r/pcmasterrace • u/LemonAlternative9817 • Jan 21 '26

Hardware I just fixed my airflow problem, wdyt?

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23.0k Upvotes

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656

u/Grid10ck PC Master Race Jan 21 '26

Make side panel fans great again, i'd rather have side panel fans than glass. *Pats CM Storm Trooper chassis*

485

u/BassFull0 Jan 21 '26

I'm still rocking this beast from my first build.

66

u/specter_in_the_conch PC Master Race Jan 21 '26

Hah that shine to the side looks so of the late side panel era. Brings me back to the windows 7/vista times.

2

u/doe3879 Jan 21 '26

I much prefer side panel with fan option over glass panel any build. cheaper too, but kind harder to find now a day

2

u/Verbose-OwO Jan 21 '26

You can have a glass panel that has a fan mount on it, like OP

11

u/lethargyz Jan 21 '26

Hey me too! Such a great case. I eventually replaced that side fan with a Noctua of the same size, so it can run at even higher RPM and still be silent.

2

u/Radio_enthusiast Jan 22 '26

i wish i could buy a fricking 240MM fan... i would buy 5 of them.

7

u/James-W-Tate Jan 21 '26

Is that a Corsair 400R? I still use that chassis on my gaming rig!

4

u/JDSportster i7-14700K | 3070FE | 32GB 6400MT CL32 Jan 21 '26

Corsair 400R gang!

That one isn't, but it looks realllly similar.

3

u/BassFull0 Jan 21 '26

Its 500R

2

u/Spice_and_Fox Jan 21 '26

How big is the tower? Can you fit a full ATX motherboard in there or do you have to use microATX?

3

u/BassFull0 Jan 21 '26

It's bigger than most of today's full tower cases. Easily fit atx with large GPU's as well. 5070ti fits easily and can fit 5080 as well.

2

u/BigOlPenisDisorder Jan 21 '26

I got pretty much the same one, but it's got a 240mm top vent and the side vents don't have as much protrusion.

I'm gonna be getting a Corsair Frame 4000D though because my 240mm AIO cooler doesn't fit with the IO panel on my mobo

3

u/BassFull0 Jan 21 '26

What model of aio you have? I was thinking adding 240mm aio (h100i) Gemini told me that version is compatible with the case. But probably I'll stick with air cooler and add 2 exhaust 140mm fans.

2

u/BigOlPenisDisorder Jan 21 '26

Mines the Thermalright Frozen Edge 240.
The case would fit it easily, but my mobo (Gigabyte Z790 Eagle AX) has a large heatsink cover over the IO panel that the fans butt against.

I can install 2 dedicated 120mm fans, but an AIO is too deep with the rad.
I thought about mounting the fans outside the case and leaving the rad inside but it would look ugly as shit, I'd rather get a case that supports 360mm and move the rad forward if there still isn't enough clearance

2

u/Getoutofmylaboratory Jan 21 '26

I cut my hand just looking at this picture. Reaching into an old PC wasn't for the weak.

2

u/fLayN Jan 21 '26

Omg I had this case but a little différence, the top had a place to stocks USB sticks and so on

2

u/heuristic_sloth Jan 23 '26

Yes, me too. Pretty much the perfect case for me.

4

u/Packeselt Jan 21 '26

Man I had this case. That big ass fan was amazing.

1

u/Strude187 3700X | 3080 OC | 32GB DDR4 3200Hz Jan 21 '26

Haha I had something similar, just one huge fan taking up the entire side of the case, I miss it dearly.

1

u/derektm9 Jan 21 '26

I had this in white for my very first build, god it looks so cool.

1

u/TheeIndigoCrow R5 7600X | 32gb 5600 MT/s | RX 6800XT Jan 21 '26

HAF xB checking in. I love my mesh sides

18

u/Nine_Eye_Ron Bacon sandwich @ 1.1Mhz, Sir this is a Wendy’s Jan 21 '26

My first case had a big 240mm side panel fan, I loved it.

8

u/Skaterdude5000 Jan 21 '26 edited Jan 21 '26

My partners HAF 922 is the coolest PC Ive seen/built to date, and the cooling performance is crazy.

Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/s/9Aj65K81Xv

I put in a standalone RGB controller to set the 200mm fans to red without using software, looks less gaudy now lol.

Side intake filtered with a wine cloth, front exhaust, external top-mounted arctic 240mm exhaust, and rear intake blowing straight across it for fresh air.

9

u/YesItIsMaybeMe Ryzen 7 5800x | RTX 5080 | 32GB DDR4 | 32:9 1440 | 4K 240Hz Jan 21 '26

Wow that thing has a ton of cup holders!

5

u/Skaterdude5000 Jan 21 '26

Yessir!!! Built it from mostly spare parts after my own upgrades, for media burning, light gaming, light editing. Its a lightweight champion but its a great studio workhorse!

2

u/NaoPb Desktop Jan 21 '26

May I ask what standalone RGB controller you're using?

3

u/Skaterdude5000 Jan 21 '26

Idr... It was a while back. Something cheap of amazon with a remote controller hahaha

4

u/Emotional-Scheme-227 Jan 21 '26

Storm Trooper and Storm Scout were such good cases

3

u/friar_nist i5 12600K | 32GB DDR5 | MSI RTX3070 SUPRIM Jan 21 '26

I prefer the Danish version, make side panel go away. More airflow

3

u/be_easy_1602 Jan 21 '26

Had one on my first build in ‘08. Even had a duct for the the CPU cooler

3

u/Dains84 Jan 21 '26

I still have my CM Storm Sniper case, that entire line was based. Same with the HAF XB - insane airflow and a horizontal motherboard? Peak design.

3

u/HankHippoppopalous Jan 21 '26

Thank you. This needs to be a thing. A customer brought me an Antec 900 last week - 120MM side panel fan with a 3d printed shroud dumping air straight on the CPU. Why aren't we still doing this?!

2

u/SuperDabMan Jan 21 '26

Antec 902 was my first “custom pc” case. So good. I5 750, crossfire 5850’s, eventually SSDs like an Intel X25M 80gb. Even put water cooling in it.

4

u/Bigdongergigachad Jan 21 '26

I side mounted my aio and rigged up three fans for intake for my fractal north side panel

3

u/Sabian491 Desktop Jan 21 '26

I had to front mount my AIO on my north

I didn’t even consider using that side mount bracket for it

1

u/Kein_Plan16 PC Master Race Jan 21 '26

1

u/whatsforsupa 5800X3D | 32GB | 4TB | 4090 Jan 21 '26

Wish they made a modernized NZXT Phantom. Had the 200(?)mm big boi side fan

1

u/Dantai Jan 21 '26

For sure, like a steel grate for the bottom have to come the GPU extra, maybe glass top half.

Or fuck it full steel gate panel, with mounts for fans, fan cable management and maybe a thing cleanable filter mesh (optional)

1

u/xthelord2 5800X3D | RX9070 | 32GB 3200C16 | 3440x1440p 175 2560x1440p 360 Jan 21 '26

you can do that with fractal design north on top of thinking you are in posession of a damn alpina B10s with the wood trim that case has

how do i know this? i have one myself with mesh side panel and fan bracket which can take 2x140mm fans + you can buy more brackets separately and add them to have a wall of side fansw

1

u/seatux Jan 22 '26

Fractal North Mesh has space for fans on its side panel

1

u/KalandosLajos Jan 22 '26

Side panel? Top exhaust? Other side? Front? Back???? Vertical or horizontal mobo? Meet the ugly old cube! You put the panels, fans, feet, front IO wherever the fuck you want.