Question Trying to improve my cooling...

[tinpanalley]

I 've got a CoolerMaster HAF-912. I want some cooler air circulating through this case. 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 on my mobo (MSI B450 Tomahawk Max). Is there such a thing as a fan power splitter?

Thanks!

 

[mikeymikec]

If that R5 3600 is running at stock, Be Quiet!'s Pure Rock Slim 2 should keep it virtually silent and still pretty quiet when the processor is going full tilt. Lower fan RPM means less dust to clean out.

 

[tinpanalley]

If that R5 3600 is running at stock, Be Quiet!'s Pure Rock Slim 2 should keep it virtually silent and still pretty quiet when the processor is going full tilt. Lower fan RPM means less dust to clean out.

I keep getting people frightened to death for me (other sites) that I run this thing on the stock cooler. Didn't think it was that bad. I'd like to keep it cool but dist free is naturally also important. With a new cooler I can go for front back top fans and probably be ok, I just don't know where to begin with finding the right cooler.

 

[mikeymikec]

I keep getting people frightened to death for me (other sites) that I run this thing on the stock cooler. Didn't think it was that bad. I'd like to keep it cool but dist free is naturally also important. With a new cooler I can go for front back top fans and probably be ok, I just don't know where to begin with finding the right cooler.

Not really frightened about it, it's just that the stock cooler is rubbish in my experience. As soon as one gives the R5 the slightest bit of work to do, the CPU fan revs up very noticeably.

If you were running a higher-end CPU, particularly something from the AMD 5000 series then I might go further up the HSF scale like the BQ! Pure Rock. One thing to remember though, the bigger you go, the more likely it is that you'll run into compatibility issues with your board (RAM / board heatsink clearance for example) or case. Big-name cooling products will have compatibility lists. I've never had any issues with the Rock Slim 1/2 HSFs and a normal size mATX case though.

 

[tinpanalley]

Be Quiet!'s Pure Rock Slim 2

I'll have a look and see what it costs and if it will fit. So it seems there's no definitive to which brand is best. I guess it's a question of reading people's reviews. With fans my only real concern is getting my head around how much physical length I would need between fans if I wanted to chain them. But I do have 4 headers in different places. Only the front fans might have trouble getting to the board if I only got 600mm or something.

 

[Tech Junky]

If you go with the Arctic's to chain them the wire length is designed to reach all sized boards. Now, for cable routing though there might be a front top and a front bottom header on the board that might make more sense to put the front fans on the bottom header and the top fans on the front top so the wires stay out of the way. The CPU header is usually on the top of the board near the CPU... The exhaust header us usually on the backside or under the CPU.

 

[tinpanalley]

If you go with the Arctic's to chain them the wire length is designed to reach all sized boards. Now, for cable routing though there might be a front top and a front bottom header on the board that might make more sense to put the front fans on the bottom header and the top fans on the front top so the wires stay out of the way. The CPU header is usually on the top of the board near the CPU... The exhaust header us usually on the backside or under the CPU.

I totally agree. I like the idea of chaining if it makes sense for access like with hdd and ssd power cables. But I was looking at my motherboard documentation last night and the BIOS and there are 4 headers exactly where I need them. Chaining seems silly in this case.

 

[Tech Junky]

I'm envisioning...

Rear Header
CPU header / dual fans
Top / dual fans
Front / dual fans

7 fans and 4 headers makes for a problem.

 

[tinpanalley]

I'm envisioning...

Rear Header
CPU header / dual fans
Top / dual fans
Front / dual fans

7 fans and 4 headers makes for a problem.

Why would that be a problem? When you chain 4 together isn't that all on one header?
I figured in each header, you could just chain two together. So chaining only works if you chain ALL the pack together? I don't understand what you're saying at all.

 

[Tech Junky]

Ok.. you said you had 4 headers but I see 7 fans...

I put up to 3 fans on each header to be on the safe side using these as the power specs for the fans / MOBO are within spec at this number of fans/header.

4 headers exactly where I need them. Chaining seems silly in this case.

