Creating a Top Exhaust on my new case

[VashUndead]

Hi, im wanting to put a top Exhaust vent on my new Xion Solaris Case, just wondering if there are any good tutorials out there for doing so, or should i just have at it

[mDust]

Hi, im wanting to put a top Exhaust vent on my new Xion Solaris Case, just wondering if there are any good tutorials out there for doing so, or should i just have at it

Have at it...after planning and double checking everything. There's nothing worse than cutting your case and then finding that there's a millimeter less clearance than you thought.

[Konrad]

I've done it myself on a few different chassis, it's not hard at all.

My pointers (as in, "what I learned from my mistakes"):

1) Protect the top metal with stripes of masking or painter's tape before you start putting any marks or cuts into it. Don't worry about wasting tape - it's cheap - but one layer should be sufficient. You can skip this if you plan to sand and paint (or otherwise cover) the top, otherwise you'll risk wrecking the surface finish. No matter how careful you are, trust me.

2) When deciding exactly where the fan will be, position it with the power supply still mounted. If you plan to have anything in the topmost drive bays (like a CD/DVD ROM for instance) then leave it mounted with all the usual cables plugged in ... this way you'll be able to make sure that everything fits. My first case couldn't pack all these items and the fan together, as I learned when the mounted fan covered part of the power supply without much real airflow. You might have to punch a (tiny) centerhole from the underside to the top if you prefer to do the measuring/cutting from the topside. Make sure it's centered properly between the two side edges or it'll look very amateur (like my second case did), although front/back centering is not as important. Leave space for any additional fans if you might plan to install them later.

3) Use an actual circle cutter if you can; this isn't practical for some fan sizes (like 140mm). This way you can avoid getting the raggy holes I got (on my first case) when using things like metal snips, nibblers, dremel, files. If you're installing the fan inside the chassis then you can cover your mistakes a little bit with a fan template, you can even cut your circle a tiny bit oversize or unevenly. If this is your plan, then I recommend a fan plate that's got some thickness (say, 1/8") and/or some interesting pattern, to trick the eye away from spotting defects.

4) Make sure your screws are properly square and symmetrical ... crooked screws (aw, c'mon, it was my first case!) look really pathetic and will command pity and laughter from even your closest gaming buddies (unless their craftsmanship sucks worse). As always, measure twice (or five times if you have to) before scratching, drilling, or cutting anything.

Good luck.

[mDust]

Very helpful tips you've posted there, Konrad.