Originally Posted by narcopletic pc

im going to update my stock case fans with a couple Vantec torndoes. the only issue i am afraid of is actually causing a vacuum within the case as to where the air can actually be sucked back through my power unit causing it to over heat.... is this possible?

it is happening, per the new PC case layouts were seeing with the PSU on the floor of the case sucking straight from the outside & venting it back out the rear..

but the old case design has worked perfectly for years with the PSU at the top, thats why a 140mm fan was added to newer PSUs to help remove hot air from the case

but its not really an issue, your PSU will never die from the extra heat of your components...

it is on the other hand possible to create a ''dead spot'' where the PSU fan cannot extract due to chassis fan configs, but each case is different so its something you would have to test.

move your chassis fans to different locations each time holding your hand by the PSU exhaust, see if the flow changes at all. (i doubt it will)

i always try to put a ''positive'' pressure inside the case (more intake than exhaust), so air cant be sucked in through cracks & drive bays, thus lowering dust coverage

but a PSU can get very hot so i wouldnt worry too much....

SK

Originally Posted by narcopletic pc

inflow air should outdue output air - but wont this interupt the exuast fan speeds at some point?

i cannot say for certain, but there is always a possibility that different fan configs will produce better results.

i have a similar problem with my 80mm side panel fan, it sits almost directly in between the RAM the HSF & interrupts airflow being pulled over the RAM , but the affect it has is negligible....

as long as there is air flowing that's all you need to worry about...

wife says if im going to spend as much as i want i better die in it rofl

i know the feeling mate, my other half would happily take a hammer to my setup.

SK

I wouldn't worry about the PSU so much, although the PSU's in prebuilts like HP's and Dells can be extra craptacular.

A computer case isn't exactly airtight. Air will sneak in/force out of all kinds of holes and cracks you probably don't even know are there. Ideally what you want is equal flow into the case and out of the case in as linear a motion as you can get, either front to back or bottom to top (chimney effect). That would give you the best results cooling wise.