View Full Version : Fans on both sides of Radiator?
Mobious
01-02-06, 12:51 PM
One of the W/C kits I've been looking at comes with a Black Ice Xtreme III radiator and 6 120mm fans:
http://www.frozencpu.com/ex-wat-75.html
The pump is software controlled and is able to control 6 fans in a stable configuration (don't want to risk killing the pump). I'm gunna mount the Radiator in the front of a Thermaltake Armor, so would putting 3 of the fans on the front blowing in and 3 fans on the back sucking out be better than just the 3 blowing in and the other three control ports controlling my 3 case fans? If I'm better off with the 6 on the radiator itself, I have plans for how to control the other three. Help would be appreciated!!!!!
-Mobious-
I would use 3 on the rad, and the rest in teh case, assuming the 120s are over 80 CFM
Herr Rogers
01-02-06, 12:57 PM
too much money. Having fans on both sides of the radiator is called push/pull and there's a small difference in temps between fans on one side vs fans on both sides.
Aidenswarrior
01-02-06, 01:51 PM
that kit is a rip off.
I'm gunna mount the Radiator in the front of a Thermaltake Armor, so would putting 3 of the fans on the front blowing in and 3 fans on the back sucking out be better than just the 3 blowing in and the other three control ports controlling my 3 case fans?
Only marginally. And if you're going for a quiet system, definitely not. If you have a fan on only one side, usually the rad performs slightly better if the fan is pulling, but again, the difference isn't much.
samuknow
01-02-06, 06:34 PM
Holy expensive overkill Batman....
I have tried push/pull, push, and just pull. Pull is within 1-3C on push pull, and about 4-5C better than push...Again this is in my setup...Yours ma vary....
EagleClaw
01-02-06, 06:38 PM
Interesting.
The system I am building soon is using a GIGABYTE 3D AURORA case and I will be using a BIPII with a Radbox. Seeing this case has 2 rear 120mm fans should I mount the 2 fans for the BIPII in the Pull direction?
Sorry didn't mean to Hyjack
Only marginally. And if you're going for a quiet system, definitely not. If you have a fan on only one side, usually the rad performs slightly better if the fan is pulling, but again, the difference isn't much.
I have tried push/pull, push, and just pull. Pull is within 1-3C on push pull, and about 4-5C better than push...Again this is in my setup...Yours ma vary....
Samuknow, can you give a few details about your rad and fans?
samuknow
01-02-06, 09:30 PM
I am using a BIP with a single Pabst fan. I am using another 120mm fan shell as a shroud. I basically cut the fan struts and all out. Works great and is very quiet...
I tried push/ pull and all I really gained is noise...
That's a great use for a junk fan.
rogerdugans
01-03-06, 05:06 AM
"Pull" only is usually the best compromise for noise/performance on a rad.
"Push/Pull" will usually add a bit of performance but takes a lot more room to do RIGHT- using shrouds on both sides.
Push/Pull helps with a MAX performance system because it gets more air through than a fan on only one side.
It can actually also help with a Silent system when done with very quiet fans: silent fans tend to have low static pressure (compared to High Perf. fans) so using them on both sides can get a lot more air through, and if the fans are really quiet you won't hear them.
For anything not right on the extreme edges (Performance/Silence), fans on just one side will do very nearly as well.
Personally, I find it more to my advantage to try and keep the fans on the case side of the radiator to help reduce sound levels. Usually this DOES mean "pull", but even when it has meant they were running in "push" mode only, there was not a huge performance difference.
Proper shrouds seem to make more of a difference than which way the fans blow.
samuknow
01-03-06, 07:38 AM
That's a great use for a junk fan.
It is actuall a nice fan. Puts out great air flow and is virtually silent. I have some other 120s that are a little more powerful but are twice as loud....and still temps are no lower.
I meant the one you cut up for a shroud. :)
That kit is way too expensive.
Having said that, as is mentioned above, having fans on both sides of the rad really is helpful when you run the fans undervolted to keep them quiet. I did this with a BIXIII and it worked well. I had 6-75cfm fans all undervolted to about 5 volts and it was very quiet and worked well.
samuknow
01-03-06, 10:19 AM
I meant the one you cut up for a shroud. :)
I know....forget what I said....I had just gotten up...
Sorry..
It does work great though....
LOL, no problem. Been there, done that, scalded myself with the coffee.
Fighter2a
01-04-06, 03:06 PM
3 fans pulling air throught the radiator is the best noise/performance thing to do.
