Reverse power supply fan?

[dawgtuff]

I have an atx mid case w/ps fan blowing in.I've added a "I Storm" Hd/case fan to the front panel(it really moves a lot of air).I took the rear slot cover below my Riva Tnt board off.Should I use this "positive pressure" setup,or,should I reverse the ps fan for a "cross flow" setup? I have a PII-233 w/fan,3.2 umda HD,riva tnt,128 sdram(3 strips)Also,is it OK to roll up the slack in the connector ribbons to improve airflow?

[kwai]

all good ideas. most people prefer the cross flow method, but the best way is to prove it for yourself, just pickup a cheap external temp monitor from radioshack and stick the temp probe as close as you can to the item of concern (ie cpu). test your present setup and then reverse your fan and try to keep the conditions as similar as you can.

you have to have some way of checking how each change you make affects case temp, so you might as well start now. and you'll know for sure if what you did made things better so you can dispute any know-nothing gossip repeaters you'll guaranteed hear on msg boards.

cleaning up your cable spagetti is always a good idea -- i just use a couple clothespins and some plastic ties. just make sure you don't pull any connectors loose while you're doing it.

[dawgtuff]

Kwai...thanks for the Radio Shack tip.My next project is overclocking.Can I safely do it with my Intel 440lx board, or should I go with a Bx6?

[kwai]

i dunno, you'd have to check your motherboard manual to see if it allows you to change your cpu multiplier (probably not since its an intel mb). the LX chipset does not allow a 100 bus speed, so i guess you might be able to get 75 and or 83mhz, but i doubt it. and "safe" is always a relative term.

you should be aware that the bx6-2 is not the stablist of mbs, so i'm assuming you'll be using this mostly for games? you'll probably need to buy some good pc100 sdram, though i'd try with what you have now first.

i wouldn't go into overclocking lightly, it'll be a big investment in time and patience, and sometimes you wonder if it is really worth all the trouble. if you haven't already, i would check out these sites:

http://www.tomshardware.com/overclock.html

http://209.207.141.75/ (anand's, but down right now)

http://home.hawaii.rr.com/biosfear/

http://bxboards.com/


bx6-2 reviews:

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/bx6-2/

http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/abit_bx2/

if you get a chance, try post to me when you make your final decision, and if i know anything bout it, i'll give my advice.