Air Flow/Fans for trunk computer build - is this how it should be done???

**doncarbone** · 06-15-2011, 01:48 AM

I am wanting to ensure my computer is kept as cool as possible in preparation for the hot summer.

Attached is a diagram of how the air flow will work with my set-up...i need from you guys some guidance/confirmation on this from people who have strategically installed fans for their installs.

The 120mm fans will act as in-takes, and the smaller 80mm fans are exhaust. Air is sucked from the right of my open trunk space and is guided down where the tire wells are and underneath to where i've built a chamber for my computer. On the opposite end where the chamber meets the spare tire well, there is an exhaust fan sucking air out and around it goes.

Will this work?

**OldSpark** · 06-15-2011, 04:55 AM

Fans "to push the air in" are generally better than sucking out - in particular if they can be aimed at the hotspots.

I'd try to stick with a single fan to push the air through. Adding other fans can cause restrictions (pumping slower) or decrease pressure and hence cooling.

Where is your air intake and exhaust?

**soundman98** · 06-15-2011, 01:50 PM

try to stick with similarly sized fans-- the 2-80's are going to restrict the airflow of the 120's.

i also think you are focusing too much on the general direction of airflow, and not actually cooling the pc-- for this, i would either place a fan directly in front/above the pc, so cool air is being forced across it..

if you hold your hand in the front and back of a fan, you will notice that the air pressure is always better in the front then the back where the air is getting sucked into the fan--because fans can draw air from everywhere, but only direct it in a very specific form..

the only way you could get a 'pull' setup to work would be to very carefully create ducts to only draw air from across a very narrow area across the length of the pc components.

also, the overall air within the trunk can get very hot on a warm day, so on those days, the fan setup would be useless, because it is just cycling already-hot air,that would do a better job warming the pc then cooling it.. to remedy this, it would be best to pull air from the cabin--whenever you drive the car, the cabin would have relatively cool air, because nobody likes driving a car that is 120deg F inside...

**malcom2073** · 06-15-2011, 05:57 PM

See if we can get sonicxtacy to pipe in here, but he has a setup where he pulls air from the rear of his car, and runs it through some duct to his dash to cool his PC. This type of setup might be useful here, as you can pull cooler air from the cabin and push it into the trunk area where the pc is perhaps?

**doncarbone** · 06-16-2011, 01:35 AM

thanks people for the suggestions.

do you think a water cooling set-up would be possible? how much power does a water cooling system need?

**jamee** · 06-16-2011, 02:00 AM

Originally Posted by doncarbone

thanks people for the suggestions.

do you think a water cooling set-up would be possible? how much power does a water cooling system need?

having installed several water cooling systems and currently running one, I would say they're too high maintenance to have in a car, and water cooling can only cool to the ambient temperature of the air in the surroundings. Taken from a study that was done ( http://www.mydogiscool.com/x_car_study.php ) cars can get to 159F, or 70C, or even higher on the interior. The ambient temperature of the air blowing through the radiator for the water cooling setup would be 70C, so it'd already be past the temperature point of several processors. I think the best way would be to vent air from one of the baffels (trunks generally have 1-way baffels which allows air to be blown out (to assist when the trunk is slammed) but not blown in) You could rig a fan up to these, or get your air source from these baffels and throw it onto/into the motherboard/case. Just throwing some ideas out, it's 3am and I'm tired.. lol

**RAWPWR** · 06-16-2011, 04:45 AM

I might get this for my setup, maybe this might work for you also......

http://www.xoxide.com/antec-k-hler-h...idcooling.html

**TruckinMP3** · 06-16-2011, 06:53 AM

Liquid cooling does not add much over air, much debate... search around a bit. Air should do what you need.

**jamee** · 06-16-2011, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by TruckinMP3

Liquid cooling does not add much over air, much debate... search around a bit. Air should do what you need.

in a cool environment, I'd disagree. Granted you can add some crazy fans onto a huge copper heatsink, but a proper watercooled system can help it run just a few degrees above the ambient temp because water has much greater thermal conductivity vs volume of air/water moving.
I would honestly look into adding a fan into the baffels...

**TruckinMP3** · 06-16-2011, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by jamee

in a cool environment, I'd disagree. Granted you can add some crazy fans onto a huge copper heatsink, but a proper watercooled system can help it run just a few degrees above the ambient temp because water has much greater thermal conductivity vs volume of air/water moving.
I would honestly look into adding a fan into the baffels...

Disagree if you like

that is how opinions work.
Cost and complexity .... Air
Cost and reliability .... Air
Longevity and maintenance ... yup also air

Assuming the same temp liquid and air:
Slower change in PC component temperature over time... liquid, I do not see the value.

Good luck with Liquid, it can work but my decade plus experience of car computing say "no need" and my two decades of general computing agree