Can you build a computer without case fans?

[yaoiboimi]

If you have all liquid cooling, does it matter if you have case fans, or is airflow still needed?

 

[yadge]

I think some airflow would definitely be nice, just to make sure the hard drives stay cool and everything.

Unless you really mean you watercooled everything, like the hard drives, ram, processor, north bridge, south bridge, video card, and all that. But even if so, it would be good to have at least on fan for everything else on the motherboard that can't be watercooled.

 

[phreejak]

Yes, airflow is still needed. Liquid cooling won't cool ALL the components that need cooling. While your o'clocking tendencies may influence what components are to be in the cooling loop, there are always going to be components that you don't include or there aren't waterblocks for.

CPU
Mosfets for the CPU
GPU
Mosfets for the GPU
Northbridge
Southbridge
Hard drives
Assorted add-on cards that might have parts that require cooling
etc.

Many of these use heatsinks that require some form of airflow

You get the picture

 

[eklipz330]

just get some low db fans, so you won't hear them, alittle moving air never hurts, and keeps the dust from settling too fast

 

[dobby]

yup if youve got the moeny for Water cooling then a noctua 120mm fan wont be audiable over your driver and PSU.

or better yet scythe make a fan which has a 4pin PWM connecter, which mean you could set it to come on only when thing hot up.

 

[rubix_1011]

I have watercooling...CPU, NB, GPU...I have 10 120mm case fans. 6 of them on are on the radiators alone...those things really don't cool themselves. Plus, like Phreejak said, you still have HD's, mosfets and chipset coolers that need love, too.

 

[kaboooom2000uk]

you could effectivly design a case that is in essance a alumimum box, sealed and have it filled with oil. This will alllow you to use the oil to transfer the heat to the outside faces of the case, and with high efficency as well.

I dont think you would need a fan for this design as the surface area of the case would be sufficently large to cool via nautural convection.

You would probaly need to use external optical drives or solid state hard drives for this. as they may be effected by the oil. A little creativity will be needed when making the case.

 

[Guest]

1.Buy two 120 fans(if you don't have any) they're cheap*
2.Run system with Fans/Without
3.Compare TEMPS at Idle-FULL-load.
Should be no problem to figure out the need of fans than...

 

[V3NOM]

i don't have liquid cooling; i do have a cpu, gpu and psu fans however i have no case fans atm my rig sucks....cant even call it that anyway and yeah it functions fine except when i attempt to crysis... no jk i havent even bothered to try