I recently picked up a Deepcool MATREXX 55 V3 case, and all in all I have been pleased minus one inescapable fact. HEAT!

When I picked out the case, I did so thinking heat wouldn’t be an issue. There are 3 nice 120mm fans in front and a slot in back and even an open top, so how in the world could there be any heat. I believe I have run into an issue where “fashion over function” created a design flaw. There are some vents on the side of the front panel which offer some suction but not nearly enough for my liking. I had to make a change. I thought of putting some foam or something in front of fans. I didn’t want to constrict the air flow, but I also needed it easy to clean to keep it breathing easy. First step was removing the tempered glass from the front panel (enter heavy metal music and a hammer). I took it to the garage and gave it hardy thwack with a hammer while holding it with my other hand. Again. And then again. I’m not saying I was getting owned by a piece of glass, but the score would be 3-0 if one was keeping tally. With great resolve, I took it over and laid it on the bench; grabbed a chisel and with one swing of the hammer, got the satisfying webbing sound of broken glass.

Clean-up wasn’t horrible, took only about an hour to get all the broken glass off the double-sided tape that was holding it in. For the cloth for the front, I went to Joanns Fabric, and they had a nice selection. I was thinking batting, but I didn’t want it to be pulled into the fans, and the main purpose for this whole change was increased airflow. I ended up going with a simple white sheer-like material that I can easily pull off, clean and replace on the panel.

For a final version, I want to 3D print a door for the front to create a filter that can swing open for ease of access and doesn’t require the tape to be replaced. Beta has more function than fashion, but I will keep that ratio respectable adding the printed door. That will come later, but for now my computer is cool and clean, which means it’s a happy computer.