AIO Liquid Cooler radiator position.

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Retr092

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Jul 16, 2017
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I am thinking of what would be the best way to setup the cooling solutions in my new rig.
This is the rig: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tHfKm8

So there is a high end water cooler; NZXT - Kraken X62, which got 2x 140 mm fans.
What Im thinking of, are there any proven or scientific ways of reaching an optimal airflow and keep it as cool as possible overall, both for the CPU, GPU and the RAM/Motherboard?

From my basic physics and thermodynamics, warm air flows up, and cool air flows down. Therefore it would be logical to not work against this, but indeed brace it.

Meaning, intake from fans at front and bottom, pulling air into the case.
And exhaust, from fans at top and rear, pushing air from inside to outside.

This brings me to a logical choise of having the radiator for the AIO liquid cooler for the cpu as eighter exhaust on top or in the rear. As the radiator will produce heat, it should not be setup as an intake what so ever, as it would not be logical to have something blowing warm air into my case.
Top would probably be most ideal, as the warm air from the underlaying components will be going upwards towards the radiator, and also the heat from the radiator itself, will be pulled through and out of the top of the case.

But how should I set that up, fans underneath the radiator, pushing outwards through the radiator, or on top of the radiator pulling air through it and out?

Seems logical to have air blowing through the radiator, than just "pulling" it through it, as if the fans were sitting on top. Are there any proof of this not beeing of any difference?

Thanks in advice for any ideas and thoughts.
 
Solution
feelinfroggy777
The case depends a lot on dust collection. You only want to use air intake where there are dust covers or filters. For most cases there is a dust filter in the front, and sometimes the bottom and on the PSU. This is where you want your intake fans to be. This is another reason why airflow will be better on the top, because usually there is not a dust filter there and the filter will restrict airflow.

You want to exhaust the air through the vents that do not have dust covers. Typically this is on the top of the case and the back of the case. Heat rises, so it is natural to expel the heat form the top and rear because this is where the heat wants to go.

If you want to keep dust out, get a quality case. The case you picked is...
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feelinfroggy777

feelinfroggy777

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Dec 13, 2016
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Honestly, I would put the radiator where you have the most airflow. Usually the top of the case has better airflow than the front or intake. Additionally, it really does not matter if you want to "push" or "pull". As the radiator will make resistance either way. However, I use a concept called push/pull. Where I have 2 fans pushing on one side of the radiator and 2 fans pulling on the other side of the radiator. This will make up for some of the resistance of the radiator and will provide additional air flow.

But honestly, the 1600x hits a hard wall at 4.1ghz even when you keep it cool. So I would not put too much thought into it. And if you have not purchased this rig yet, I would get the AMD 1600 and skip the cooler (as it comes with a good stock cooler) and use the money saved on 1080 or 1080ti. But thats just my own thoughts.
 
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feelinfroggy777

feelinfroggy777

Glorious
Dec 13, 2016
5,721
135
45,990
The case depends a lot on dust collection. You only want to use air intake where there are dust covers or filters. For most cases there is a dust filter in the front, and sometimes the bottom and on the PSU. This is where you want your intake fans to be. This is another reason why airflow will be better on the top, because usually there is not a dust filter there and the filter will restrict airflow.

You want to exhaust the air through the vents that do not have dust covers. Typically this is on the top of the case and the back of the case. Heat rises, so it is natural to expel the heat form the top and rear because this is where the heat wants to go.

If you want to keep dust out, get a quality case. The case you picked is a good case and has filters in the front and bottom. This is where your intake needs to be. You will get better airflow from the bottom if you remove the HDD cages and store you HDD/SSD on the 5.25" bays.
 
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