Fan config (5 fans)

[darkfalz]

I have a Corsair 300R and 4 140 mm fans, and 1 120mm rear exhaust. It has 2 spaces in front, 2 spaces in side and 2 spaces in top for the 140 mm fans.

I have 3 fan headers on MB + 2 on my video card (will spin up only when GPU is under load).

My current config is

Always on (thermally controlled by Q-Fan)
2 front 140mm fans in
1 rear 120mm fan out

GPU controlled
1 rear side in
1 rear top out

Can this be improved on? I was thinking of having the top changed to a MB (always on) and the top front fan linked to the GPU instead. Alternatively I wonder if putting both the GPU controlled fans on the top going out would pull a lot more hot air out of the case when needed.

 

[AntonioHG]

Are your temps okay? If they are within spec and within your own personal preference with regards to temps and noise, why add more?

 

[Valantar]

I'd say that sounds like a pretty good setup. More air coming in than going out = positive pressure (keeps dust out as long as intakes are filtered). Side fan blowing into GPU. Sufficient exhaust. Adding more exhaust would take away the positive pressure advantage, while the only space you have to add intakes would pull in hot air being exhausted by the adjacent fan - which would kind of take away the point of it, no?

The only question I have is whether the fans are any good. Also, what GPU is that, with fan headers on board? That's neat.

 

[lehtv]

Honestly unless you're running a dual GPU setup or have particularly power hungry overclocked CPU and GPU, I would recommend trying 2 front + 1 rear fan. Should keep temps low enough and produce less noise overall.

 

[darkfalz]

Honestly unless you're running a dual GPU setup or have particularly power hungry overclocked CPU and GPU, I would recommend trying 2 front + 1 rear fan. Should keep temps low enough and produce less noise overall.

Yes this was original setup, but since I had the 2 spare 140mm fans and the 2 headers on the 1080, I figured I'd try making use of them.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

I use this article: https://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/02/10/the-big-cooling-investigation/1

Has worked for me

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I use this article: https://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/02/10/the-big-cooling-investigation/1

Has worked for me

As it would . . .

My latest monster has applied overkill in two different ways, because there are two sequestrated airflows. I have two exhaust fans -- one for CPU and one for a ducted motherboard. Therefore I have 4x 140mm or double-intake front and side. If I wanted, a single 140mm square Lexan plate would isolate a 1-to-1 intake-to-mobo-exhaust, and a 3-to-1 intake-to-CPU-exhaust. I could probably lose two fans.

With only a single GPU, you could do fine, with optional fan combinations.

Also, and I think this is fairly worth attention, I would block off any unused fan vents with foam-art-board. You can get it in black, or merely use light coats of spray-on enamel to match the case's color. You can use a paper-punch for the holes and nylon screws and nuts, or any fastener acceptable to you.

The only exception to that might arise with dead-spots in the case where components with a lot of thermal wattage are located.

Also remember that your PSU is another exhaust channel, intake dependent on case-location and orientation.

 

[darkfalz]

The additional fans did not drop GPU temp at all, but it did drop CPU temps a bit (and make the fluctuations of fan speed a bit more stable too). Overall not worth it for the extra noise. Maybe the addition of the top exhaust to pull some extra heat out when needed. Side fan doesn't seem to do much of anything (probably adds some turbulence too).

The 300R is already an open case so that's probably why the extra fans don't help much.

 

[darkfalz]

Actually, I am going to try a new setup when I get home. 2 front intakes, 1 rear exhaust + GPU controlled side and top exhaust. I don't think positive pressure is a must for a case with as much venting as mine, in fact, could be that extra air being pulled in is going back out vents and not taking much heat with it.

 

[Valantar]

Actually, I am going to try a new setup when I get home. 2 front intakes, 1 rear exhaust + GPU controlled side and top exhaust. I don't think positive pressure is a must for a case with as much venting as mine, in fact, could be that extra air being pulled in is going back out vents and not taking much heat with it.

I'd argue the opposite - in a case with many vents, exhausting air is never an issue, while keeping dust out is one. Without positive pressure, you'll be sucking dust in through every single opening i your case that either lacks a fan or is a (non-filtered) intake.

While you of course need exhaust fans to direct hot air to leave the case, delivering plenty of cool air to components should be more important. Of course, it doesn't hurt to try. The dust issue is pretty much a given, though.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I'd argue the opposite - in a case with many vents, exhausting air is never an issue, while keeping dust out is one. Without positive pressure, you'll be sucking dust in through every single opening i your case that either lacks a fan or is a (non-filtered) intake.

While you of course need exhaust fans to direct hot air to leave the case, delivering plenty of cool air to components should be more important. Of course, it doesn't hurt to try. The dust issue is pretty much a given, though.

For a heatpipe-cooler rig, I'd always have more intake fans and potential CFM than exhaust, and I would block vents without fans unless they already had some sort of directed (and probably ducted) airflow.

As for noise, I've either acoustically-deadened all of the fans, isolated them with rubber fan-mounts, or used home-made rubber shock-absorbers. I've got some 8 or 9 fans in this puppy, and I don't hear a thing. I can run them down to 350 RPM -- some of them -- and they spin up to custom limits if not the full-bore speed. Depends on the fan and its placement.