Curse

Mr_Cynical · Jun 10, 2007, 07:54 AM // 07:54

I have a computer based on the Shuttle SS21T barebones, with a Geforce 6600GT (can't remember the manufacturer, but it isn't one of the passive-cooled ones). This causes the computer to cause a lot of heat - its internal temperatures aren't at damaging levels, but it heats up the room too much. I thought about fitting an intake fan (since a Newegg review I found while googling yesterday said the SS21T doesn't have one) to help it stay cooler.

Does anyone know what size of fan I would need to use as an intake fan for this chassis, and how I would go about fitting it?

pork soldier · Jun 10, 2007, 08:51 AM // 08:51

Open up the case and look for intake mounting holes - if you see them on the intake grill you're in luck, otherwise it won't work.

Once you find the holes get a metric measuring tool (tape, calipers) and measure the distance from center of hole to adjacent corner hole - this tells you what size fan you need.

Good luck: IME shuttles don't use intake, they rely on venting and utilizing pressure differential to pull air in.

Mr_Cynical · Jun 10, 2007, 09:36 AM // 09:36

OK, thanks. I don't see any obvious signs of holes around the intake on the outside of the case (ie nowhere obvious for screws to go) so I'll probably just get one of these PCI 'exhaust' cards that add an extra outlet fan under the graphics card.

pork soldier · Jun 10, 2007, 09:31 PM // 21:31

Good plan. I have a couple of shuttles at my work (someone thought they'd be good as portable computers so I installed handles on the tops of the cases) and they tend to overheat a bit. Usually it's not so bad, but I'd prefer more airflow.

One thing you can look at, go into your bios and see if you have control over the smart fans. Often they're set to "SMART" which usually means "about half the airflow you really want for any given temperature" - if you manually set the fans to 70% or 80% you'll probably be happier with temps.

lordpwn · Jun 11, 2007, 02:05 AM // 02:05

Unless the case is designed to be used with an intake fan, don't expect adding one to cool it much. Some testing conducted by hardware sites has suggested an intake fan may actually increase the components' temperature by messing with the airflow (turbulence etc.) in some computer cases, and has little effect in the rest.

A good, big exhaust fan could probably cool the case better, though I don't know how one would fit on a Shuttle.