I've just assembled a new machine with a msi kt4av and an excellent amd athlon xp 2000. The idle temp is about 37C and the working temp (playing call of duty during a few hours) is around 45C, i know i shouldn't be worried with these temps, i've seen worst cases around 70C or even more, but anyway i have a question about the location of the front case fan, how low should it be?, can it be located in one of the 5 1/4 bays, or should it be even lower????. Thanks for all the inputs.

Ideally about 2-3" up from the floor of the case. Skip

Depends on the case, some cases do not have intake vent or grill accomodated into their design mold @ the front. If you have a 10-bay tower then you should have plenty of room below all your current drive bays for the intake fan(s), the lower you put it the better. ____________________________ The greatest risk is not taking one

But, is it a good substitute of a front fan a side fan close to the front and as low as possible????, the shape of my case isn't the best for a low case fan, i would have to destroy a front plastic panel with some switches and usb ports to put a front fan at the desired height. Thanks.

Yes, it's configured on some cases just like that. Some cases even use ducting to get the air to the harddrive. Skip

Dont sweat the small stuff! Since your CPU does not require any additional cooling as it is / nor does my 800-Mhz coppermine, a single fan on the back of the case (where the fan mounts are located) is more than adequate. Just make sure its blowing air into the computer to offset the power supply blowing air out! 808

how many ppl have the back fan blowing inwards?? not me. The hot air from cpu should be taken out, psu fan takes heat out from the psu