[Samm]

OK, thanks for the photos

I see what you mean by the lack of space between the drives & the case etc. I didn't realise that the drives were mounted side on in your case!

The holes that you can see in the front of the chassis, aren't actually screw holes for a fan, they're just air vents. Apart from that, there doesn't appear to be enough room anyway for a fan in the front.

If you are interested in an internal drive caddy, assuming that there is a spare 5.25IN bay in your case, then this would solve your problem. See the pic below for an example of one.




The other things you can do to help improve cooling, would be to install a case fan at the back (now that we know theres a place for one), add an exhaust fan (see pic below) & sort out the drive cabling if possible.

[Advertisements]

Samm, where should I mount the exhaust fan? I like the idea of the external case fan and exhaust fan. I think that's what I need. I looked on TigerDirect.com and see that there are a variety of case fans, but no exhaust fans. Any idea where I could get one of those?

If I only had a spare 5.25" bay, I would use it. I already have CD & DVD drives installed. There is no space whatsover for a fan there. That would have been my first solution. They did suggest that solution at the electronics store, so I gotta give them a little credit where it's due.

[periwinkle]

Samm, where should I mount the exhaust fan? I like the idea of the external case fan and exhaust fan. I think that's what I need. I looked on TigerDirect.com and see that there are a variety of case fans, but no exhaust fans. Any idea where I could get one of those?

If I only had a spare 5.25" bay, I would use it. I already have CD & DVD drives installed. There is no space whatsover for a fan there. That would have been my first solution. They did suggest that solution at the electronics store, so I gotta give them a little credit where it's due.

[Samm]

Yeah, here's some examples :

http://www.tigerdire...50&Sku=ULT31050

http://www.tigerdire...o=39598&CatId=0

http://www.tigerdire...1104130&CatId=0

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835137001


As for installing one of these, if you look at the picture below again, you'll see there are some horizontal plates in the lower half of the case rear. Whenever you physically install a video card or a sound card for example, you remove one of these plates so that the ports on the card (eg the audio jacks, monitor connector on a video card etc) can be accessed.



The exhaust fans fit into one if these slots - i.e remove a plate & fit the fan in its place. If the plate nearest the top in your case is not being used, then this would be the best place to fit the fan. You may find however, that this top plate has already been removed & has the video card fitted there instead. If so, then you'll need to select a different slot. Make sure that whichever slot you pick, the fan will have plenty of space above it to allow the air to flow.


Are your drive cables (CD/DVD drives & hard drive cables) flat or round?

[periwinkle]

I have ribbon cables. I noticed that you suggested changing them out for something called IDE several posts ago. Since I don't have any idea about doing that, I kinda wanted to stay away from doing that, unless it's really really easy. I'm a little wary about putting wires in the right place. I had a friend help me when I was trying to test my phone jacks in this house to determine if they were alive or dead. I feel clueless when it comes to wiring stuff. I'm not the electrician, my brother is! hehe And he lives in L.A., although he's in Costa Rica right now. Not exactly local to pop in.

I have moved the ribbon cable so it isn't blocking the hard drives so much. Just a couple of notes about today's temps - they're actually very good -- 49C for the newer drive and 42C for the older drive (5400 rpm). However, I did notice a different sound today that the hard drive was making. It was very subtle, but I could hear a little hum or rattle. I heard the sound a few times, then my computer locked up and I couldn't do anything. I guess the hard drive must be going. Probably these high temps aren't helping it at all. I wonder if lying the computer on its side has helped. I've just left it on its side since taking pics and examining it.

I'm so happy that you said I can put the exhaust fan in the little slots. I do have a card in there right now - I'm guessing you're right its a video card. Thank you for the links too - I have navigated TigerDirect and found that finding something has to be done through their categories, not through a search. You have been awesome at helping me! You must really enjoy helping me.

[periwinkle]

I realized a typo I made in the last post. I meant to say -- you must really enjoy helping people. Thanks again, Samm

[Samm]

You are very welcome for the help.

The drive cables I was refering to, look like this :
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16812104636

The cable in the link & the cables you are currently using are both IDE cables. The only difference is the shape. The round ones don't obstruct air flow as much so they can improve cooling.