Maybe I misinterpreted this... ?

 

[tinpanalley]

Maybe I misinterpreted this... ?

No, I misspoke out of ignorance. When I said "chaining" I thought chaining meant ALL of them in the pack together on a single central header. I now realise it can be just two and that's still "chained".

 

[Fallen Kell]

Why would that be a problem? When you chain 4 together isn't that all on one header?
I figured in each header, you could just chain two together. So chaining only works if you chain ALL the pack together? I don't understand what you're saying at all.

No, I misspoke out of ignorance. When I said "chaining" I thought chaining meant ALL of them in the pack together on a single central header. I now realise it can be just two and that's still "chained".

The problem is that chaining them like that means the wires, the connectors, header on the motherboard, and motherboard's circuit to that header all need to support the additional load of multiple fans drawing power from that single connection. If it was designed to just handle 1 single 12V fan with a power draw of 0.5A, placing 4 of those fans chained like that would draw 2.0A and the wires, circuit traces, header, connectors, etc., might not be rated for that and could melt/burn/blow a fuse/trip a voltage protection/trip an amp protection/catch fire...

A well designed motherboard would probably just trip some kind of protection circuit and cut all power to the fans, which would eventually cause the CPU to go into thermal protection and/or shutdown the system. A poorly designed motherboard (that cut corners to save some dollars to meet a price point in the market) might just blow a fuse and/or cause a fire.

So, what you need to do is find out the power draw of the fans you want to chain together, as well as find out how much power the motherboard supports on the fan header you want to use before you can just chain the fans together and plug it in...

 

[Tech Junky]

@Fallen Kell

You have some valid considerations there which is why I mentioned I only put up to 3 on a single header on my system and with limited space OP has and guidance to put ~2 on each header should be on the safe side for a higher end MSI board.

https://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/mb/E7C02v1.5.pdf

Now, I can't find voltage specs in the manual but, on mine I can which is how I came up with the limit of 3 of this particular fan make/model. Being PWN and not DC they adjust accordingly vs a higher power draw a DC fan might exhibit. These are quite efficient fans pulling really low numbers.

P12 PWM PST

P14 PWM PST

 

[tinpanalley]

Anything wrong with those Arctics (ACFAN00137A P12 PWM PST) being high static pressure fans? Are they overkill as regular case fans?

 

[Tech Junky]

Velocity is a good thing. The benefit is when they fit the space without gaps. They provide good airflow and are low noise. Being pwm and not DC they don't spin at high rpms all of time like a DC case fan.

 

[tinpanalley]

Velocity is a good thing. The benefit is when they fit the space without gaps. They provide good airflow and are low noise. Being pwm and not DC they don't spin at high rpms all of time like a DC case fan.

I had been told that because they're made to push air straight through heatsinks and radiators so thar heat is removed more effectively, they would have to run at faster rpm to be effective as case fans, and cause more noise.

 

[Tech Junky]

Well, they have a more focused cone of airflow than a case can.

Focusing the front fans with drives / cable / clutter is a good idea. It pierces through the clutter between the front and the MOBO to be more effective. I have 3 fans on the front that have to fight though the 5 disks to get to the MOBO. Besides this though I have 2 on the air cooler which are more effective than the single fan that ships with it. The air cooler is basically a radiator though not as tightly packed it's still offering some resistance to the fans The exhaust fan on the back is the easiest for resistance with just the grill pattern to deal with. Top is mesh but also filtered with 2 fans.

I've been using them for years and I've tried the Noctua's and they're just as effective for 1/2 the price. When I picked them I was comparing the stats - db / rpm range / CFM / reviews from actual users. If they keep my 12700K cool to room temp they'll surely keep your system cool as well. Maybe you'll only want to use 5 to start w/ 2 on the CPU tower / 2 in the front / 1 on the back and see how the temps are. Should be sufficient enough even with the RTX in the case since you're only running 2 operational fans currently.

