CoolerMaster HAF-912 cooling options

[tinpanalley]

I 've got a CoolerMaster HAF-912. It occurs to me that with the addition of a new GPU soon which is more power hungry than my last one, that I want some cooler air circulating through this case. The new card is a Sapphire dual-x R9 280. The system is an i5-2400 quad-core with 16GB or RAM with an SSD and an optical HDD. It's not cramped in there but I want to add more airflow. How do I determine what kind of fans are best? I'm not finding a lot of useful "keeping your PC build cool" articles online that talk about different fan quality. I currently have 10cm fans in the front and back bays. If you look at the site you'll see that there are 2 12cm spots on the top and one 12/14cm slot on the side. I also don't understand how to determine how many spots I have left for plugging fans in. Is there such a thing as a fan power splitter?

Thanks!

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Ehh . . . the 912 . . . OK . . .

There are people who love the HAF line, and those who don't talk much about it, except to say "the day of the open, dusty case is coming to an end!"

So when I cross paths with someone who has the 922, 932 or "X," someone who likes them, we have some sort of implicit consensus: "Not so fast!"

In other respects to these and some other cases in general, some folks like to diss large 200mm fans. Their points are worth thinking about, but not operative to any trouble I've suffered with 3x HAF 922's. Your typical 200mm fan probably takes between 0.30 to 0.7+ Amps of 12V current. You can't get them as PWM fans. But most mobo thermal control of fan-ports includes both PWM and 3-pin.

In your case, I'm wondering if you can (or even want) to do either of two things:

a) Get the 922 sidepanel if it FITS the 912
or
b) Find a drill-bit that matches the other vent holes in the 912 sidepanel, get a small rat-tail file for finishing, and expand your anemic sidepanel vent on the 912.

Item (b) is not too much a depreciation on your case hardware, since the 922 comes with a vent for a 200mm side-panel fan. Somebody might think it an advantage. With larger vents, you can either use the larger fan, or use one or more smaller fans, blocking off the remaining holes with Xacto-cut foam-art-board with black paper backing. [All of these HAF cases are sold with a flat black enamel -- I'm pretty sure.] There are all sorts of fasteners you can use that are neat and re-useable.

Your motherboard should have fan-ports and the capability to thermally-control the speeds of PWM and 3-Pin fans -- either type of fan possibly controlled from the same port. [ASUS does this, so you can use a port for either 3-pin or PWM-4-pin.]

Looking at the specs for the 912, the side-panel is the only venting mod you'd have to make for conversion to "true 922" fan and airflow potential.

If you're going to use either 120 or 140mm fans, look at the Cougar Vortex, Noctua -- possibly Noctua iPPC models (for which I have a current obsession) -- Akasa Viper also.

If you want to use the 200mm fans, the red-LED CoolerMaster 200mm can be replaced by a BitFenix Spectre Pro LED (with a choice of at least 3 colors) -- allowing the same switchable lighting for the front fan. These use a hydro-dynamic bearing. Avoid sleeve bearings -- you can see why if you compare a sample of MTBF stats from different fans grouped by bearing. The NZXT (non-LED) black/white 200mm fan offers the highest airflow of 166 CFM (rated), and uses a rifle bearing, which is better than sleeve. All the replacement fans for the CM's are . . . better than the CM's except for the Apevia's. Those are "OK" but only equal in airflow. Of course, they're "LED with UV," but who cares about the bling?

If you have a budget board with only so many fan ports, and you choose PWM fans for at least part of your intake and exhaust strategies, you can use a splitter like the Swiftech 8W-PWM-SPL-ST:

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/sw8waypwmsps.html

You could connect it to your CPU_FAN or CPU_OPT_FAN PWM plug, controlling several fans and/or pumps from the motherboard, but powering them from the PSU. You would be able to monitor the device connected to the port with the red plug. There is more information about monitoring additional fans with other mobo fan ports, but I'd think you'd use those for either another such controller or for 3-pin monitoring and control. Flexible options, though.

If you wanted to increase airflow and reduce noise with the larger fans, you could use the top port for one instead of modding the side-panel. You'd otherwise block it off with black foam-board -- if you chose to follow my own strategy. Some folks might object to using the top fan/port as intake, and advise it for exhaust instead, but I don't really see a problem with doing either.

Controlling the fans thermally will reduce dust and kruft buildup in your case. You can also buy filters (and better filters), make your own (I prefer crudely-matted AC fiberglass material), or just keep up a regular dust-abatement and maintenance schedule monthly.

