NH-D15: bottom-to-top or right-to-left

[bse]

Hi!

 

My old PC had huge airflow / cooling problems, especially related to my gfx card. So before upgrading my system, I decided to get everything else right. Right now I got a 4690k + GTX 970 Windforce.

I upgraded to a Lian Li Lancool 2 Mesh Performance case, 7 Noctua case fans + NH-D15, and went for a fanless Seasonic 600W Titanium PSU. Current fan layout in the diagram.

 

To cut things short: It is a tremendous success over my old system. Instead of my rusty GPU throttling from 1300 MHz to 1100 MHz @ 80C, it runs now at 70C full speed. CPU is much cooler as well.

 

I am just wondering: Should I rotate the NH-D15 90 degrees, to exhaust through the top?

 

Thanks for any hints and other ideas!

[Uptivuptiz]

I think you should keep it as it is now. The 2 bottom fans will supply air to the GPU and the 2 front fans will transport air to the D15. Optimal setup in my mind.

[CommanderAlex]

I wouldn't notice any differences in temperature between the two mounting options; flow from front to rear of case or flow from bottom to top of case. Also, if you do want to mount it from bottom to top as you are inquiring about, you would probably have to move the graphics card down a slot as there is not enough room between the huge heatsink the NH-D15 is to allow for proper airflow. 

 

Overall, I wouldn't worry about it as long as you are using a quality thermal paste and dust on a regular basis. 

[Kilrah]

I have my D14 mounted to exhaust up since my case has a tiny outlet at the back while the top is completely open, but I have an HEDT platform where I can put the GPU in a 3rd slot further down and have full speed plus space between GPU and intake fan (putting it with vertical flow will completely obstruct the first slot and in the 2nd the GPU would basically touch the fan). 

 

On a conventional platform depending on your mobo that would either downgrade GPU to x8 or even worse connect it to the chipset which wouldn't be an option.

 

BTW you should put a piece of cardboard bewteen your GPU and the Noctua, since your GPU has no backplate this is dangerously likely to touch and cause shorts.

[freeagent]

Case flow should always be front to back, unless it wasn't designed that way, like certain Silverstone and lian li cases. Your cooler should also be flowing front to back. Unless you want to feed it your nice warm GPU heat.

[bse]

Appreciate your input guys!

And thanks a lot for the cardboard hint, makes perfect sense!

[narrdarr]

Rear fan should be adjusted down to be more inline with cpu cooler fans

Fan in top front i would remove. its going to pull fresh air out of the system from the front top fan when you want as much of the fresh air going to the cpu.

Fan on the psu should be facing the bottom of the case.

 

As stated before air flow from front to back is fine, but i really do believe that a reversed air flow config would also work really well as the heat from the gpu wouldn't have to interact with the cpu cooler. example:

 

Feel free to play around and see what works best for you.

 

Food for thought ( i recognize your build is complete, but...)

cable management list

• Cpu cooler the first fan could be rotated so the cable isn't showing or rotate the second show the cable show too.
• The EPS cable (the power cable that connect to the top left of the motherboard) should go behind the motherboard tray and come down from the top.
• Both the 24 pin and gpu power cables can be routed on the other side of the cable cover.
• Gpu power connectors looks like it 8+6. if you switch the power connector around so the first connector is the 8 pin and second is the 6 pin you can tie back the extra 2 pin with a zip tie or a twist tie.
• When finished if you can zip tie the cables coming out of the psu down flat it will help with air flow too.

[bse]

When I took the picture I wasn't done cable managing, hadn't yet secured the PSU, front panel cabling still dangling. Some of the defects you mention in cable management still exist, though, so thanks for the input! This is my first case that offers proper cable managment options, obviously I'm having a hard time utilizing those properly.

 

I really hope I'll not be too lazy to try out your fan layout solution. It looks very interesting. I feel like the current solution should do better in terms of pure GPU stress testing, while yours should do better for all other cases, i.e. pure CPU stress test, and CPU+GPU stress test. Where the CPU+GPU case is the most important one, unless the GPU comes with really poor cooling (I am seriously considering getting that horrible piece of trash thing from "Silence your Gaming PC with THIS" video, because GPU coolers are just so bad).

[narrdarr]

15 minutes ago, bse said:

When I took the picture I wasn't done cable managing, hadn't yet secured the PSU, front panel cabling still dangling. Some of the defects you mention in cable management still exist, though, so thanks for the input! This is my first case that offers proper cable managment options, obviously I'm having a hard time utilizing those properly.

 

I really hope I'll not be too lazy to try out your fan layout solution. It looks very interesting. I feel like the current solution should do better in terms of pure GPU stress testing, while yours should do better for all other cases, i.e. pure CPU stress test, and CPU+GPU stress test. Where the CPU+GPU case is the most important one, unless the GPU comes with really poor cooling (I am seriously considering getting that horrible piece of trash thing from "Silence your Gaming PC with THIS" video, because GPU coolers are just so bad).

Yea I figured you weren't done. Just thought it might be helpful before you were completed. 

I also forgot that your case has an opening on the psu shroud for the GPU power cables to go through.

