Vertical Mount GPU slot used for blower style exhaust

[Tristerin]

I love tinkering with airflow, just lighting the incense to watch the smoke gives me this zen feeling.  Anyways - Im thinking about trying this, but before I make the minor investment or spend the time doing it, curious if others have done this and what results, if any, you had and if this is worth my time.  My case itself is the Cooler Master HAF XM which I plan to keep until it just doesn't function - its my favorite case of all time.  However, I saw a picture a while back of someone using a blower next to the GPU's in the vertical GPU slot. 

 

My first thought was, nope, sound.  I hate the sound of ye' ol' woosh woosh. 

 

So I got to looking around and apparently there are blower style fans that are supposedly quiet.  Now I know they make brands (ANTEC cyclone etc) of these slotted GPU coolers/exhausts but usually they are just plain old blowers with the high CFM (and dBA) you would expect out of any old blower fan.

 

So here is what Im currently looking at (and would have to mod a bracket on etc):

https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-MULTIFAN-Control-Receiver/dp/B012CL2V3I

 

@ 35 CFM = 17 dBA (and the reviews are giving me the feel goods on the sound level)

 

Compared to the ANTEC Cyclone (purely dBA levels Im talking here, though CFM is an important second here):

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA5B57861736&Description=blower fan&cm_re=blower_fan-_-9SIA5B57861736-_-Product

 

@ 37.5 CFM = 39 dBA

 

Are there any recommendations?  Anyone with experience with this?  Am I wasting my time (from your testimony of use, i.e. no results to talk about)?  Currently I run crossfire, and that (or SLI) is never out of the equation in the future (will keep the case as long as I can) and my top GPU is always about 15-20c higher than bottom GPU (have 200mm side intake pointing at the rear side half of the cards) when running in Crossfire mode.  I was thinking this would add a huge pull of air AWAY from the GPU's so that it wasn't "re-spinning" the hot air as much as possible.

 

Point out the flaws!  Or give me some pointers please!

 

 

 

[WoodenMarker]

I don't have any personal experience with it but it looks alright from the amazon reviews.

Are you using a fan at the side panel mount? 

[Tristerin]

10 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

I don't have any personal experience with it but it looks alright from the amazon reviews.

Are you using a fan at the side panel mount? 

I have a 200mm fan as intake on the side but its hitting only back half of the GPUs, I could place 2 140mm instead and cover more of the GPU but less CFM more noise   I was looking at the slot, for myself I would only use it with an FE card (but sound) and thinking of what I could do with it to improve airflow using it was all

[WoodenMarker]

2 minutes ago, Tristerin said:

I have a 200mm fan as intake on the side but its hitting only back half of the GPUs, I could place 2 140mm instead and cover more of the GPU but less CFM more noise   I was looking at the slot, for myself I would only use it with an FE card (but sound) and thinking of what I could do with it to improve airflow using it was all

Have you tried flipping it to exhaust to see if it works better?

[Tristerin]

4 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

Have you tried flipping it to exhaust to see if it works better?

Yup, my top mounted AIO is less effective

 

EDIT - clicked to soon - prime 95 with my FX 8350 for 1 hour yields 50c max CPU temps, iirc with it as exhaust it was 60c with the same settings and had to turn up AIO big time (dBA increase) to keep them lower

[Tristerin]

Current setup after 1 hour of rounds of Overwatch epic settings(game crossfires very well):
CPU 39c

GPU0 60c

GPU1 49c

 

Was looking at a way to help GPU0 to be more specific

[WoodenMarker]

1 hour ago, Tristerin said:

Current setup after 1 hour of rounds of Overwatch epic settings(game crossfires very well):
CPU 39c

GPU0 60c

GPU1 49c

Was looking at a way to help GPU0 to be more specific

Those are very low temps. You're probably already experiencing diminishing returns with cooling.

[Tristerin]

8 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

Those are very low temps. You're probably already experiencing diminishing returns with cooling.

Agreed - Ive put in a lot of time (and own QUITE a few varying size fans of brands, CFM, dBA to get it as quiet and cool as possible @ 21c room ambient temp).  I could probably decrease GPU0 if I got a larger crossfire bridge and moved my bottom GPU down a slot, so the cost of trying this fan mount and doing that is about the same.  My hardware is old and very much at the end of its lifecycle, but I do enjoy this process as well (which is likely the actual reason I care to ask the question lol)