Need advice on air flow and watercooling in Phanteks Evolv ATX

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linzheng

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May 27, 2013
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Hi guys,

Just ordered the Phanteks Evolv ATX and Swiftech H240X to place my Silverstone Raven RVZ02 and Big Shuriken 2 because of the noise this configuration generates is unbearable.

After some research, it seems neutral/ a little positive air pressure is the most favorable setup considering cooling capability and dust.
In order to create positive air pressure in this case, the only option I can think of is:
Front: 2 x 140mm pull, Top: H240x pull(dust will buildup in radiator fin, otherwise some custom dust filter?)

One silly option I came up with is to have 1 of the 140mm fan on H240X pull and the other push, is this gonna mess up airflow inside the case, and impact cooling capability?

Any suggestion would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
Lin
 
Solution
geofelt
No, I have not used a big shuriken 2.
One reason it might be loud id that the 120mm fan is not the more efficient 25mm dep.
That means that the fan needs to turn faster which should be the primary reason it is noisy.
Add to that, it is a downdraft type cooler.
That means that your case cooling needs to be a bit better to get all the heat our of the case somewhere.

Dual cards will usually have the top card run hotter.
The reason is that typical fan type coolers on the top card get starved for air which is blocked by the bottom card.
A motherboard with good slot separation will help.
If you buy a second GTX980 for sli, I suggest you buy one with a blower cooler and use it for the top card.

The value of looks is something only YOU can...
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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Having two separate intakes will destroy the positive pressure situation.
My suggestion is to keep the front two as strong intakes and orient the H240X radiator to exhaust.
In addition, you may want to slow down the radiator fans. They are likely more noisy than the cooler they are replacing.
If they are as strong as the front intakes, they will draw in unfiltered air from everywhere..

What cpu needs such aggressive cooling?
I think the case would operate better with a tower type cooler and a single 120 or 140mm fan.
The supplied 140mm rear exhaust should be all you need to direct airflow.
 
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linzheng

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May 27, 2013
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10,510


Thanks for the reply.

H240x seems like the most quiet AIO cooler on the market and quieter than most . The reason I want watercooling instead of tower fan like Noctua N14(very efficient and quiet) I have on my sim rig is I will run SLI 980s in the near future, and I want to make sure sufficient sapce is left for air to flow.

CPU is 6700K(not overclocked at the moment)


 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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Remember that liquid cooling is really air cooling.
The only difference is where the radiator is located.

Skylake does not need much cooling.
When new, I tested my 6600K @4.8 using a noctua downdraft NH-L12, not so different than your big shuriken.
I had a NH-D14 on hand which I was going to use, but I decided I did not need such a huge cooler. A single 120mm fan nh-U12s does the job just fine.
You will likely find that a single GTX980ti is all you need.
sli GTX980 will give you better benchmarks, but likely not as smooth gameplay.
Regardless, the graphics cards is where your heat problem will arise, more so than the cpu.
As a suggestion, particularly if you use dual cards is to buy cards with direct exhaust blower coolers to get the heat directly out the back of the case.
 
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linzheng

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May 27, 2013
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Have you used a Big Shriken 2 yourself? If not, you don't know how loud it is even when idle. But it could be the design of the case.
One of the other reason I want to watercool the CPU is for the clean look through the window.

You are absolutely right on the video card.
On my sim rig, I have 4790k with nh-d14 and 2 x GTX970 in a NZXT Phantom 510 case. The whole things runs perfectly silent when idle/ not under load. But the only problem is temperature on top card when under load(top near 90, bottom around 70).
Reason I say 980s sli is I currently have 1 980 in this PC, I thought I might be easier to source another second hand than selling the 980 and get a 980 ti.

Not sure if anyone has done this before. If I drill a hole/grill at the bottom of the case under drive cage and mount a intake fan there with a filter, is this gonna help?
 
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geofelt

geofelt

Titan
Oct 9, 2006
54,366
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174,240
No, I have not used a big shuriken 2.
One reason it might be loud id that the 120mm fan is not the more efficient 25mm dep.
That means that the fan needs to turn faster which should be the primary reason it is noisy.
Add to that, it is a downdraft type cooler.
That means that your case cooling needs to be a bit better to get all the heat our of the case somewhere.

Dual cards will usually have the top card run hotter.
The reason is that typical fan type coolers on the top card get starved for air which is blocked by the bottom card.
A motherboard with good slot separation will help.
If you buy a second GTX980 for sli, I suggest you buy one with a blower cooler and use it for the top card.

The value of looks is something only YOU can determine.
For me, "pretty is as pretty does"

The problem with a second air intake is that it will tend to draw in unfiltered air from somewhere. That reduces the cleaning effect of a positive pressure airflow.

If you value quiet, buy a noctua NH-U12s. It is relatively compact and will not obscure your window.

If you still want water cooling, I suggest a unit with a 120mm fan and radiator.
Mount it as an exhaust in the rear. It will provide sufficient cooling and the exhaust will serve to direct the primary airflow through the case and over your motherboard.

Think about balance in airflow.
Here is one approximate methodology.
Relatively speaking...
Your cpu needs about a 120mm fan somewhere for cooling. That is 36 x Pi squared for intake area.
A GTX980 with a blower intake will typically have a 90mm blower intake. Fan type coolers will be a bit more.
That is about 20 x pi each for intake A total intake area of 76 x pi for intake.
A 140mm front intake fan is 49 x pi each for a total intake capability of 98 which is more than the demand for your parts.

Thinking more about this, A GTX980ti superclock with a titan blower cooler would be one heck of a lot cooler and will likely give you better gameplay. I had that decision for a graphics card upgrade when I had a GTX780 installed. I opted for the GTX980ti and have never regretted it.

I would not try to mod the case.
Buy a better case instead.
 
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