Amateur Questions related to fans, fan mounting, fan setup (Noctua Only), all suggestions are welcome though.

[Orian Pax]

i have spent 6 months on this.

context -

no money limitation!

i am planning on a build while waiting for zen 4 (more specifically drr5 rams with rtx 40 series or it's gpu rivals, i believe 30 series is still not mature enough, it feels like NVIDIA did same mistake AMD did with zen 2 but on purpose!).
and i have already fixed some parts which i am going to use in the build -
Case - Meshify 2 xl

Psu - Corsair 1600axi

Fans - Noctua nf-a12x25 for 360mm rad.
(yes i will be putting rad inside the case on top side, for those who don't know arctic has increased their warranty from 3 to 6 years!)

Fan configuration - front pull, top and back push out
___________________________________________  

Questions -
1) should i also opt nf-a12x25s for intake in front or there 140mm fans are better for intake (plz keep in mind this meshify front comes with nylon filter too)
the case i am talking about - https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/meshify/meshify-2-xl-dark-tempered-glass/black/

it's manual - https://www.fractal-design.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Meshify_2_XL_Manual-v.1-2020-05-13.pdf

it's product sheet - https://www.fractal-design.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Meshify-2-XL-_Product-Sheet_EN.pdf

in short, " which is better 4xNF-a12*25 pwm or 3xNF-a14 for intake? "

____________________________________________________________

 

 

 

2) how does one control fan speed (in this case noctua's nf-a12x25 pwm) can i control there speed using software? (i want to control their speed individually)
[i don't want to be limited to only 1700 and 2000 rpm modes]

darn it blackout here, will update soon.

edit* (after the blackout)
no money limitation! share with me all the suggestions/info you have - i just want performance (but not too much noise either)

__________________________________________________________

 

 

 

o Radiator and Fans
3)  if i want to use 420-arctic freezer ii
     a) should i change fans on radiator with NF-a12x25s or with nf-a14-pwm? ,yes i am definitely going to change which come with arctic!

         two cases, which fans win in each case?
                 a1) full speed of fans at all times
                 a2) fan speed locked at 75%

*Remember the fans will be mounted on radiator and will be used as exhaust, radiator will be placed at top.

fans used in this case -

https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a12x25-pwm

https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a14-pwm

{your answers/replies will decide whether i would go with 360 or 420 version of arctic freezer}

x-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x

 

 

If I had to build now i would go with following parts -

cpu - 5900x or 5950x

motherboard - tch........ now that's the main problem here but most definitely ASUS DARK HERO
                      

gpu - a6000 or 3080 or 3090 (i think 3090 need more optimization, drivers and games, it's gddr6x memory sure is enticing) yeah..... it's not possible.... since out of stock!

ram - 32 or 64 gb from g.skill or corsair clocked at 3600mhz cl-14 or cl-16 (honestly i am searching for samsung b-die versions)
psu - corsair's 1600axi

hdd - i want 20tb free storage so i would try to get 25tb storage sata not sas (i would mostly like go with multiple exos drives here)

ssd - Two Nvme drives each with 2tb storage

         Two ssds (optional)
         longevity is what i want,it's undecided on which i am gonna use.

case - meshify 2 xl (since is has more options when it comes to upgrading in future..... i guess )
aio - arctic freezer ii 360 or 420

cables from cablemod (although i would have to check if they are available here in INDIA, i really want some good replacement cables for psu, not extension)

 Kind of like this ,

To open this reddit link i guess you will have to RIGHT CLICK and OPEN IN NEW TAB

 

or you can just search

Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL: Storage Layout reddit (12 days old post, 18 comments)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your help.

----- yours faithfully Orian Pax

 

[OCNewbee]

7 minutes ago, Orian Pax said:

1) should i also opt nf-a12x25s for intake in front or there 140mm fans are better for intake (plz keep in mind this meshify front comes with nylon filter too)

noctua fans are usually quieter. If you do not care about money, go with noctua 140mm (if it fits). This will be the slightly more quieter option.

From a cost perspective, I think the stock fans should be fine. 

All in all, I think the stock fans are fine since this case has a strong airflow.