Tat2monsta
01-04-06, 03:23 PM
i got a TT armor with a rad in the front..next size down..ThermoChill HE120.2..if you use the rad you wanna use there will only be 2 bays left.and one of them will be for the on/off switch/floppy bay unless you got another way of turning on and off. also at the end of the rad where the barbs are makes it higher.. basicly what im saying is. it will take slightly more than 9 slots. u wont be able to put a cd drive directly above the rad.. you will probly have to use the on/off panel and cut the bottem out of it for it to fit.. hope the pik below explains.. line shows the size of the rad behind the display panel and the barbs.
note..this display panel is only about 2inches deep so my rad fits up behind it. took me a while to fit/squeeze and build :) soz about my painting skills.. ive just formated and only got paint on here.. and thats a bad excuse i know. but basicly im rubish at drawing using a pc.. my work on human skin is way better ;)
p.s i only have two fans on here. and mine is sucking out through the front
samuknow
01-04-06, 04:20 PM
Should be ok with only 2 fans......That is a big rad though....I downsized from a big ford heater core that was bigger than 1 120 but smaller than 2 120s to a BIP, I really don't see a diff in temps...Is there a point where a rad is so big that all it is doing is taking up more space?
DvBoard
01-04-06, 04:26 PM
Should be ok with only 2 fans......That is a big rad though....I downsized from a big ford heater core that was bigger than 1 120 but smaller than 2 120s to a BIP, I really don't see a diff in temps...Is there a point where a rad is so big that all it is doing is taking up more space?
bigger adiator will in theroy be able to get rid of heat better because of the increased amoutn of area. but you can only cool the coolant so much using ambiant air. so it's quite possible the amoutn of heat your disappating is the same, and that your old larger radiator was overkill size wise.
Tat2monsta
01-04-06, 04:37 PM
Should be ok with only 2 fans......That is a big rad though....I downsized from a big ford heater core that was bigger than 1 120 but smaller than 2 120s to a BIP, I really don't see a diff in temps...Is there a point where a rad is so big that all it is doing is taking up more space?
even with just 2 fans on the rad.. it will take nearly 10 drive bays..the rad is the same length no matter how many fans he adds.. did you mean use a smaller rad ?
Is there a point where a rad is so big that all it is doing is taking up more space?
Yes.
The amount of heat disappated will be the same no matter what rad you use, but if all else is equal, you'll get a lower coolant temperature with a larger radiator. If the smaller rad can handle the heat load, though that difference could be quite small. How many watts do you estimate that mobile CPU is putting out?
You might see more of a difference going between a 2 fan rad and the BIP.
samuknow
01-04-06, 05:25 PM
even with just 2 fans on the rad.. it will take nearly 10 drive bays..the rad is the same length no matter how many fans he adds.. did you mean use a smaller rad ?
Yes,
That is why I went to the smaller rad....
samuknow
01-04-06, 05:29 PM
Yes.
The amount of heat disappated will be the same no matter what rad you use, but if all else is equal, you'll get a lower coolant temperature with a larger radiator. If the smaller rad can handle the heat load, though that difference could be quite small. How many watts do you estimate that mobile CPU is putting out?
You might see more of a difference going between a 2 fan rad and the BIP.
@ 1.92V I am guessing about 150 Watts or so...
One main purpose of Push/Pull is that you can undervolt the fans (quieter system) but they should be throwing the same amount of air through the radiator because they help eachother move it.
samuknow
01-05-06, 10:12 AM
One main purpose of Push/Pull is that you can undervolt the fans (quieter system) but they should be throwing the same amount of air through the radiator because they help eachother move it.
When I did that, I actually got a beat frequency between the two fans. Yes they were identical, but nevertheless it still happened. I set the fans to get the same load temps as a single fan. It wasn't loud just weird and annoying....
samuknow
01-08-06, 01:55 PM
Should be ok with only 2 fans......That is a big rad though....I downsized from a big ford heater core that was bigger than 1 120 but smaller than 2 120s to a BIP, I really don't see a diff in temps...Is there a point where a rad is so big that all it is doing is taking up more space?
Just an update for information purposes....
When I had the heater core I had it outside my case due to the size..
I was having random issues since putting the BIP inside my case.. I am assuming that the exhaust off of my rad was blowing on my Vid card and mobo, and caused random problem during load...High exhaust temps. I went back to the external mount and that helped some. Then went back to the heater core and much better. Again this is with only I 120 mm fan but the HC must be more efficient and dissapating the heat than the BIP......FYI
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