Optimal fan configuration for my case.

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_danielpwils01

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Title pretty much says it. I am looking for the optimal configuration of fans to give me the best airflow and temperatures, based on this case:

https://www.amazon.com/DIYPC-Silence-BK-Window-Black-Silent-Computer/dp/B06XKPSZ5D

What would be the optimal fan configuration to reduce temperatures and minimize dust buildup (including which fans would be AF and SP), as well as where to place a 240mm radiator for an AIO cooler? Only restriction is that the radiator can't be mounted on top due to RAM interference. Any information or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
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jimmysmitty
Does the front have HDD trays? If not 240 in the front pulling air in and top and rear pulling air out.

If so then you might have issues mounting the 240 in the front.
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_danielpwils01

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No Hard Drive trays in front, so I should have no problems mounting the radiator. A couple more questions. Should I mount the fans in front of the radiator, pushing the air through it, or behind the radiator, pulling air through it? And should those fans me static pressure or air flow?

 
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_danielpwils01

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I am getting the CoolerMaster MasterLiquid 240. Just need it to cool my 6600k, as my 212 EVO wasn't quite cutting it. Also, if I only have 2 intake and 3 exhaust, wont that result in negative pressure, allowing more dust buildup?
 
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jimmysmitty

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It depends on how much air the intake fans put in vs what the outtake fans put out. If the combined CFM of the intake is greater than whats being put out it will create positive pressure.

I have the Corsair 570X with three front intake fans, two on top and one rear. The two on top are pulling air out through my H100i CLC. I almost never get dust build up, maybe a very thin layer, and I live in Phoenix which is super dusty. So dusty that we have gotten Haboobs before.
 
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_danielpwils01

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Awesome. So just to sum things up, radiator acting as intake in the front with two SP 120mm fans taking in air and blowing it behind and through the radiator, into the case. Then 3 exhaust fans, 2 on top and 1 in the back, set to a lower RPM to create a neutral/positive airflow to minimize dust. Would it be a good idea to replace the stock radiator fans with some aftermarket SP Corsair fans?
 
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jimmysmitty

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If it was me I would swap to either Corsair SP fans or if you like another high SP fan go for it. Stock fans are normally louder or not as good as after market fans.
 
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_danielpwils01

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So you believe that the stock fans that come with the CM Cooler would be better than Corsair SP fans?

 
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Karadjgne

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Yep. Fans are usually matched to the item according to build. The better cases have better fans, better coolers, gpus etc the same. Or vice-versa. Cheap will mean crap fans. That CM aio is quite decent for its price, holding its own vrs some larger coolers.

You can always experiment. Swap the stock fans for the SP's you are adding to the case. See how they perform before buying more.
 
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jimmysmitty

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Just to be fair the SP120 fans will push more air through the radiator. Here are the specs for both:

The stock fans:

RPM: 500-2000 RPM
Air Pressure: 2.34 mm H20 (Max)
Air Flow: 66.7CFM (max)
Noise: 6-30 dBA

SP120

RPM: 250 - 2350 RPM
Air Pressure: 3.1 mm H20
Air Flow: 62.74CFM
Noise 6-35 dBA

They are very close but the SP120s will push better through a radiator (the Air Pressure tells you this)

Up to you. The noise difference is negligible in most cases depending on you.
 
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Karadjgne

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Heh. Just to be fair, Mebe not. Sp isn't really a standard that can be taken as gospel. It's the distance a fan will move a liquid across a surface. The problem lies with inconsistencies of testing. One company can be blowing tap water across a glass surface, another blowing purified, ionized water across acrylic. This ends up in different results. It's OK to compare the same brands as they'll be tested in the same manner, but different brands will test under different circumstances.

Also you must take into consideration cone angle. The Noctua NF-F12 has a directed flow, all the air output comes pretty much 90° from the fan, so goes through a radiator with little to no turbulence or resistance. Other fans can have as much as a 150° cone, so create huge amounts of turbulence and resistance, mitigating a fair amount of SP ability. The air literally hits the radiator fins almost sideways. SP is best used with tightly packed fins, pretty much a requirement over cfm, but with most aio rads, the fins are spaced far enough apart that cfm can also play a decent role.

And then there's fan blades and associated curves. Some fans are slow to develop SP until higher speeds are reached, other fans have a more gradual curve, so statistically will have higher SP at lower speeds, simply due to blade design. A Delta 8k fan has a huge amount of SP at rated speeds, but at 1000rpm or less has almost none, whereas a more dedicated SP design has much higher SP at 500rpm.

All in all, SP is mainly an indicator of possible ability, the specific numbers need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Best bet is read. There's plenty of reviews, reports, forums that will have info on specific fans, like 'the stock fans were great' or 'the replacement fans sucked compared to my old ones' etc.
 
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