9 minutes ago, Orian Pax said:

2) how does one control fan speed (in this case noctua's nf-a12x25 pwm) can i control there speed using software?

there are two ways: cheap way and the expensive way.

 

Cheap way

if you have enough pwm fan headers on your motherboard, the fan curves of the individual pwm fans can be set with speedfan.

 

expensive way

 if you do not have many pwm fan headers, use corsair commander pro. You can individualize each pwm fan curve.

[narrdarr]

to give a real answer  we need to know more about the specs. yes I know you are planning for a future release, but is it high end or mid range? is this a custom loop or aio? ect

...

[Orian Pax]

6 hours ago, narrdarr said:

to give a real answer  we need to know more about the specs. yes I know you are planning for a future release, but is it high end or mid range? is this a custom loop or aio? ect

...

yes sir!
done with updating topic and specs plz check, thanks for help

 

8 hours ago, Orian Pax said:

context -

no money limitation!

i am planning on a build while waiting for zen 4 (more specifically drr5 rams with rtx 40 series or it's gpu rivals, i believe 30 series is still not mature enough, it feels like NVIDIA did same mistake AMD did with zen 2 but on purpose!).
and i have already fixed some parts which i am going to use in the build -
Case - Meshify 2 xl

Psu - Corsair 1600axi

Fans - Noctua nf-a12x25 for 360mm rad.
(yes i will be putting rad inside the case on top side, for those who don't know arctic has increased their warranty from 3 to 6 years!)

Fan configuration - front pull, top and back push out
___________________________________________  

Questions -
1) should i also opt nf-a12x25s for intake in front or there 140mm fans are better for intake (plz keep in mind this meshify front comes with nylon filter too)
the case i am talking about - https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/meshify/meshify-2-xl-dark-tempered-glass/black/

it's manual - https://www.fractal-design.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Meshify_2_XL_Manual-v.1-2020-05-13.pdf

it's product sheet - https://www.fractal-design.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Meshify-2-XL-_Product-Sheet_EN.pdf

in short, " which is better 4xNF-a12*25 pwm or 3xNF-a14 for intake? "

____________________________________________________________

 

 

 

2) how does one control fan speed (in this case noctua's nf-a12x25 pwm) can i control there speed using software? (i want to control their speed individually)
[i don't want to be limited to only 1700 and 2000 rpm modes]

darn it blackout here, will update soon.

edit* (after the blackout)
no money limitation! share with me all the suggestions/info you have - i just want performance (but not too much noise either)

__________________________________________________________

 

 

 

o Radiator and Fans
3)  if i want to use 420-arctic freezer ii
     a) should i change fans on radiator with NF-a12x25s or with nf-a14-pwm? ,yes i am definitely going to change which come with arctic!

         two cases, which fans win in each case?
                 a1) full speed of fans at all times
                 a2) fan speed locked at 75%

*Remember the fans will be mounted on radiator and will be used as exhaust, radiator will be placed at top.

fans used in this case -

https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a12x25-pwm

https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a14-pwm

{your answers/replies will decide whether i would go with 360 or 420 version of arctic freezer}

x-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x

 

 

If I had to build now i would go with following parts -

cpu - 5900x or 5950x

motherboard - tch........ now that's the main problem here but most definitely ASUS DARK HERO
                      

gpu - a6000 or 3080 or 3090 (i think 3090 need more optimization, drivers and games, it's gddr6x memory sure is enticing)
ram - 32 or 64 gb from g.skill or corsair clocked at 3600mhz cl-14 or cl-16 (honestly i am searching for samsung b-die versions)
psu - corsair's 1600axi

hdd - i want 20tb free storage so i would try to get 25tb storage sata not sas (i would mostly like go with multiple exos drives here)

ssd - Two Nvme drives each with 2tb storage

         Two ssds (optional)
         longevity is what i want,it's undecided on which i am gonna use.

case - meshify 2 xl (since is has more options when it comes to upgrading in future..... i guess )
aio - arctic freezer ii 360 or 420

cables from cablemod (although i would have to check if they are available here in INDIA, i really want some good replacement cables for psu, not extension)

 Kind of like this ,

To open this reddit link i guess you will have to RIGHT CLICK and OPEN IN NEW TAB

 

or you can just search

Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL: Storage Layout reddit (12 days old post, 18 comments)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your help.

