Corsair 200R Case Fan Placement

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grodriguez

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Nov 30, 2013
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http://i.imgur.com/BDfY79k.png

Hey guys, I'm working on a build and I have no idea what to do about fan placement. The case has two front places for 120mm fans, two spaces on the left side for fans, one on the rear and two on the top (pic related). How should I be placing them?

The two stock fans that came with it have an airflow measurement of 44.2 CFM, and I bought two aftermarket fans (two Noctua NF-F12s) with 54.97 CFM of airflow. Which fans should go where for the best cooling? Also, would you guys all recommend negative or positive pressure for this build?

The computer is using an overclocked 4770k and a 270x. The 4770k is being cooled by a Noctua NH-U12S. I'd like my fan setup to me competent enough that I won't have to completely alter it when I choose to upgrade my graphics card/possible SLI setup. I assume the rest of the components are irrelevant. Thanks a lot!
 
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Honestly, if you're willing to invest the time, since you already have the components, it might be worth it to see which set-up works best for you. The argument between positive and negative is like some horrible bitter hill-billy feud that just won't end - because every situation is different. That said, the reason why I thought NF-F12s might work better in the front is because they are built more for static pressure rather than just raw airflow. ( http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=which_fan_is_right_for_me&lng=en )

As for whether or not to add more fans, four is more than good enough. Honestly, every fan added after just one has severe diminishing returns, in terms of absolute thermal performance. As some food for thought, when...
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Calculatron

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I'm pro-negative pressure. In my office, with my cases, that is what seems to net me the most performance. I also have to deal with hair-shedding little bunnies, so that is a big motivation factor for me.

Noctua NF-F12 fans are more built for static pressure, so, if you were going to use them as case fans proper, putting them on the front would be most advantageous for their use. They would force air into your case beyond your hard-drive case and towards your GPU. Having a rear fan is always good, and adding top fans is good for pulling the heat out and away from the whole rig.

Side fans, although good for the GPU and motherboard, often end up being louder than what one would like, since they have to suck the entirety of their airflow through a grate of tiny little holes. For that reason alone, I don't bother with them. I've come across a number of people that have said that, when they added side fans to their set-up, that it messed with their airflow to the degree than certain components, namely the CPU, was experiencing an increase. These reports are few and far between, and I haven't bothered to verify them myself. (Although, ever case, figurative and literal, is different.)

On a parting note, I have a Corsair 300R.
 
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grodriguez

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Nov 30, 2013
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Yeah, I was thinking about negative pressure too. But putting the two Nocturas in the front and the stock ones in the back/top would make positive pressure because they're more powerful I thought, but you probably know more about this than I do. Do you think these four fans will be a stable enough setup for a while or should I get a few more fans? If so, any recommendations? Thanks a lot by the way!

 
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Calculatron

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Honestly, if you're willing to invest the time, since you already have the components, it might be worth it to see which set-up works best for you. The argument between positive and negative is like some horrible bitter hill-billy feud that just won't end - because every situation is different. That said, the reason why I thought NF-F12s might work better in the front is because they are built more for static pressure rather than just raw airflow. ( http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=which_fan_is_right_for_me&lng=en )

As for whether or not to add more fans, four is more than good enough. Honestly, every fan added after just one has severe diminishing returns, in terms of absolute thermal performance. As some food for thought, when I turn all my fans to the maximum RPM, from the minimum, the net gain for my components is around 2C. The main benefit is an attempt to make sure that certain components don't get stuck in some sort of hot-zone.
On a similar train of thought, here is some food (for thought):
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Which-is-the-Best-Place-to-Install-a-Case-Fan-Part-1/1473/3
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Which-is-the-Best-Place-to-Install-a-Case-Fan-Part-2/1483/1

If you're really itching for some better fans:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835553005
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186033
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835214028

Those are all fairly good. Arctic Fans are affordable and come in a fairly basic package (just the fan and some screws) but have the nifty ability to daisy-chain the fans together off from the same fan header (no need for PWM-splitters). Enermax fans are pretty good overall, although they are not quite as quiet as the Arctic Fans. Cougar fans are better, but are more expensive - the only other downfall is that their PWM circuitry can be buggered.
 
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