 

[tinpanalley]

Ehh . . . the 912 . . . OK . . .

Wow... I'm gonna have to read this very slowly and line by line. I thought I'd get something like, yeah buy a 14cm for the side and a 12cm for the top and get the back one to blow in using the top as exhaust. I didn't think I'd be getting suggestions to mod the case. Just to be clear, I don't spend hours running COD on Ultra quality with 2 GPUs chained together or anything. I really appreciate all the time you took though. Very interesting. I hadn't thought about different kinds of screws for mounting these things.
Anyway, thanks. I'll have to digest all this later.

 

[tinpanalley]

If you have a budget board with only so many fan ports, and you choose PWM fans for at least part of your intake and exhaust strategies, you can use a splitter...
You could connect it to your CPU_FAN or CPU_OPT_FAN PWM plug, controlling several fans and/or pumps from the motherboard, but powering them from the PSU.

This is my Gigabyte board, which says it has
- 1 x CPU fan header
- 2 x system fan headers
- 1 x power fan header

 

[Charlie98]

There are people who love the HAF line, and those who don't talk much about it, except to say "the day of the open, dusty case is coming to an end!".

Be nice, Duck...

OP, I have very close to that board (mATX version) and I never had much luck with the fan headers... I chose to control my fans (in a HAF922, by the way...) with a fan controller... and, yes they make fan splitters so you can gang fans on a single header.

Also, be aware that newer GPUs are more efficient and usually have better coolers than cards just two or three generations ago... you may not need to turn your case into a tornado to keep it cool.

Having said that, I agree partially with Duck... replace your smaller fans with 200mm fans both front and top. Unfortunately, the 912 doesn't have a place on the bottom for an additional fan... but if you think you need more airflow, then add one to the side panel. I would try it with the 200's and maybe an upgraded 120 in the rear first, before getting silly with the side fan and/or cutting up your case.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Be nice, Duck...

OP, I have very close to that board (mATX version) and I never had much luck with the fan headers... I chose to control my fans (in a HAF922, by the way...) with a fan controller... and, yes they make fan splitters so you can gang fans on a single header.

Also, be aware that newer GPUs are more efficient and usually have better coolers than cards just two or three generations ago... you may not need to turn your case into a tornado to keep it cool.

Having said that, I agree partially with Duck... replace your smaller fans with 200mm fans both front and top. Unfortunately, the 912 doesn't have a place on the bottom for an additional fan... but if you think you need more airflow, then add one to the side panel. I would try it with the 200's and maybe an upgraded 120 in the rear first, before getting silly with the side fan and/or cutting up your case.

I'm pretty much "easy" with all that.

For the bottom fan-port, which the 912 apparently doesn't have, it's no great loss. For my 3 HAFs, I added 2.5" braked double-casters -- which lifts them off the floor. Otherwise, a bottom vent isn't much good -- not on a carpeted floor. And I blocked off the 140mm bottom vents, anyway.

For "bein' nice," I simply meant that you, I and others like these cases, while some folks have there aversion to the mythical drawbacks or large fans. The opinions are scattered here and there in the C&C forum . . .

 

[Charlie98]

For "bein' nice," I simply meant that you, I and others like these cases, while some folks have there aversion to the mythical drawbacks or large fans. The opinions are scattered here and there in the C&C forum . . .

Just funnin'... I don't get upset about too much, anymore.

 

[tinpanalley]

Also, be aware that newer GPUs are more efficient and usually have better coolers than cards just two or three generations ago... you may not need to turn your case into a tornado to keep it cool.

Ok. I had a GTX 470.

replace your smaller fans with 200mm fans both front and top. Unfortunately, the 912 doesn't have a place on the bottom for an additional fan... but if you think you need more airflow, then add one to the side panel. I would try it with the 200's and maybe an upgraded 120 in the rear first, before getting silly with the side fan and/or cutting up your case.

Problem with that is none of my fan bays/mounts are for 20cm. It's #1 and #3 where I have the stock 10cm fans.
Here's the diagram...

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Ok. I had a GTX 470.

Problem with that is none of my fan bays/mounts are for 20cm. It's #1 and #3 where I have the stock 10cm fans.
Here's the diagram...

Thanks for the helpful diagram.

I looked at the specs for the 912. It provides for 200mm fans at (1) and (4) as options -- according to that source (Newegg's "features" or "specs" tab). Since you have the 912 "firsthand," I won't try and be argumentative. But of the three 912 items offered today by the reseller, three of them have top and front-panel options for 200mm fans. The remaining 912 "item" has very sparse explanation of anything, and I doubt that CM would produce "sub-sub-models" with more variations.

