Case intake fans. Which one of these is better?

dream3 · Nov 23, 2015

Hey guys, how are you doing?

I have a corsair 350d case here which has a dust filter in front of the fans on the intake area.

So now I have to choose which one of these fans is the best for my rig:

Apache black 120mm, 56 CFM and 2.6mm static pressure
OR
Noctua 140mm, 82 CFM and 2mm static pressure

These are the only ones available for me, so please do not suggest me other fans.
All I need to do is figure out whether I should prioritize the higher CFM or the higher static pressure.
I wanted as much cool as air possible to be blown towards the GPU, which is already too close to the PSU and doesn't have a lot of space with cool air to pull.

I'll be using a pair.

ATMINSIDE · Nov 23, 2015

Noctua, by far.

Blaylock · Nov 23, 2015

Agreed. Static pressure is irrelevant when looking at case airflow. only CFM and dB matter.

dream3 · Nov 23, 2015

Okay guys, I'll get the noctuas for intake then!

Now what about exhaust? I want only one fan at the rear grill, 120mm.

I can leave the same apache black, 120mm 56 CFm and 2.6mm SP or get a noctua 120mm 62 CFM and 1.2mm SP.

Would those 6 CFM worth the upgrade? On the other hand, wouldn't the higher SP of the apache (two times the noctuas) help push more air through the read mesh/grill?

ATMINSIDE · Nov 23, 2015

Personally, in that case, I like just 2x front and 2x top fans.

Blaylock · Nov 23, 2015

As long as it's standard case mesh (not sure which case you have) either would work. If you already have the Apache then I'd stick with that. 6 CFM is very minor and will not result in any real gains.

Edit: sorry missed the 350D case. Either would work fine.

dream3 · Nov 23, 2015

Blaylock said:
As long as it's standard case mesh (not sure which case you have) either would work. If you already have the Apache then I'd stick with that. 6 CFM is very minor and will not result in any real gains.

Edit: sorry missed the 350D case. Either would work fine.

Thanks!

ATMINSIDE said:
Personally, in that case, I like just 2x front and 2x top fans.

I was thinking about only one at the rear because of 2 reasons:

1. Noctua NH-D14 is already pushing massive air towards the back, right through the rear exhaust grill
2. I would like to keep a positive pressure, so 2x intake vs 1x exhaust is a sure way to achieve that

In theory I could put 2 apaches on top as exhaust, as their CFM is lower than the 140mm noctuas, and leave the rear mesh without fan at all. I can't figure whether that would be a better cooling option for my case though.

Blaylock · Nov 23, 2015

Your i7 3770k is only 77W and the Vapor-X cooler on your 7970 is one of the top coolers. Unless you're running at full load for hours I'd bet a single 120mm exhaust would be adequate, however more airflow is never a bad thing.

dream3 · Nov 26, 2015

Hey guys it's me again. I found out that my apache fans had some issues with PWM so I'll need to replace the one that was going as a rear exhaust.

So, since I got 2 noctuas in the front I thought I might make it all noctua flavor anyways. I just need to figure out which noctua fan is the right one for pushing the most air through the rear mesh/pulling the most air out of the case (very confusing).

F12 is for radiators so it should move more air, right? But it has a lower CFM than both P12 and S12.
S12 has higher CFM but I read the grill holes could significantly lower it's efficiency to pull the hot air out because of its lower static pressure. P12 seems to be in between but doesnt have the SSO2 bearing nor the rubber corners to reduce vibrations.

SO DIFFICULT.

Any ideas?

ATMINSIDE · Nov 26, 2015

I would snag the S12 since you won't have a radiator there.

dream3 · Nov 26, 2015

ATMINSIDE said:
I would snag the S12 since you won't have a radiator there.

Yeah but isnt the 350d's grill considered tight to the point of lowering the performance of high airflow/low pressure fans? So that the P12, with less airflow but higher pressure would move more air out of the case?

Look:

I have no idea.

Blaylock · Nov 26, 2015

Personally I think you're over thinking it. That honeycomb grill won't effect it much.

Mr.Scott · Nov 26, 2015

Blaylock said:
Personally I think you're over thinking it. That honeycomb grill won't effect it much.

This ^^^^.
Static pressure means nothing unless you're pushing through a radiator.
For just case airflow, CFM or noise is what's important.

dream3 · Nov 26, 2015

Okay guys, I guess I am. I'll go with the S12A then. THANKS AGAIN!

Case intake fans. Which one of these is better?

dream3

Registered

ATMINSIDE

Sim Racing Aficionado Co-Owner

Blaylock

"That Backfired" Senior Member

dream3

Registered

ATMINSIDE

Sim Racing Aficionado Co-Owner

Blaylock

"That Backfired" Senior Member

dream3

Registered

Blaylock

"That Backfired" Senior Member

dream3

Registered

ATMINSIDE

Sim Racing Aficionado Co-Owner

dream3

Registered

Blaylock

"That Backfired" Senior Member

Mr.Scott

Beamed Me Up!

dream3

Registered

Similar threads