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Best fan configuration

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mldvn33

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May 6, 2014
I'm trying to optimize my recent build for first time overclocking and at least dual SLI for 4K gaming:

Motherboard: Asrock Z87 Extreme6
CPU: Intel 3.5GHz 4770K Haswell
Liquid cooler: Thermaltake 3.0 Extreme
GPU: GTX 780 Ti (soon getting another for 2 way SLI)
Case: Corsair Carbide 300R
PSU: Rosewill 850W
SSD: Samsung EVO 250GB
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB
RAM: G.Skill dual band total 16GB at 2133MHz frequency

My liquid cooler is mounted on the case roof under two corsair SP120mm fans pushing cold air down through the radiator into the case.
I have another corsair SP120mm mounted as the rear exhaust.
One stock 140mm fan sucking in air through front case panel filter, and another 120mm sucking air in under it through the 3.5" drive bays (this was originally the stock rear exhaust).
Lastly I have two 120mm fans sucking cold air in from the side panel onto the GPU, soon to be 2 GPUs.
My PSU fan is facing downward sucking in air from the bottom, is this ok? Or should I flip it so it sucks in the warm air from the GPUs and blows it out its rear?

Any constructive feedback is greatly appreciated.
 
You have pretty high positive pressure in your case.
Is your GPU venting out of the case or in it?

If they went out you might be good as it is. You will have slightly higher GPU temps since you vent CPU heat inside your case but if that turns out to be a problem just mount rad fans to exhaust from top.
It will be a trade off between GPU or CPU temps.
Personally I would never pull air in trough a rad on top. It will improve CPU temps but the rest of the system is going to bear some of that load. But I am more of an old school type when it comes to PC cooling and water cooling especially.
 
Good reasoning, but I think I'd rather switch the side panel fans to exhausts in that case, since I want the best CPU cooling option when over clocking, or perhaps only one of them, although I don't know how that would work aerodynamically...I do want cool air blowing onto the GPU space, but also sufficient exhaust to neutralize the positive pressure, ..such a dilemma. Would one 120mm rear exhaust be able to do enough? In this case, would it be better to have an AF fan to maximize airflow or the SP fan I have in place there now?
 
Generally you should not have intake and exhaust next to each other. They will just effectively cancel each other out.
One really high performance fan could even out the balance but would sound like a vacuum cleaner. The problem is that you push hot air constantly downward and your only exhaust is on the top part of the case I assume.
So effectively you push hot air down that wants to rise up to make room for the colder air. TBH your current cooling is kind of a mess and I cannot see any sense in it :D
Many people use top as intake and I don't know exactly how that will work out since I have never even tried it.
You could switch front of the case as exhaust but the effectiveness of that will depend on what kind of case you have.

E: There are many pros here that like to do things weird like you^^ Maybe they can assist you better or at least correct my understanding of this top intake trend.
E2: I just noticed that you posted this on Extreme cooling section. Maybe a mod can move the this thread to water cooling or just cooling section
 
Last edited:
Set the fans for front/side as intake and rear/top as exhaust.

Getting air 2C cooler to the radiator doesn't matter if the rest of your case is starved for air because of it.
The key is proper airFLOW.
 
with some ducting you can achieve anything... i've got one set up Top air IN, Front Air In, Bottom Air IN , Rear Air Out... and Side Air Out But it has been ducted in such a way the the GTX690 receives fresh outside air only & whatever hot air it dumps into the case gets exhausted to the side - so no recirculation issues. Works wel.. looks ugly with the cardboard, but works well :)

I use this simple rule: if the case comes with prefitted filters... anything which has a filter is an intake, anything without filter is an exhaust. If that doesn't give the expected results.. time to fiddle around :)
 
ATMINSIDE said:
Set the fans for front/side as intake and rear/top as exhaust.

Getting air 2C cooler to the radiator doesn't matter if the rest of your case is starved for air because of it.
The key is proper airFLOW.
Click to expand...
:clap: :thup:

I use this simple rule: if the case comes with prefitted filters... anything which has a filter is an intake, anything without filter is an exhaust.
Click to expand...
Too many exception to make that a rule. A lot of cases have filters all over the damn place, LOL! Especially the top of the case which is quite typically exhaust.

front/sides = intake
top/rear = exhaust

is a solid 'rule' with less exceptions to get proper airFLOW.
 
ah.. but the "typical top as exhaust" is only that because of the persistent misconception that "hot air rises" is very important & relevant... almost as important as having an ALU case "because it conducts heat better as steel"
These two are almost on par with the "need to have a lampshade/lightsource" on top of your television" :)

The thing is.. nowadays the ATX standard is outdated (it was a so-so compromise to begin with) and most of the case builders today are only following it if you squint one eye and tilt your head just so.
Given that huge GPUs have been blocking flow for the last decade or so, it is time to really abolish the ATX standard and go for something Enhanced-BTX like which really optimises airflow.
Kudos to Silverstone for at least trying with their Raven series :)
 
I feel like for me the trade off of hot air in the case is worth the boost in radiator cooler performance as an intake if you have enough exhaust to compensate for it.
 
mldvn33 said:
I feel like for me the trade off of hot air in the case is worth the boost in radiator cooler performance as an intake if you have enough exhaust to compensate for it.
Click to expand...