You can certainly use pairs of 120's or 140's in front or top. I must also say if I didn't already that for using any but the Apevia or CM 200mm fans, you may need to drill some holes. The NZXT is notorious for having all four holes set off about 1/8" beyond the regular CM mounting holes. The Spectre Pro fans fit the mounting holes in the side-panel and top; one needs to drill two additional holes in the front-panel chassis for the top pair of fan mounts.

It could seem . . . . like "extra trouble." It may be that you didn't purchase the HAF for this "200mm fan option." Maybe you never considered it.

You also mention "10 cm" fans, but I'd never seen anything other than 92mm and 120mm fans as standard items for anything.

I can only say that you can get the airflow you want with that case, even without drilling extra holes or using 200mm fans.

It seems to work best (for air-cooling) with a "tower-type" heatpipe cooler on the CPU -- the idea being to overwhelm the case with intake air-pressure and force as much of that pressurized air as possible through the CPU cooler and out the rear exhaust. There are some other "mods" I could suggest if you're using the stock Intel cooler, but you may not want to embrace the tedium or DIY effort.

All the other fans I mentioned can be fairly quiet while allowing for greater CFM. If you can thermally control those or other fan selections, there shouldn't be much of any noise unless the CPU temperature is triggering it through a thermal-fan-control feature, and those choices of fans are likely to be among the top in a rank-ordering of "quiet" for the rated CFMs.

Other folks might recommend Scythe or other fans limited in amperage and CFM. The Cougar Vortex fans probably fall close to that category, and have only about 70+CFM rated through-put at top end. But I can see you're interested in airflow, so the Noctua iPPC and Akasa Viper fans are capable of 100 to 110CFM at their top-end.

That only leaves the issue of expense. The iPPC fans are pricey-pricey. The less you spend per unit on a fan, the greater the chance it will be noisy or more difficult to control. I've seldom found a good 120 or 140mm fan for less than $15/each. At least, with the 200mm units, you may pay $20 to $25 each, but you shouldn't have trouble with either CFM airflow or the noise factor.

 

[Charlie98]

I looked at the specs for the 912. It provides for 200mm fans at (1) and (4) as options -- according to that source (Newegg's "features" or "specs" tab).

That's what I was looking at, too...

OP, you may have to pull the front bezel off to see, or grab a measuring stick and see. The top mount should be easy to measure. One of the hallmarks of the HAF is those big 200's...

 

[monkeydelmagico]

First question is if there is really a problem with heat. Install the new GPU and run some tests before throwing money at a hypothetical problem.

If a problem exists with adding a dual GPU setup to HAF 912 just put a decent single 120mm side fan on it. http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/02/10/the-big-cooling-investigation/1 Use a slow RPM fan that comes with a molex connector like this $15.- Cougar fan

 

[tinpanalley]

If a problem exists with adding a dual GPU setup to HAF 912 just put a decent single 120mm side fan on it.

This isn't going to be for a dual GPU set up. Just one card.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

This isn't going to be for a dual GPU set up. Just one card.

And no problem with that. Maybe this could temper your enthusiasm for more airflow, but I'm obviously not trying to discourage you -- especially with that case.

All the electronics-tech veterans I know tell me that airflow over electronic components is important. "Dust-flow" -- that's another problem, mitigated either with regular maintenance, filtering or something not-yet-thought-of.

Charlie98 can advise about filtering, and I also have some home-grown, low-tech, inexpensive solutions.

Frankly, the only thing I don't like about the 912 HAF flavor is that side-panel and its vent. You have a lot of options.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

This isn't going to be for a dual GPU set up. Just one card.

Then the fans already in the case should be fine. It ships with 2 or 3 half way decent cooler master fans already doesn't it?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Then the fans already in the case should be fine. It ships with 2 or 3 half way decent cooler master fans already doesn't it?

Truth be told, Monkey, the OP probably doesn't have the CFM ambitions toward which some of us HAF users lean.

The Bitfenix fans etc. that I recommended are probably more than he would need. It's only a question as to whether he got CM 200mm fans bundled with his rig. If he wants 200mm fans, he could just get the CM models.

But you're right -- he's probably got plenty of airflow as is!!

 

[Ketchup]

Just another post in agreement. Most modern video cards are effectively sending hot air through a second opening in the back of the case (such as your 280 is). Some heat is still coming off the cards under heavy load, but the temp adjusting fan speeds on the card will help with that. Get the card you want, then let us know how the temps are.

