07.17.08

Q: Wood cases must be HOT, certainly no overclocker!

A: Why would a wood case be hotter than an aluminum case? Because wood is a better insulator than aluminum? It really does not matter as long as there is air flow. In fact, if the case is built of a better insulator and has proper airflow, it should be cooler because the airflow design is maintained without unexpected leaks or thermal transfer. The FiveWood case uses a bottom to top airflow scheme. Vents in the bottom of the case allow cool air to flow up and into the case cavity while hot air is expelled through the three exhaust fans on top of the case. The case cover is about 1025 cm^2. The fans collectively open up a quarter of the top (~ 213cm^2). This is a big opening in the top of the case (where the heat rises to). These fans have a thermistor controlling their speed. More heat = faster fans and vice-versa.

Q: Are you concerned that this case will catch on fire?

A: If my airflow scheme is bad, I could reach temperatures of 45°C (113°F). Let's go nuts and say my case get's up to 90°C (194°F). The ignition point of most wood is around 350°C (662°F). As my case get's to that temperature, I would be more concerned about the cable insulation melting at around 176°C (350°F).

Q: Won't the wood dry out and crack and split apart?

A: Well, the wood was quite dry to begin with. Certainly dry enough build anything with (~6% - 8% MC). Wood computer cases are not the first electronic devices to be made of wood. They used to make these things called radios that were packed full of vacuum tubes. Vacuum tubes get a little warm.

Q: Wooden heat sinks on the 8800GTX cards?

A: These are 8800 GTX heat sink covers. The actual heat sinks are the original heat sinks. These covers do not affect temperature.