----- yours faithfully Orian Pax

 

 

[Orian Pax]

9 hours ago, OCNewbee said:

noctua fans are usually quieter. If you do not care about money, go with noctua 140mm (if it fits). This will be the slightly more quieter option.

From a cost perspective, I think the stock fans should be fine. 

All in all, I think the stock fans are fine since this case has a strong airflow.

there are two ways: cheap way and the expensive way.

 

Cheap way

if you have enough pwm fan headers on your motherboard, the fan curves of the individual pwm fans can be set with speedfan.

 

expensive way

 if you do not have many pwm fan headers, use corsair commander pro. You can individualize each pwm fan curve.

i apologize or asking this again, but now can u take a look at the updated topic (at this topic again).
i would like hear your thoughts on it.

 

thanks for your earlier reply.

 

[LogicalDrm]

10 hours ago, Orian Pax said:

2) how does one control fan speed (in this case noctua's nf-a12x25 pwm) can i control there speed using software? (i want to control their speed individually)

 

[i don't want to be limited to only 1700 and 2000 rpm modes]

You can control them individually as long as your motherboard has enough headers for each. Alternatively, and much more effectively, you can set them in groups with splitters. And then controls then by area or rad at the time.

 

For controlling you can use either mobos own tools, or 3rd party software.

 

10 hours ago, Orian Pax said:

o Radiator and Fans
3)  if i want to use 420-arctic freezer ii
     a) should i change fans on radiator with NF-a12x25s or with nf-a14-pwm? ,yes i am definitely going to change which come with arctic!

         two cases, which fans win in each case?

Neither. For bet pick as rad fans, F12 which is pressure oriented.

[Orian Pax]

6 hours ago, LogicalDrm said:

You can control them individually as long as your motherboard has enough headers for each. Alternatively, and much more effectively, you can set them in groups with splitters. And then controls then by area or rad at the time.

 

For controlling you can use either mobos own tools, or 3rd party software.

Just for confirmation's sake -

Can i control Noctua fans using corsair's commander pro?

(Nope aside from a rear fan,pump I don't want to connect anything to motherboard.)

 

One more thing -

4xa12 or 4xnf12 or 3xa14 for front panel intake(no radiator)?

 

6 hours ago, LogicalDrm said:

Neither. For bet pick as rad fans, F12 which is pressure oriented.

You meant these right?

https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-f12-pwm

 

They are 120mm ones and I just found out they might not fit on 420 rad of arctic as per spec sheet drawing....

https://www.arctic.de/en/Liquid-Freezer-II-420/ACFRE00092A

 

Any 140mm fan recommendation?

 

Just for fun - someone was also searching for the same thing

https://amp.reddit.com/r/GamersNexus/comments/k0hntf/120mm_fans_on_420mm_radiator/

 

Thanks for the help. 

 

[WoodenMarker]

33 minutes ago, Orian Pax said:

Just for confirmation's sake -

Can i control Noctua fans using corsair's commander pro?

(Nope aside from a rear fan,pump I don't want to connect anything to motherboard.)

 

4xa12 or 4xnf12 or 3xa14 for front panel intake(no radiator)?

Yes, you can use a Commander Pro for control.

Why were you interested in running fans at a static 75% or 100% rpm? What are your priorities for cooling?

NF-A12x25's perform similarly to the NF-A14 and 4x NF-A12x25's deliver more airflow. The extra fan would deliver the extra airflow to the psu shroud though. If you only need cooling for components above the shroud, 3x NF-A14's mounted higher up may be cheaper. 

If you just have money to blow, NF-A12x25's are very hard to go wrong with.

Quote

https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-f12-pwm

They are 120mm ones and I just found out they might not fit on 420 rad of arctic as per spec sheet drawing....

You mentioned picking the appropriate arctic cooler for the fans earlier. 

If you're just going with a 420mm rad, you'll need 140mm fans like the NF-A14. 

