Bitfenix Prodigy M fan configuration help

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Dman8846

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Jun 2, 2013
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As the title says I need some help reworking my case's fan config. The system already runs smoothly on its current setup but could be a lot better. First I will post my specs which are
i7-4770k
Msi Z97M Gaming motherboard
Corsair H80i
Msi r9 280X
Corsair rm850
G.skill 8gb 1866 ram
Bitfenix prodigy M

My issue is the only fans I have running in there are one 120mm intake at the bottom of the case and one outtake attached to my H80i (plus I have my fan for my psu oriented as intake if that makes a difference)I plan on adding a second fan to the rad but I am not sure whether I should take the fan from the bottom of the case and put it on the H80i or just buy a new one and add another onto the bottom of the case. So here's my question. What orientation should I put my existing and new fans at given the constraint-(Since graphics card is so huge it had to be installed into second pci-e slot so... )top fan installation is not an option.
Thanks for your help in advance!
 
Solution
Rammy
Well your only option for upgrading is to add a 230/200mm fan or go with two 120mm.
Both have some of the issues I mentioned above - in a two 120mm setup the fan nearest to the rear of the case will be nearly entirely blocked by the H80i and probably won't be doing much at all. The front one has the potential to suck in the PSU exhaust in the same way a larger fan does.
My genuine advice would be - don't use a Prodigy M for any build, but as that's not terribly helpful to you, I reckon that a single larger fan is probably the lesser evil. It'll give some width, so it won't be as badly blocked by the poor design. You will likely need to fan-control it though, larger fans can be pretty noisy at full tilt. I use a Spectre Pro 200mm myself...
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SHODAN355

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It seems that you can install an 200mm fan in the bottom. In addition to supplying cool air for the rad, it along with the thermal gradient caused by the hot air from the graphics card will direct air up and over your graphics cards, and out the top vents. (chimney effect I believe its called). Use the existing bottom fan on the rad. That would be my suggestion.
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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The simple answer is that there isn't really a good way to set up a Prodigy M. You can get it to work, but you are constantly fighting against a poor design for cooling.

For your H80i, it should have come with two fans with are variants of the SP120 design - ie specifically designed for radiators/heatsinks. I'd make sure you have both of these attached as they are more useful here than anywhere else. You don't really have any other option than to use the H80i as an exhaust.

The case (I think) comes with the same two Bitfenix Spectre 120mm fans that the ITX version does. These are good if you just need some quiet fans but they don't move a lot of air. Replacing/upgrading these might help a little, but there might be awkward side effects. Firstly, these fans won't really go anywhere - they'll push air from the base of the case across the motherboard which will help with VRM cooling etc, but some of this intake area will be blocked by the H80i coming across horizontally (limiting the effect) and much of the rest will simply be sucked in by the H80i itself. Secondly, bigger fans (like a 200/230mm) are likely to create a low pressure area beneath the case and suck up air being exhausted by the PSU. It's unlikely to wreck performance entirely, but it's really counter-intuitive as you want nice cool air going in (I've heard of people blocking this section underneath with a bit of card to try to reduce the effect).

As you mentioned, you can't use the top vents but this might potentially be a blessing. The only logical way to position fans in this section would be to have them as intakes, pushing air down, as otherwise they will fight with the graphics card fans which have a similar effect. This goes against basic case design/thermodynamics as obviously heat rises and having no clear escape route can lead to a build up of hot air. Having no fans in this area at least means some heat should naturally find it's way out.
 
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Dman8846

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I see what you are saying. Although I do have two static pressure optimized fans (Bitfenix spectre pro LED). I just have the one on the rad and the other on the case.It did come with the two stock fans but TBH I am not going to use those because of their noise and the bland look(besides its not a pain for me to buy better ones).So should I still add a 200/230mm fan to the bottom just to supply more air than is already being brought in. (Another question should I go for two 120mm fans at the bottom?)
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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Well your only option for upgrading is to add a 230/200mm fan or go with two 120mm.
Both have some of the issues I mentioned above - in a two 120mm setup the fan nearest to the rear of the case will be nearly entirely blocked by the H80i and probably won't be doing much at all. The front one has the potential to suck in the PSU exhaust in the same way a larger fan does.
My genuine advice would be - don't use a Prodigy M for any build, but as that's not terribly helpful to you, I reckon that a single larger fan is probably the lesser evil. It'll give some width, so it won't be as badly blocked by the poor design. You will likely need to fan-control it though, larger fans can be pretty noisy at full tilt. I use a Spectre Pro 200mm myself and it's pretty loud.
 
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Dman8846

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Yeah I get that. Do you think it might be a better idea to maybe just leave one fan on the h80i.Under a realistic gaming load (BF4 maxed specifically) the cpu hasn't gotten above 65 degrees Celsius.I am more so worried about the other components getting air. Right now the temps aren't too bad just if it was a hot day in the future or something started overheating that I would be concerned.
 
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Rammy

Rammy

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Case fan needs are pretty exaggerated a lot of the time, or at least poorly advised.
Most cases are good with 2-3 fans to stimulate some movement, and anything you add beyond that is likely to be hit by diminishing returns.

If you aren't pushing any of your components particularly hard then they won't necessarily need huge amounts of cooling.
 
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