NZXT H500 - Airflow setup questions

[avillabon]

I know nothing about airflow so I apologize if these are obvious questions.

1. Can the top fan be an intake instead of an exhaust? If yes, what would be the correct way to set up the rest?
2. Regardless of the question 1 being yes or no do I need extra fans other than the ones the case comes with?
3. I want the pc to be as silent as possible so any specific fan brand/models recommendations would be super helpful

Thanks for your help!

[Jurrunio]

8 minutes ago, avillabon said:

Can the top fan be an intake instead of an exhaust? If yes, what would be the correct way to set up the rest?

yes, other fans should be exhaust then (including the front)

 

8 minutes ago, avillabon said:

Regardless of the question 1 being yes or no do I need extra fans other than the ones the case comes with?

depends on how much heat the components kick out

8 minutes ago, avillabon said:

I want the pc to be as silent as possible

not using an airflow restricting case like the NZXT H500 has a bigger effect than silent fans, so you can use less of them or run them at a lower RPM.

 

8 minutes ago, avillabon said:

any specific fan brand/models recommendations would be super helpful

Fractal Design, Phanteks and Arctic are the best value choices. Be quiet fans aren't more quiet when airflow normalized (i.e. when all fans are tuned to push the same amount of air) but costs more, Noctua has quite a big brand tax so not good for your wallet either. Corsair's RGB system is a closed standard to syncing them with other brands is hard, also their SP fans are terrible. AF fans aren't the best in noise, ML ones are quiet but expensive.

[Agonizel]

Gamers Nexus reviewed the case, they make the deepest and most thorough cases reviews as far as I know.

 

In short, the case works best with a negative airflow setup, so on stock configuration. It is ill advised to ad fans on the front since it will just recirculate warm air inside the chassis.

For silent operation, the Corsair 400q is a good alternative but it has a closed side panel. Be Quiet is usually the way to go I'd say.
I think the Coolermaster H500M or H500 Mesh are options to consider as they only operate 3 fans: 2x 200mm + 1x 140mm - the fans are few, big and don't spin as quickly - which makes the Case quiet considering the amount of airflow it produces.

If you like the design of the NZXT H500, maybe you should consider the NZXT H700 as it produces decent airflow with pretty good decibel numbers

[avillabon]

Thanks everyone. Very helpful