[OCNewbee]

 

11 hours ago, Orian Pax said:

i apologize or asking this again, but now can u take a look at the updated topic (at this topic again).
i would like hear your thoughts on it.

 

thanks for your earlier reply.

100% agree with woodenmarker! Always sagacious advice!

[OCNewbee]

4 hours ago, Orian Pax said:

Just for confirmation's sake -

Can i control Noctua fans using corsair's commander pro?

(Nope aside from a rear fan,pump I don't want to connect anything to motherboard.)

 

One more thing -

4xa12 or 4xnf12 or 3xa14 for front panel intake(no radiator)?

yes corsair commander pro can control ALL PWM fans. It also lets you individually set fan curves. (limited to 6 pwm fans)

It also supports corsair icue RGB. (not compatible with other RGBs unless you buy an adapter or make an adapter yourself)

 

In my opinion, but I still say A14s are better than A12s simply because of lower noise. Generally, 140mm fans perform better than 120mm. But a12s have a better static pressure which is ideal for radiators.

 

If you have 280 radiator, I would just say 2 A14 simply because of aesthetics and noise. The cooling is probably marginally better with 2x a12 120mm and you might need fan mounting brackets (ones that convert 120mm--> 140mm).

If you have a 240 radiator, 2x a12 is a no brainer.

If you have a 360, 3x a12 is a no brainer.

 

You really can't go wrong with either one. 

 

*Just as an extra tip, if you care about the aesthetics, go with noctua chromax. It is hard to match other colors with the ugly beige fans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Orian Pax]

4 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

Yes, you can use a Commander Pro for control.

Yosha! (oh and thanks for coming @WoodenMarker )

34 minutes ago, OCNewbee said:

yes corsair commander pro can control ALL PWM fans. It also lets you individually set fan curves. (limited to 6 pwm fans)

It also supports corsair icue RGB.

finally closure from two people! peace at last.

 

4 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

Why were you interested in running fans at a static 75% or 100% rpm?

well actually more than 50 people pointed out that at 75% (more like 60-75%) rpm noctua a12s PWM will be quiter while still performing well and even videos also back up that. instead a curve i just want to set them at 75% constant at all times.
 

 

4 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

4x NF-A12x25's deliver more airflow. The extra fan would deliver the extra airflow to the psu shroud though. If you only need cooling for components above the shroud, 3x NF-A14's mounted higher up may be cheaper. 

If you just have money to blow, NF-A12x25's are very hard to go wrong with.

YES!!! finally a straight forward answer!

 

4 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

The extra fan would deliver the extra airflow to the psu shroud though.

i will go with intake front made of 4xNF-a12x25s PWN bcuz in front of PSU there will be HDD tray, the tray would have to be there after i add more hdd anyway so 4xa12s it is! it would keep the hdds cooler with that extra airflow.
and i will just remove the shroud inlays.
page 5,6 item number 11,
page 8,24,29 that's how it is gonna look in future except i will not add two hdds at the top
why not
bcuz gamers nexus shown that the gpu temp could go down by 3-5 degree celsius if gpu is vertically mounted and in future i might put an asus's water cooled ek gpu there and the pipes can through empty space we left above by not adding 2 hdds (well this is more and more pointing me to go with 360 arctic freezer, he he).

one more thing i would like to point out that the Arctic's pipes will come to processor socket from left.
like this -

https://hardforum.b-cdn.net/data/attachment-files/2020/10/395470_326676.4ef2f23ad1315072218ce2809eb7db97.1600.jpg
https://linustechtips.com/uploads/monthly_2016_02/500x1000px-LL-36421312_PU2D3297.jpeg.0c253b20f1fc22dd96f28b315b00b1f1.jpeg

https://linustechtips.com/topic/553591-does-it-matter-which-side-the-tubing-is-on-aios/

 

4 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

You mentioned picking the appropriate arctic cooler for the fans earlier. 

" {your answers/replies will decide whether i would go with 360 or 420 version of arctic freezer} "
you mean this?
yes this was the last option, guess i will be getting 360 version for now and save the 420 arctic freezer with a12s using mounting brackets for fun later on, he he. i am getting excited!
 

