when selecting cooling fans get the largest you can, larger fans put out more air and create less noise because they spin at a lower RPM for the same amount of cooling.
also smaller fans running at high speed have a higher pitch which can be more annoying then a larger fan that has a lower pitch it's not as noticeable.
ball baring fans last a long time, sleeve baring fans are cheaper, quieter, but usually dont put out as much air and dont last as long..
when noise is a concern go with sleeve fans.
Derrick Renaud:
A nice 120mm fan at the back helps keep the CPU cool. I also used one at the top of the cabinet to keep the CRT monitor cool. That helps to stop deflection jitter problems from a hot chassis.
This is the one I used. Can't even hear it.
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3180427&CatId=802
No air intake fans are needed. Just make sure air can get in the cabinet somewhere.
richyrich888:
Have added one to mine, here is a pic of a test rig i set up before fitting it to the cab..
...p4 prescot processor is also known as "preshot" so didn't take any chances , and besides, neon blue led fan was too hard for the kid in me to resist ! lol !
Dr Zero:
Heat is a killer on PC's I have worked on many that the dust and the heat have almost did them in.
A quiet fan you would probably never hear over a game.
On my build I am getting a PSU with a large fan along these lines
and add one a the top back where the vents are to help with exhaust. They drilled holes then put a board a few inches away so you cant see in but it kind of traps heat so the need for some exhaust.
When you go looking for fans also notice the CFM (Cubic feet per minute) they are not all the same even though they are the same size and notice the noise level.
120mm Air Flow: 37 CFM Noise Level: 20.2 dBA
120mm Air Flow: 58.3 CFM Noise Level: 16 dBA
200mm Air Flow: 142 CFM Noise Level: 23 dBA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010090573&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&SrchInDesc=silent&Page=1