SPCR

Hi guys, I'm quieting down my HTPC and have a couple questions:

1. CPU Fan: I know there's a bunch of articles about using a Ninja Mini in a Fusion /2480 cases, it looks pretty awesome but I was wondering if anything better came out lately... If not, I'll just buy that "MINI" heat sink. PS: this is for a socket 478 board by the way.

2. Exhaust fans: Is it worth it to cut the grids of the side exhaust fans? They seem to be quite obstructive and I'm considering replacing them with 120mm standard grids. I haven't seen anyone do this with this case. Is that useless?

3. That HTPC will go in a TV stand with open back and about 4-5inches of room on each side. Are those side vents going to be an issue? Any thoughts on this?

Thanks in advance,

- Cascius

1. Personally, I wouldn't see any other reason to get anything other than the Minja. It is perfectly suited for low flow/silent operation. I use mine passive, however, I have it ducted to one of the fans. For the price/performance, I wouldn't go any other way. IMHO, it looks pretty dang cool too!

2. I would imagine cutting out the grills would help with flow/noise quite a bit. I would love to do it to mine, but I have a 3 month old daugher that will be putting her hands on all my stuff very soon. I would hate for her to stick her hand right into a fan. If you have no other reason not to cut it, I would say go ahead and do it. To get a professional look, put some trim around the edge and it will look like it was supposed to be that way.

3. There is no doubt that the computer will run warmer this way... Is there a front door on this enclosure. If not, you'll be perfectly fine, but if there is, you *may* run into some heat problems. This case draws air from the bottom-front, rear, and top for the main chambers. I have mine in an enclosure that has about 5" on each side, 3" from the rear (with small openings on the back) and has doors. Anytime the computer is on, the doors are open. It does run a tad warmer this way, but well within reasonable limits. I have had the computer wake up from sleep with the doors closed once before and was left running until I came home from work.... It got toasty, but the computer runs fine many months later.

Thanks for the great answers YamahaSHO, I'm definitely getting the Ninja Mini

I'm thinking about cutting out the grids and replacing them. To deal with the bad airflow, i'll create an outside duct to direct the air outside of the enclosure. This might add a tid bit of noise, but might also let me keep the front doors closed. I guess i just need to experiment with it...

Congrats on your daughter, I have a 16 months nephew and it's so fascinating to watch him grow.

Thanks again for the answers,

- Olivier

I too have a Fusion case, the black one with the LCD and volume control. I thought about taking my dremel to the side vents but aesthetically it would be wrong on the black case If it were the Silver one I think you could possibly get away with it.
The fans that come with the case are not the quietest, so replace those with quieter more efficieant fans and you might find you won't have to butcher the case

Minja is the way to go, Same as Yam I also run mine passively, works a treat on the BE-2350 I have used.