Noctua fan setup for Fractal Design R4

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Tulik

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Hey guys.
It's a rather simple question, but I'll elaborate a bit.

A year ago I bought my PC; Fractal Design R4 w/ Corsair H100i (CPU), and replaced the radiator fans with two Noctua NF-P12 PWM (120mm) in this fashion:
ba8236a411.jpg

I originally planned to replace all case fans, but I didn't have enough funds to do so, and the I just forgot about it, even though the sound of the rest of the fans are pretty annoying (I used the stock fans of the H100i as case fans).
Anyways, now I'm planning to replace the rest, and I wanted to consult with you guys.

According to the little research I've made, the front two should be Noctua NF-A14 FLX (intake), but I can't figure out what to use for the bottom one and the rear one, as they are supposed to exhaust. Which model should I get for these two?

Thanks!
 
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Zerk2012

Zerk2012

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The stock fans that came with the case are a lot better than the corsair ones you used.
And no the bottom fan should be intake.
I would reinstall the original fans and add the same for the 140MM intake to make 2 of them in the front and the bottom fan is really not even needed.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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It is not clear to me if your radiator fans are intake or exhaust.
I would make them exhaust.

For a positive pressure case, you want the strongest fans to be filtered intakes.
Two front 140mm intakes should do that well.

Then, make the top radiator 120mm fans exhausts.
That will not cool the cpu quite as well, but the interior of your case and graphics cards will stay cooler.

I would not install anything else. Possibly a very weak rear exhaust fan to direct the airflow.

If you make the exhaust fans too strong, they will draw in unfiltered air through case openings and negate the front air filtering.
 
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Tulik

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Thanks a lot for the replies guys!

I never said I threw away the stock fans! I used them both for the front for the time being.


I Googled the case and edited in Photoshop to better explain myself:
*note that I've removed the middle drive shelf, for better air flow
319961dd2d.jpg


So the two two Noctuas are the ones I have for the radiator right now, are they no good? D: should I replace them?
The front ones are the NF-A14 you've agreed I should take (I guess?). So for the bottom one, I should get another NF-A14 (intake)? What about the rear one then, if you say it should be something rather weak?

Thanks again guys!
 
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synphul

synphul

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If the nf a-14 will fit as the rear exhaust I would use it or one of the original fractal fans as the rear exhaust instead of the bottom intake. Leave the fans on the radiator, use the 2 nf a14's or if possible go with static pressure fans up front and remove the middle hdd cage if it's not needed to open up airflow. You can always try one of the current fractal fans you have as a bottom intake but not sure it will do much for overall temps. It may help cool the gpu if it's a longer gpu card but may just interrupt airflow coming from the front fans.
 
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Tulik

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Thanks for the reply!

I think you skipped a few sentences, because I already mentioned that the pic is from Google and I already removed the middle drive shelf for better air-flow. Also, I haven't purchased the NF-A14 FLX's yet, I said I would if I should. So if you suggest something else...?
I know you already mentioned a few things, but I think you weren't aware of the things I just mentioned so I don't know if you'd suggest otherwise now.
 
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synphul

synphul

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You're right I did miss that right above the pic you edited. Fractal has some decent fans, worth trying especially since you have them. All I meant was don't go crazy buying a ton of fans if they're not going to help. The two 140's up front along with the rear exhaust and two top exhausting the radiator should be a good mix. If you can control the rear exhaust and front intakes with a fan controller or the motherboard via the bios fan controls even better. The rear exhaust won't have a whole lot of work to do with the radiator fans already exhausting. That's pushing most of the cpu heat directly out, all you need to cool is the motherboard and gpu. If you have enough fans to try out a bottom intake it would be easy enough to try without even mounting the fan. Just set it there and plug it in and monitor your temps. Unplug it and monitor them again to see if it's actually making any improvement overall.

Theory can only go so far and it's far faster and more precise under your particular conditions to try it both ways since you have some fans handy. In your current situation, you have the radiator mounted with the noctuas and replaced the noisier corsairs right? The front and rear are running the fractal fans right now? Is the system still noisy, and if so is it noisy all the time or mostly under load when gaming or other intensive use?
 
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Tulik

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Thanks!
Mmm it is noisy whenever, regardless of when my PC is under load or not. Don't forget that I have the fan controller (of the case), and I usually just leave it at 7V (middle. Top one is 12, bottom one is 5). The thing is that I want a very efficient air-flow, but also a very silent one, which is also why I really don't mind about the expense - so please guys, ignore it when you reply, honestly! I don't mind buying the fans needed! These 2 reasons (the expense and the fact I want a quiet setup) are also the reason I don't want to leave any of these stock fans (not the case fans and not the CPU fans, which all 4 are being used now as case fans, including the Corsair CPU ones)
Maybe I should have made it clearer that I don't mind getting any extra Noctua fans, so my bad!

You suggested to test the temps to figure out the best setup, and it sounds great. But then again, I'm going to have to know which Noctuas to buy before testing all these setups. I mean I've decided to go with 2x NF-A14 FLX for the front ones, leave the 2x NF-P12 PWM for the upper ones, and now I'm going to have to decide on the next two (bottom one and rear one).

Once I figure that out and get the fans, the next thing is to figure out how to partically test the setups. So okay, I try a certain setup and then close the case and turn on my PC, but what then? What should I run (some sort of torture test like Prime95, or anything else in particular) and just to make sure - I need to monitor these temps specifically, right?
fbc8e4bb9a.png


Thanks again!
 
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synphul

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So you're using the corsair fans and the stock case fans all as case fans right now? If so, try unplugging the corsair fans and see if it makes any difference. All fans are going to make some noise, you can't move air at 65-80cfm and not make noise.

Air itself passing over things and coming off the blades themselves will make sound. If I turn my 140mm noctua p14's up to full speed, I can hardly hear the fans. I don't hear the fan motors, but they're very audible as they push a lot of air. Hard to tell since sound a very subjective thing, different people hear different tones and have different sensitivity.

Something else you may try is a more fine tuned fan controller, either digital or rheobus/mechanical. Then you're not stuck at 5v or 7v, you may find the sound faded at 6.5v for a quieter experience. Those silent series r2's are supposed to be pretty quiet though some people mentioned ticking sounds at certain speeds.

If all else fails, try disabling various fans in your current setup to see if it changes the sound. Try just the corsairs or just the fractals. Try them one at a time (won't hurt for a brief testing having lower case circulation). See if one brand is quieter than the other, if one fan is particularly loud out of the bunch. If none of that seems to work, go ahead and order a noctua fan. (or two if you don't care about the price). Try it at various settings and see if it improves the sound/tone. If it's no quieter there's no point in buying more fans. If it is, then you'll know the noctua's you're considering are the ticket.

They might move just a tad less air and don't quite have the same static pressure but the bequiet silent wings 2 move decent air and are nearly silent. Depending on the location they may be difficult to find though.
http://proclockers.com/reviews/cooling/be-quiet-silent-wings-2-140mm-fan-review
 
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Adroid

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Best way to test is to mess around with it yourself, and see what gives the best temperatures.

As a general rule, more intake than exhaust is better, providing a positive intake into the case.

I personally would start with the 2 front intake fans on HIGH, and one rear exhaust on LOW, leaving the radiator on low/medium (maybe put it on "auto" so it will ramp up under load).

I do like noctua alot though. I put one on my CM 212 EVO after the stock fan started failing, and you can tell with the feel alone it's very high quality in comparison.

If you do feel like you have to put a fan in the bottom, it should be INTAKE, not exhaust.
 
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