Trying to optimize fan setup

[calarahil]

I'm considering how to go about making my cooling situation for my system better I'll place my setup below. My idea is to move my NF-A14's to to top of my case I have room for 2 and perhaps either get a NF-F12 or A12-25 so that I have 3 on the front door of my case. I would like to maintain my setup with only Noctua fans if all possible. Any feedback would be welcome. 

 

 

Intel i9 9900k 

Fractal Design R6

Noctua ND-15 w/ stock NF-A15 fan

G Skill Trident 16GB (8x2) DDR4 3600 

Gigabyte Z390 Auros Ultra 

1x Samsung 950 pro 256 GB NVME

1x Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500 GB

1x Samsung 860 EVO SSD 1 TB

ASUS GTX 980 STRIX (waiting on RTX 3000 series)

ASUS Essense STX 

 

Fans

Top Fans: 2x Noctua NF-F12

Back Fan: 1x Noctua NF-A14 FLX 

Front Fans: 2x Noctua NF-A14 FLX

[Demonic Donut]

I can't tell exactly where the fans would mount from pictures, but if the top fan towards the front is far forward enough, perhaps make it an intake to blow into the D15?

 

With my case having side intake points, my top fans do very little for temps, but if I didn't is imagine they would help more.

 

How restrictive is the front panel? Maxing intake fans, especially with a restrictive case, will help cooling. I always recommend balancing flow. Not necessarily with equal numbers of in/out fans but at least try to balance. For example if your intakes are filtered, run three intake fans and two exhaust etc.

 

Are your temps pictured at load or idle?

[LogicalDrm]

What is it exactly that you are trying to achieve? Like better temps? And if that, to GPU or to CPU? Or both?

 

Easy fix would be to remove water glass inside the case. /jk

[calarahil]

10 minutes ago, LogicalDrm said:

What is it exactly that you are trying to achieve? Like better temps? And if that, to GPU or to CPU? Or both?

 

Easy fix would be to remove water glass inside the case. /jk

Trying to just min max system stability. Top fans are pushing out air and the back fan to. Front fans are pushing air in. Gpu I'm not super concerned with my 980 is aged and I've already done a thermal re apply/cleaning.

 

Shoot if only the removing the glass part. Wish case manufacturers would go back to side glass fans. Cooler master put 200 mm fans on the side. 

[LogicalDrm]

1 minute ago, calarahil said:

Trying to just min max system stability. Top fans are pushing out air and the back fan to. Front fans are pushing air in. Gpu I'm not super concerned with my 980 is aged and I've already done a thermal re apply/cleaning.

I don't think moving fans around will change that. You already have good overall setup. While having higher CFM fans as intakes would be best way to do things.

[calarahil]

10 hours ago, Demonic Donut said:

I can't tell exactly where the fans would mount from pictures, but if the top fan towards the front is far forward enough, perhaps make it an intake to blow into the D15?

 

With my case having side intake points, my top fans do very little for temps, but if I didn't is imagine they would help more.

 

How restrictive is the front panel? Maxing intake fans, especially with a restrictive case, will help cooling. I always recommend balancing flow. Not necessarily with equal numbers of in/out fans but at least try to balance. For example if your intakes are filtered, run three intake fans and two exhaust etc.

 

Are your temps pictured at load or idle?

The D15 fans are pushing out. And then front fans are pushing air into the case. It's not super restrictive but there isn't mesh on the design cases to breath. That part I'm ok with it's there to push air and not be an intake. I may just leave it as is noctua fans have gotten more expensive then I remember.

[Demonic Donut]

2 hours ago, calarahil said:

The D15 fans are pushing out. And then front fans are pushing air into the case. It's not super restrictive but there isn't mesh on the design cases to breath. That part I'm ok with it's there to push air and not be an intake. I may just leave it as is noctua fans have gotten more expensive then I remember.

If you can stand mismatch colors give the redux line a shot. I've had good luck with them. And you can use your extra accessories that you already have, like the rubber corners. I can't see the inside of my case, so it doesn't bother me to not match colors.

 

You probably won't get *much* better temps with more fans. You could try rearranging what you have if you feel like tinkering. If I was going to play with it, I'd put one top fan as an intake in front of the D15. Right now you are pulling air out of the top of the case, which *could* be sucking some air from the GPU up to the CPU, because fresh air from the front is being directly exhausted out of the top. Not sure where I'd place the other top fan though. Pushing more air towards the GPU would be my main goal, as that's what I've found always runs the hottest. I don't utilize any PCI slots below my GPU since I went wired internet, and have been debating trying to stuff another fan below the GPU as exhaust.

[Jeppes]

Most likely optimal setup is 2x intake from front, 1x intake bottom, 1x exhaust from back and top back slots.