Upgrading the cooling tower will keep the CPU running smoothly under load more efficiently. It's about performance and acoustics. If you want even quieter load it up w/ all the positions filled with fans as they work in conjunction with each other to keep the airflow optimal based on the temp sensors.

 

[tinpanalley]

Well, they have a more focused cone of airflow than a case can.

View attachment 66560

Focusing the front fans with drives / cable / clutter is a good idea. It pierces through the clutter between the front and the MOBO to be more effective. I have 3 fans on the front that have to fight though the 5 disks to get to the MOBO. Besides this though I have 2 on the air cooler which are more effective than the single fan that ships with it. The air cooler is basically a radiator though not as tightly packed it's still offering some resistance to the fans The exhaust fan on the back is the easiest for resistance with just the grill pattern to deal with. Top is mesh but also filtered with 2 fans.

I've been using them for years and I've tried the Noctua's and they're just as effective for 1/2 the price. When I picked them I was comparing the stats - db / rpm range / CFM / reviews from actual users. If they keep my 12700K cool to room temp they'll surely keep your system cool as well. Maybe you'll only want to use 5 to start w/ 2 on the CPU tower / 2 in the front / 1 on the back and see how the temps are. Should be sufficient enough even with the RTX in the case since you're only running 2 operational fans currently.

Upgrading the cooling tower will keep the CPU running smoothly under load more efficiently. It's about performance and acoustics. If you want even quieter load it up w/ all the positions filled with fans as they work in conjunction with each other to keep the airflow optimal based on the temp sensors.

That's great info, thank you. Really helps me understand how these fans work. I don't see a major problem using these. For the cpu cooler I went with an ARCTIC Freezer 34 Esports Duo. I'm just gonna do 2 fans in the front and one in the back for now. I'll have 2 extras to play with because I bought a pack of 5.

 

[Tech Junky]

Should be sufficient though the one I posted has 6 pipes and would work on your next machine when you decide to upgrade.

Let it run for a week and see how it holds up. Did you order paste or pads or just using what's in the box with the cooler?

 

[tinpanalley]

Should be sufficient though the one I posted has 6 pipes and would work on your next machine when you decide to upgrade.

Let it run for a week and see how it holds up. Did you order paste or pads or just using what's in the box with the cooler?

Well, I can't likely return it once I've installed it. Which was the one you recommended, the ID-COOLING SE-226-XT? How is it better for my setup other than being more future proof?

 

[Tech Junky]

The 226 will work better with 6 pipes across the CPU on new CPUs. More surface area on the CPU to disipate heat more effectively. It's compatible with your current CPU as well which means you don't need to buy another one when you upgrade down the road. With better heat management means the fans run at a lower speed and thus less noise.

 

[mikeymikec]

I have a GPU, 2hdd, 2ssd and some optical drives but they don't get used enough to cause heating problems.

I am curious as to why you're doing all this. You neither have a particularly beefy CPU in terms of power usage nor are the rest of the components from what you're saying.

My system is similar (Haswell i5, R9 380X, multiple SSD, 1 HDD, 2 ODD), but I have one CPU fan, one chassis fan and there's the fan on the PSU. The fans will draw air from the side and front of the case and the chassis and PSU fans expel it.

 

[tinpanalley]

I am curious as to why you're doing all this.

I have no CPU fan at all other than the stock one the CPU came with and my rear fan is dead. Both rear and front are the ones the case came with 12 years ago.

 

[tinpanalley]

Received my fans and cooler.
Do I need some special product to remove the stock cpu fan and thermal paste? I imagine the cooler comes with its own.

 

[Tech Junky]

I use isopropyl alcohol to clean things and remove any traces of gunk and oils. An old credit card and some qtips work well.

 

[Tech Junky]

Speaking of cleaning. I cracked open the ADL laptop because it's been running a bit hotter than I'd like and found the OEM paste to be dried out already. Swabbed everything down with isopropyl and put in my magic pads and put it back together. One less thing to worry about down the road as the pads don't have issues over time.

How did your new fans work out? Things nice and cool now? Did you get the cooler mounted?