You won't know till you try with proper airflow.
Its how I have my full custom loop set up, and the temps are amazing.
 
It depends on the situation really.

For example I have a Corsair Air 540. I had my rad up top and CPU temps were maxing out around say 55C while the GPU was hitting 67C. I flipped them around and now the CPU hits 51C and the GPU now is in the upper 70s which leaves me no room to overclock the thing. I will likely move it back since i have more headroom on the CPU.
 
mldvn33 said:
My liquid cooler is mounted on the case roof under two corsair SP120mm fans pushing cold air down through the radiator into the case.
Click to expand...
That strikes me as sub-optimal. Heat rises. ISTM you'd get more efficient cooling aiding natural convection than trying to fight it.

ATMINSIDE said:
Set the fans for front/side as intake and rear/top as exhaust.

Getting air 2C cooler to the radiator doesn't matter if the rest of your case is starved for air because of it.
The key is proper airFLOW.
Click to expand...
That makes sense to me.

Jim
 
In theory, the heat rises thing is spot on... but the reality is that it doesn't make much of a difference at all. Still, why fight it regardless is my take. If you need the CPU that much cooler go for it, but there will be reprecussions for setting things up like that (everything inside is likely warmer and there may be hot spots depending on airflow).
 
EarthDog said:
In theory, the heat rises thing is spot on... but the reality is that it doesn't make much of a difference at all.
Click to expand...
I wonder.

Years ago (many--as in 8-bit processors and analog PSUs) I had a desktop kind of a computer with the PSU in the bottom and fan in the back. I wanted the airflow filtered, so I reversed the fan and put a filter on it. Went to use the thing and, after being on for a while, it up and died. What the...??? To make a long story short: I found that as soon as things got warm in there, the fan could no longer overcome convection, and airflow out the bottom stopped. This was even after, IIRC, putting in a much higher CFM fan.

That taught me to never again attempt to fight with convection ;)

Jim
 
A(1) fan seems like the reason (not enough airflow).

Its a non issue for the most part. There are bigger fish to fry in the cooling arena than convection. But again, I won't fight it either. Top and rear are always my exhaust. ;)
 
Sounds to me like you took a case specifically designed for one direction of airflow, and gave it the wrong direction.

The Δt in internal case air temps is not enough to generate meaningful force. A single 40mm fan can overcome the force applied by convection.
It's a non-issue.

What is an issue is the question of where the airflow is. If you take a case that is getting rid of all the CPU/motherboard heat via a fan, and you turn that fan around and force all that hot air out through the PSU, the PSU is not going to be happy.
 
Ok then, how do I still get COOL ambient air through my radiator AND avoid overheating inside case air AND optimize cool airflow to the rest of the components?

Would it be safe to think that MAYBE a high performance AF120mm rear exhaust can keep up with the two SP120mm blowing down through the radiator above it? Or are my hopes just way too high.. I just don't know how much of a difference there really is between the velocity of the SP fans blowing through a 1 inch radiator and the strength of an AF fan to pick up the current. I'm also trying to make as much room in between the front and back of the case to allow my 140mm intake clear passage from the front to create a current to the rear exhaust.
 
You are over thinking it.

The difference between the intake of the rad and exhaust will only be a few C difference unless the rad is overloaded (in your case it is not).
 
I have another corsair SP120mm mounted as the rear exhaust.

Switch this to a Air fan (trust me it makes the difference)

I had a dual 290 setup with a fx8210 and just switching the fan to an air fan dropped 2 degrees on Liquid components and 4 i think in case components.

My setup was different tho.
Inwards:
I had a pushpull config in front 240mm sp120's.
2 in bottom of case (enermax)

then 3 exhaust in top (sp 120's) and back exhaust as well.

Are the cards the only thing you are liquid cooling?

or are you cooling the CPUY as well?

is the 240mm rad your only rad?

you might need extra rads if so (if you are ocing)
remember that push pull configs also provide an extra performance boost so also consider implementing that when possible
 
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