Question CoolerMaster Q500L - Best cooling strategy

[Scarpozzi]

AMD 3600, not overclocked with a 1660 Super video card....new build. The CoolerMaster Q500L that I ordered only has one case fan. I'm playing Flight Simulator 2020 and it generates a lot of heat.

The top has lots of circular holes, so there's some natural heat displacement going on. This case has the power supply mounted in the front of the case and I didn't want to block the exhaust, so I aimed it toward the back of the case...so heat generated by the PSU is just going into the case and not being piped out instantly...that's one of its flaws. I'm thinking about adding 2 fans on the floor and 2 on the top of the case to draw air up.... Just wondering if anyone has any advice on the best way to deal with front-mounted PSU cases that vent inside...

 

[damian101]

From looking at it I thought the PSU would be able to suck in air from the front and blow it out the top.
Anyway, that case actually looks like it could provide some really great airflow when it's filled with fans are installed, I especially like the PSU placement, much more air for the GPU. Don't really rely on natural heat convection, it doesn't come close to even an extremely slow spinning fan.
With the five-fan set of Arctic P12s you could fill the entire case for cheap and have excellent airflow.

 

[Scarpozzi]

From looking at it I thought the PSU would be able to suck in air from the front and blow it out the top.
Anyway, that case actually looks like it could provide some really great airflow when it's filled with fans are installed, I especially like the PSU placement, much more air for the GPU. Don't really rely on natural heat convection, it doesn't come close to even an extremely slow spinning fan.
With the five-fan set of Arctic P12s you could fill the entire case for cheap and have excellent airflow.

I like the concept....but even with the PSU fan pumping air inside the case toward the direction of the CPU and ultimately, the exhaust fan for the case....I can feel a lot of heat in the front just above the PSU when the system is under load. I may need to break out my seek infrared camera and take a picture of it to see if moving a single fan around makes a difference. It needs a way to really pump that heat out of the case.

 

[damian101]

@Scarpozzi I guess the whole case is overheating, one case fan just isn't enough for a GPU with axial cooler. When you put exhaust fans in the top I would definitely turn the PSU so it sucks in fresh air from the front and pushes it it to the top, if possible.

 

[Scarpozzi]

@Scarpozzi I guess the whole case is overheating, one case fan just isn't enough for a GPU with axial cooler. When you put exhaust fans in the top I would definitely turn the PSU so it sucks in fresh air from the front and pushes it it to the top, if possible.

The problem there is the PSU mount. You remove the mount and it's basically a solid piece of metal on one side and a rectangular opening at the top that would be the like back of a normal case..there's a power cable extension that plugs in the top too. It really only allows you to mount it the way I have it because the solid piece of metal is what is used to attach it to the front of the case. It won't fit any other way...Additionally, reorienting it would disturb the PSU cabling which works pretty well.

I placed an order for a 4-pack of CoolerMaster fans from Amazon @ $20. I'll fit them in where I can. I may try to do 2 on the bottom to start just to raise the air pressure/airflow and see if I can get some benchmarks before and after.

Any suggestions on a good app to monitor system temps and performance? I've been out of the game for a while...recently, I was using Speedfan on my laptop and it might fit the bill.

 

[damian101]

Ah, makes sense, forgot about the power cable.
But I think you got the flow direction of the air through an ATX power supply wrong, all ATX power supplies I know suck air through the big fan opening, which means in your case () that the warm air from the power supply comes out at the top. That's what caused my confusion. You should definitely turn that power supply around so it gets fresh air through the front panel instead warm air from inside the case.
I always use HWiNFO64 to read temperature sensors.

 

[UsandThem]

That is a very odd case. I have no idea what they were thinking when they designed the case to block roughly half of the PSU's exhaust.

Gamers Nexus did a review on it, and they messed around with various configurations to get the best temps possible.

https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3461-cooler-master-q500l-case-review-needs-work

 

[Scarpozzi]

Ah, makes sense, forgot about the power cable.
But I think you got the flow direction of the air through an ATX power supply wrong, all ATX power supplies I know suck air through the big fan opening, which means in your case () that the warm air from the power supply comes out at the top. That's what caused my confusion. You should definitely turn that power supply around so it gets fresh air through the front panel instead warm air from inside the case.
I always use HWiNFO64 to read temperature sensors.

I can't turn it around...it would block the fan...this is an image I found... You can see the PSU fan is facing the motherboard. The right side of the mounting bracket is solid metal and air cannot penetrate it. I think I'm going to mount 2 fans on top and draw air out of the case...then maybe 2 on the bottom or 1 on the bottom and 1 on the front.

 

[damian101]

@Scarpozzi Oh, that's kind of stupid.
I would suggest putting three in-take fans in the bottom and front, and only one extra out-take fan in the rear top. So three fans pulling air in and two fans plus PSU pulling air out.

 

[Scarpozzi]

@Scarpozzi Oh, that's kind of stupid.
I would suggest putting three in-take fans in the bottom and front, and only one extra out-take fan in the rear top. So three fans pulling air in and two fans plus PSU pulling air out.

OK...I was totally incorrect. I keep putting my hand in front of the fans without opening the case. I can feel now that the PSU fan is sucking air into the PSU like you said. I was wrong about that and the orientation of the case fan...it's also set to suck air in....but yes...that means the PSU is sucking air in from the case and expelling it up...which explains why the front of the case is warm. It's expelling most of the heat out of the PSU vent which is facing the top of the case (not fan intake). I see what they were doing there...but agree...I need more intake and perhaps 1 fan at the top.

I think you nailed it.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I've now got 2 fans on the bottom, 1 on the front, 1 on the back, and 1 expelling air out the top....additionally, the vent for the PSU is up, so it's also venting out the top. I meant to get some temp numbers, but got lazy and just installed the fans. I could place my hand on the front corner of the case before and it felt warm to the touch where the PSU bracket mounted and heat was building up. This isn't happening any longer. I think it was generating heat + sucking all the CPU and extra GPU heat build-up. I bought a 4-pack of coolermaster fans for $19 shipped @ amazon, so it wasn't bad to get some non-LED fans. (that way I can sleep in the room without it feeling like a strip club)

The only issue now is that the bottom of the case is feeling much warmer. I think the intake fans on the bottom are blowing air directly at the exhaust fans on the GPU? I didn't have this issue until I fired up Flight Simulator. =P