If temps go up a tremendous amount, try the second pci-express slot before going the bigger/better fan route.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Just another post in agreement. Most modern video cards are effectively sending hot air through a second opening in the back of the case (such as your 280 is). Some heat is still coming off the cards under heavy load, but the temp adjusting fan speeds on the card will help with that. Get the card you want, then let us know how the temps are.

If temps go up a tremendous amount, try the second pci-express slot before going the bigger/better fan route.

And I agree with that . . . too . . . . Don't cross that bridge until you get to it.

But at worst, he might spend $20 to $30 on CM 200mm fans, and consume at most 20 minutes of time installing them.

Like Ketchup says -- measure the clearance inside the case (my own HAF 922's will fit just about any graphics card I know of . . ). Buy and install the card, monitor the temperatures. I really doubt the OP is going to have a "temperature problem" with that . . .

 

[Charlie98]

That upper HDD cage comes out... I would think it would take any mainstream GPU you could think of...

 

[BonzaiDuck]

That upper HDD cage comes out... I would think it would take any mainstream GPU you could think of...

I'd be surprised if there's any difference of such a nature between the 922 and the 912 case.

I put an ASUS GTX 780 card in my sig-rig housed in the HAF 922, and it seemed to have room to spare. Before I bought the 780 card, I found the dimensions in the spec sheet and measure the clearance inside the case.

I would think graphics cards will either remain the same size or get smaller. For instance, how could the length of my GTX 780 be shorter than that of a TITAN card?

Again, if it were me and I were determined to make everything fit, I'd go as far as removing the pop-rivets, drilling new holes and moving the drive cage. But I cannot imagine that the OP will have any sort of problem.

Wait a minute . . .

There COULD be a problem. My 922 is 3" "deeper" (front to back) than the 912: 22.2" versus 18.9".

I can only say -- measure the distance between the PCI backplane and the drive cage, then compare to the graphics card spec.

So ignore my first sentence . . Everything up to "Wait a minute . . "

 

[tinpanalley]

Thanks for the continued feedback, guys. Appreciated. To be honest, right now, I'm just trying to fogure out once and for all whether I should get be getting the AMD R9 280 or the GTX 760 for my system and everytime I read one article saying one of them is best for video editing/rendering I find another right after saying the opposite. If you're interested in leaving an opinion you can check this thread out. But I do think that I'll probably install whichever of the two cards I get first and then get some fans later. Clearly it just comes down to whichever fan I want and can afford but the options you've given have certainly helped. I'll be honest, there is no way I'm going to attempt the kind of things Bonzai is suggesting not because I don't find it absolutely fun and fascinating but because I don't think there's anything in my current system that requires the nuclear reactor-type cooling techniques you're mentioning.
I need to understand the different screws, what makes one spinning gear better than another, and how exactly the front and back can take a 20cm fan when the case isn't even wide enough to take them.

 

[RocketPuppy]

Former owner of an HAF 912 here. For the price it is an excellent air cooling case even years after it has been released. It does have one big problem, dust build up, even with positive air pressure. If you load it up with fans it will move a lot of air, and with it a lot of dust. If you got pets or older carpet you will want some quality dust filters.

I upgraded to a Corsair 750D awhile ago and still had issues with dust build up in my computer due to pets/old carpet (though significantly less than I had with the HAF 912). I bit the bullet and bought some dust filters from Demcifilter. It was really hard to spend $60 on dust filters but I am very glad I did, they are easy to clean, extremely high quality, stick to the case with magnets so no screws needed, and are very good at keeping dust out of my machine. I discovered these after trying several other dust filters, and using my own home made dryer sheet solution that worked better than the dust filters I had bought (Silverstone, some generic brands, some I made myself with filter material and magnetic strips).

Check them out, here is a link for the HAF 912 dust filter kit, but they do have kits for most major brands and cases. These are custom made to fit over intake/exhaust areas perfectly.

http://www.demcifilter.com/p0249/HAF-912-Dust-Filter-Kit.aspx

Not a shill post, bought these and they were worth every penny. I will admit to bringing attention to such a great and little heard of product.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Former owner of an HAF 912 here. For the price it is an excellent air cooling case even years after it has been released. It does have one big problem, dust build up, even with positive air pressure. If you load it up with fans it will move a lot of air, and with it a lot of dust. If you got pets or older carpet you will want some quality dust filters.