 

As far pure GPU stress testing I bet there will zero deference with either config as the GPU will be getting tons of fresh air either way. The config is more about how the hot air in the system will be handled. 

 

 

When it comes to better cooling the GPU. Those Morpheus cooler are really good just not for the price. And you need a better way to cool memory and mosfets. But if price itnt as issure get one. With larger GPU heat sinks like your it's much cheap and more effective to zip tie 2x 120mm static pressure fans to the OG GPU heatsink. If you do it well it can look really good. The gains in cooling are super good.( I nevered bothered looking but maybe someone sells fan to GPU heatsink clip. If no does I might I have found a new business venture. )

 

 

Dont worry about being lazy. If temp are in check then it doesn't matter. 

[Fuzzyy]

3 hours ago, narrdarr said:

Rear fan should be adjusted down to be more inline with cpu cooler fans

Fan in top front i would remove. its going to pull fresh air out of the system from the front top fan when you want as much of the fresh air going to the cpu.

Fan on the psu should be facing the bottom of the case.

 

As stated before air flow from front to back is fine, but i really do believe that a reversed air flow config would also work really well as the heat from the gpu wouldn't have to interact with the cpu cooler. example:

 

Feel free to play around and see what works best for you.

 

Food for thought ( i recognize your build is complete, but...)

cable management list

• Cpu cooler the first fan could be rotated so the cable isn't showing or rotate the second show the cable show too.
• The EPS cable (the power cable that connect to the top left of the motherboard) should go behind the motherboard tray and come down from the top.
• Both the 24 pin and gpu power cables can be routed on the other side of the cable cover.
• Gpu power connectors looks like it 8+6. if you switch the power connector around so the first connector is the 8 pin and second is the 6 pin you can tie back the extra 2 pin with a zip tie or a twist tie.
• When finished if you can zip tie the cables coming out of the psu down flat it will help with air flow too.

With this setup, you will get higher VRM temps. If you use the physical properties of air, it would easier to cool. By easier, I mean fans will work less resulting in a quieter system. Hot air rises, and you intake the air from top, the hot air will stay in the case more finding its way out. However, set those 2 top fans exhaust and it will be fine.

Also use dust filters if you are going to intake from the rear(if you mind dust).

 

[Demonic Donut]

I use a similar setup to what you currently have. I did notice that when I had a heavy GPU load, my CPU temps would climb. I flipped my top front fan from exhaust to intake and it reduced CPU temp by about 5C when the GPU is under full load.

 

Hot air from the GPU gets pulled up by the exhaust fans on the top of the case, which feeds that hot air into the D15. If you flip the top fan in front of the D15, it'll get fresh air all the time.

 

Doing this didn't affect my GPU temps at all, only lowered my CPU.

[bse]

Oh boy, I have a lot of testing ahead of me Thanks for all the ideas!

[freeagent]

The way I have my old Define R4 set up:

 

Bottom is intake 140x26 feeds GPU

2x front are intake 120x38

Top front is intake 120x38 feeds CPU

Top rear is exhaust 120x38
Rear is exhaust 120x38

Bottom rear pcie under the GPU has a 92x35 exhausting. I have a Meshify C as well, but can’t use it since my P8Z77-V died, bought an eatx board so had to move back to the R4.
 

Also bought a new car so no car payment now I can save for a new pc lol.

 

 

[narrdarr]

11 hours ago, Fuzzyy said:

With this setup, you will get higher VRM temps. If you use the physical properties of air, it would easier to cool. By easier, I mean fans will work less resulting in a quieter system. Hot air rises, and you intake the air from top, the hot air will stay in the case more finding its way out. However, set those 2 top fans exhaust and it will be fine.

Also use dust filters if you are going to intake from the rear(if you mind dust).

 

Uhm hot air rising. That's called convection. There is no convection happening here. Cold air, hot air, it doesn't matter, it goes where you tell it to go. And the front exhaust is far enough away that the hot wouldn't be recycled. As for vmr temp highly unlikely.

[Fuzzyy]

5 hours ago, narrdarr said:

Uhm hot air raising. That's called convection. There is no convection happening here. Cold air, hot air, it doesn't matter, it goes where you tell it to go. And the front exhaust is far enough away that the hot wouldn't be recycled. As for vmr temp highly unlikely.

There is always convection happening in a running system. When air touches the VRM heatsink, it gets warmer than before, resulting in convection(very minimal but still there). Sure, you can "tell" it where to go, but you can't tell it not to go upwards right? It wants to go upwards whether you direct them with fans or not. But If you tell the air to go upwards and it wants to move upwards, it will be easier(low RPM therefore low fan noise). The results are very close to each other in my testing(2-3 degrees Celcius, same fan rpm), but is right to do it this way imo.

[Kilrah]

4 minutes ago, Fuzzyy said:

When air touches the VRM heatsink, it gets warmer than before, resulting in convection(very minimal but still there). Sure, you can "tell" it where to go, but you can't tell it not to go upwards right? It will go upwards whether you direct them with fans or not

The natural upwards movements is completely negligible compared to the fans' airflow even at low speed. It's there indeed, but as you say it's very minimal and just irrelevant.