Corsair 650D, NH-D14, and Fans

[Sourtop]

I'm planning on picking up the Corsair 650D when the new Nvidia cards come out and I wanted to replace its fans with some red LED ones. I also want to replace the stock fans on my NH-D14 to red LEDs purely for cosmetics.

So I guess in all I need help picking out:

3 x 120 mm (1 for rear case fan, 2 for heatsink)
2 x 140 mm (2 for top case fans - or would a single 200 mm fan be better?)
1 x 200 mm (front case fan)

I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to cooling fans so any recommendations would help a lot! Thanks.

EDIT: I should also mention that I'll be buying all of this from NCIX.ca so any recommendations/links should come from there.

 

[woboy]

NCIX.ca
Yate Loon is a good reputation low priced fan, bright leds, I use them often, only used Blue so far for LEDs
YL D12SL-12-RED 1330 rpm 47 cfm $9.99

I like the Cooler Master R4 fans, some people find them loud, some doubt the cfm, leds are not particularly bright on the 120/140mm fans, more in frame form
CM R4 L2R-20 120MM red led 2000rpm 69 cfm sale -$2 = $8.99
CM makes 140 mm led fans not NCIX.ca listed
CM Mega Flow 200mm red led $19.89 700 rpm 110 cfm may be able to wire led on/off switch good brightness on blue ones

Enermax TB Silence are good quiet fans in my limited experience. Tried a Vegas with light options for fun
Enenermax T B Silence UCTB12N-R Red led avail 2-5 days $9.99

Basically you trade noise for performance, the Cooler Master at 2000 rpm move good air, noise you hear depends on location backround level. I like these from Amazon at lower cost
Yate Loon come as low/med/high speed from people like sidewinder or Jabtech. NCIX doesn't offer their selection.
BitFenix I only know by reviews and reputation.
Pay attention to fan connections molex vs motherboard or both.


BitFenix are good quiet led fans
BF Spectre BFF BLF 1225R-RP 120 mm red led 1000 rpm 43.5 cfm -$2 sale $7.99
BF Spectre BFF BLF 1425R 140mm red led 1000 rpm 47.7 cfm $14.99
BF Spectre bff blf 20020R 200mm red led 700 rpm $19.89

 

[Sourtop]

Thanks for the reply! That helps a lot.

Noise isn't a huge factor. I usually have headphones on anyway so I won't notice it. The goal is to kind of light up the case using the fans (for the most part). I have a red LED light as well, but I would rather not use it if I don't have to. I had a lot of trouble finding a place for it (and keeping it in place) in my previous case.

 

[Sourtop]

I'm also curious about fan controllers. What are the sort of go-to brands/models?

 

[woboy]

As far as light goes it depends on how bright you want it. If you have a dim room and a a case that passes a lot of light, less is better.
If your room is bright you need bright lights to compete.

I have a Cooler Master case with 200MM blue led fans front and top, R4 120MM back and a Yate Loon 140MM on side.

For pure airflow 2 120/140MM fans usually push more air than a slow 200MM.

Fan controllers can be Voltage or PWM or both. Remember not all fans are controller compatible.
Since motherboards can offer fan control start by deciding what you want motherboard controlled and which "otherwise".
Sunbeam Rheobus are a good start for fan controllers. Rheostat controller produce "waste" heat. PWM Controllers Interrupt current to control fans. Beyond that its appearance, features, and reviews. Gelid makes a two fan capable internal controller that goes $6-12 each depending where purchased. Zalman does too, but it is less current capable. On the other none of these are going to strain anything powerwise.

The Cooler Master 120/140MM R4s do not like down volting, I am not sure of the others. I prefer to pick the airfow I want and buy that fan.

So choose 3 from Yate Loon and Cooler Master 200MM. Probably an R4 120MM on back of the case.

THE 200MM are both 700 rpm so try to find reviews, I am happy with the Cooler Master
200MM in a 912 case, and I like one set of power plugs from each area.

The NH-D14 uses one 140MM 900-1200 rpm fan and one 120MM 1300 rpm fan, both reputedly very quiet.
So a Yate Loon 120MM and BitFennix 140MM should work. Or two BitFennix for symmetry.

 

[Sourtop]

I'm also curious about the fan clips that come with the NH-D14. Can they be used on other fans without a problem? I'm thinking I'll probably go with the BitFenix fans in the end. NCIX doesn't have a huge selection of red LED fans and from what I've read BitFenix holds their own.

 

[woboy]

Going by appearances any open corner 120mm frame fans will work.
Open corner means the most common form, ie a flange at top and bottom with open space between.
Sometimes corners are "strengthened by "boxing" corners or using a "tube" between the holes to provide more stiffening. These will not work.

The NH-D14 140mm fan uses 120mm spacing for its mounts. You will have to use two 120mm BitFenix fans. The 140 mm BitFenix will not match the mounting spacing.

Compare the Noctua fans on website NCIX.ca for 140 vs 120 differences.

Going by reputation BitFenix are a very good choice. I would expect the Yate Loon to be brighter, and might push more air. The Cooler Master would be a back up plan if you need more ability to force air thru "stamped" guards or closely spaced cooler fins (which the NH D14 is not).

Enjoy.

 

[Sourtop]

So my last concern now is how to mount the third fan. I'm waiting on the kit from Noctua, but is it possible (or even a good idea?) to connect all 3 into the CPU fan connector? Or will I have to plug one of them into a connector for a case fan?

 

[woboy]

Noctua NH D14 may come with a "piggy back" adapter, don't know. You can use "Y" adapters for the Cooler fans. Did not find these at NCIX.
How many fan headers on your motherboard?

If you need Black fan mounting screws NCIX.ca > Fans and Cooling > left side down to Accessories > Works CS-BK 200 pcs sharp tip fan screws Black -$4 = $4.99

Also Gelid Solutions part number Gelid-Fab-Sp 5-12 volt fan controller $5.98

Sometimes you can reduce noise from a loud fan by cutting out the "stamped" grill and using a wire finger guard.

 

[Sourtop]

I have a P67 Sabertooth and there is another fan connecter on the top right of the motherboard, but I use that one for the rear fan. I've done some looking around and it seems other people have asked the same question, but didn't get an answer from someone who has set up a 3 fan NH-D14.

 

[woboy]

Usually a fan header is good for about 10 watts power. Volts x Amps = Watts.

I can not find an amp rating for BitFenix fans. You might try contacting customer support.
120 mm led fans about 1000 rpm I can find are rated about .18 to .3 Amp/
3X .2 = .6 X 12 VOLT = 7.2 amp 3x .3 = .9 x 12 volt = 10.8 AMP.

For the record, these fans are quiet and move good air, using one or two on the fan header presents no problem.
Runing one on the header and one or two at full speed from the power supply would have no disadvantages.
Generally the rear case fan does as well for cooling as running three on a heatsink (this does depend to some extent on the heatsink design).

 

[xbournex]

http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/accessories/spectre-led#specs

They're under our product page on our website under the "Specs" tab.

 

[woboy]

Fans at .16 Amp. even if startup doubles that rating three fans should be fine on one header.
Frozencpu has splitters, headeaders for fans.