I upgraded to a Corsair 750D awhile ago and still had issues with dust build up in my computer due to pets/old carpet (though significantly less than I had with the HAF 912). I bit the bullet and bought some dust filters from Demcifilter. It was really hard to spend $60 on dust filters but I am very glad I did, they are easy to clean, extremely high quality, stick to the case with magnets so no screws needed, and are very good at keeping dust out of my machine. I discovered these after trying several other dust filters, and using my own home made dryer sheet solution that worked better than the dust filters I had bought (Silverstone, some generic brands, some I made myself with filter material and magnetic strips).

Check them out, here is a link for the HAF 912 dust filter kit, but they do have kits for most major brands and cases. These are custom made to fit over intake/exhaust areas perfectly.

http://www.demcifilter.com/p0249/HAF-912-Dust-Filter-Kit.aspx

Not a shill post, bought these and they were worth every penny. I will admit to bringing attention to such a great and little heard of product.

Yes. Another member sent me a PM with a FrozenCPU link to filters for the 922. It could cost me 3x $50 if I want to do it for all three HAFs. What I don't like are the fine-mesh wire screens. I compromise a little on the dust if I use those matted fiberglass filters @ $2.00 ea. for an 18x24" panel from Home Depot. You cut them to size and shape, but they can "fray." Not a problem, though, if you build a frame for them and glue the edges.

I'd also mentioned a discovery at the grocery pastry-shop, precipitating the PM I mentioned. They sell your typical round birthday or angel-food cakes in clear, round plastic containers. They are perfect for a 200mm fan vent, and I can see cutting the top 1/2" from one, cutting "orange-slice sections from it to admit air, putting a 200mm dia. piece of AC fiberglass filter in it, and securing it to the case-panel. In fact -- I could use the black plastic tray-bottom of the cake-box, do the same thing, and the color would just match the case. (Not so, however, with the fiberglass, but you can get it in white, blue, green, etc.)

This and other "tips" may be "ghetto" solutions, and I'm still lookin' at those FrozenCPU offerings. But like I said -- $150 bucks -- ducats -- clams. . . for filters?! At least the OP only has a single HAF case, and I can see the advantage . . .

 

[BonzaiDuck]

. . . . I'll be honest, there is no way I'm going to attempt the kind of things Bonzai is suggesting not because I don't find it absolutely fun and fascinating but because I don't think there's anything in my current system that requires the nuclear reactor-type cooling techniques you're mentioning.
I need to understand the different screws, what makes one spinning gear better than another, and how exactly the front and back can take a 20cm fan when the case isn't even wide enough to take them.

I'm looking for a Johnny Cochran rhyme about the 200mm fan-specs I'd seen -- even for the 912.

I understand -- and am almost flattered -- with the description "nuclear reactor-type . . techniques." I wasn't sure what you "needed," but it's clearer now. There had long been a forum tradition of ghetto-modding, case-modding, DIY solutions -- and I've been a member for almost ten years now. It's legitimate to weigh cost against the grains of rice in cooling advantage, but no less legitimate to spend the money if you have it!

I don't think there's disagreement with this though: avoid sleeve-bearings in your fan choices. There are "rifle" bearings, which promote lubrication, "hydro-dynamic" bearings, double-ball-bearings, "mag-lev" bearing or assemblies. You can see how the choices might play out if the fan of interest has an MTBF spec.

Also, again . . . I say it all the time. Order a handful of rubber fan-mounts -- avoid using screws, nuts -- anything that transmits vibration to the case-metal or chassis. Some fans, like the Bitfenix or Akasa units, come with those rubber mounts/noise-isolators. Some of the newer fans -- like Cougar Vortex, Noctua IPPC -- have rubbery pads at the corners which also help kill the noise.

EVen that corner-pad feature can be modded in a DIY effort. Spire foam-rubber acoustic pads come in an $8 package, and you can cut pieces to shape. So I'm thinking of little triangles with holes for the rubber mounts (or g**d*** screws) made with an office hole-punch before you remove the wax-paper backing from the adhesive side.

 

[Ketchup]

I salute you BonzaiDuck, but that is way too much work for me! I take them (desktop and server) out to the air compressor a couple times a year, and live with the dust that occurs in between.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I salute you BonzaiDuck, but that is way too much work for me! I take them (desktop and server) out to the air compressor a couple times a year, and live with the dust that occurs in between.

Which -- is what I do now, while those cake-boxes sit on my work-table awaiting my ingenious design inspirations.

I've finished buying six-packs of "canned air" for all time. I got myself one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-002-_-Product

I think it's already paid for itself. The air it blows begins to warm up, however, but it's great with short blasts.