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In general, how many air exchanges would be necessary to cool an enclosed computer cabinet? Is there a ratio? A constant? A rule of thumb? Something like 100CFM of airflow per CF?

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Downvotes, with no comments? Poor form. – Brandon Bertelsen Jul 15 '12 at 10:25
I didn't downvote, but voted to close since it in my opinion falls under both "Too localized" and "Not constructive" among the criteria at superuser.com/faq#close . It is impossible to give a general answer to such a question (thus not constructive according to this site's definition), and a specific answer would be too localized. – Daniel Andersson Jul 15 '12 at 14:12
Thanks, I'll update my question so it's less localized. – Brandon Bertelsen Jul 15 '12 at 16:17
To be clear, are you referring to the case which contains all the parts of a single computer, or to the cabinet which contains multiple (usually server) computers installed in a rack in a data center? – Michael Hampton Jul 15 '12 at 16:23
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I'm not sure how this question could solicit debate, arguments, polling or extended discussion. There has to be some kind of "air movement" rules of thumb/best practices for cooling computer cabinets. Given a certain amount of space and a computer how does one mantain a reasonable temperature. – Brandon Bertelsen Jul 16 '12 at 10:09
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closed as not constructive by Nifle, Amazed, Daniel Andersson, techie007, Oliver Salzburg♦ Jul 15 '12 at 22:10

As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, see the FAQ for guidance.

1 Answer

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My two cents: you should create an airflow installing identical fans both at the front and the rear of the cabinet.

I would look for a fan with the largest diameter you can install w.r.t. the cabinet width. Then, I would try to install as many fans as possible w.r.t. the cabinet and the fan height.

The best fans work using ball-bearings: hence, they are more reliable and quieter. A plus would be an integrated potentiometer to control the CFM - i.e. they offer you the tradeoff between cooling and quiet operation.

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