So, I was thinking to myself:
This was supposed to be cool, as in something somewhat off the beaten path. Hmm... well yeah.. but the heater core won't fit in that cool place you wanted to put it. Hmm... well a tiny window on the wrong side of the box, that's not too innovative, is it? Guess not. But the fish tank! That's not cool, that's lazy. Well yeah, I guess you're right there.
So, I was looking at the box, and I'm thinking... What about some fancy design for a top window? Cut in a biohazard with a fan on the middle. Lame. Okay, how about some tribal art kinda stuff in the top. Ummm function over form, jackass.
Well, I was really looking at the top of the box. I started drawing up ideas. Then I got one that is actually kinda cool. It's so simple, that I really don't know why I've never seen anyone do it before.
Remember the problem I was having with airflow because the
PSU has to blow out? Well, it still does need to blow out, but who says that air has to come from inside the box? Exactly. The
PSU is getting mounted in the stock location, only upside down. The fan that draws air into the
PSU from what is normally the bottom will be ducted out the top of the case, so it is drawing air from outside the box.
There's a small problem with this.
The fan bus determines the speed to run the case fans based on the temp of the air flowing through the
PSU. It won't know what the hell is going on inside the box. I'm going to need to run the fans on normal power connectors, and only let it regulate the speed of it's own fan.
Sounds good to me anyway. I'll be using a 1/4 inch thick 4.5 inch ID clear polycarbonate tube from the
PSU to a small square window above it. I might cut the tube on a slight angle and offset the window just to make it look a little different.