4 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

If you're just going with a 420mm rad, you'll need 140mm fans like the NF-A14. 

yes that's what i thought until @OCNewbee pointed out this (i had totally forgotten those were a thing, the fan mounting brackets)

58 minutes ago, OCNewbee said:

you might need fan mounting brackets (ones that convert 120mm--> 140mm).

_________________________XXXX______________________

 

1 hour ago, OCNewbee said:

If you have 280 radiator, I would just say 2 A14 simply because of aesthetics and noise. The cooling is probably marginally better with 2x a12 120mm and you might need fan mounting brackets (ones that convert 120mm--> 140mm).

thanks for pointing out, this was a vimp thing!

 

1 hour ago, OCNewbee said:

If you have a 240 radiator, 2x a12 is a no brainer.

If you have a 360, 3x a12 is a no brainer.

yes the only problem was with 240 and 420 arctic rads.
 

 

1 hour ago, OCNewbee said:

It also lets you individually set fan curves. (limited to 6 pwm fans)

well fan count is already exceeding 6, (in the worst case scenario, in terms of numbers only, i will need 12 fans.
4 on front, 3 on top, 1 on rear, three on NH-D15.)
how about two commander pros?
which would you prefer daisy chained or directly connected to PSU?


damn this is too fun! thanks for your help! it's summer here hot af.

[OCNewbee]

3 hours ago, Orian Pax said:

well fan count is already exceeding 6, (in the worst case scenario, in terms of numbers only, i will need 12 fans.
4 on front, 3 on top, 1 on rear, three on NH-D15.)
how about two commander pros?
which would you prefer daisy chained or directly connected to PSU?

commander pros are not directly connected to the PSU. You hook one up to your USB and it uses sata power (I think thats right... but please look it up. Too lazy to open my case). You can install 2 commander pros but that would be a complete overkill. I have 12 fans on my PC, so what I did was, I used splitters. The CPU fans are 90mm and 120mm are for CPU. The other ten are connected to the corsair commander pro using splitters.

 

 

[Orian Pax]

2 hours ago, OCNewbee said:

 

 

It seriously is quite refreshing to see this something like this!

Even the Gpu is deshrouded btw which fans are cooling the GPU (name)?

2 hours ago, OCNewbee said:

The other ten are connected to the corsair commander pro using splitters.

 

I presume the ones which are in splitters can not be controlled individually anymore. But now they can be controlled in pairs (two fans at once) right? 

 

2 hours ago, OCNewbee said:

 commander pros are not directly connected to the PSU. You hook one up to your USB and it uses sata power (I think thats right... but please look it up. 

Yes I will look it up. You are already helping me too much.

 

2 hours ago, OCNewbee said:

Too lazy to open my case

You don't need to do that. This much should be enough, thanks for help. 

 

He he your fan arrangement deserves its own blog post/topic to discuss. It surely is amazing!

 

What is the name of those small rear fans btw (name)?

 

 

 

[OCNewbee]

1 hour ago, Orian Pax said:

It seriously is quite refreshing to see this something like this!

Even the Gpu is deshrouded btw which fans are cooling the GPU (name)?

Thanks. I think my computer is questionable aesthetically. If I can redo my build, I woulda gone with chromax fans.

The gpu fan is the corsair ll 120. It came with the case. Its a static pressure fan. Much quieter than the stock GPU fans.*to be fair, my GPU is undervolted as well*

1 hour ago, Orian Pax said:

I presume the ones which are in splitters can not be controlled individually anymore. But now they can be controlled in pairs (two fans at once) right? 

yup. So one fan curve controls two fans. I set six fan curves total. I wish I had more ports but after fiddling with icue, I think six fan curves are more than enough to attain the precise airflow.  

 

1 hour ago, Orian Pax said:

He he your fan arrangement deserves its own blog post/topic to discuss. It surely is amazing!

 

What is the name of those small rear fans btw (name)?

The rear exhaust fans are noctua A8 (80mm). 

 

The corsair 280x has really bad airflow. I only realized it after I bought it. *face slap* To mitigate its poor airflow, I attached the 2x80mm fan and the top vent is a custom panel that I ordered from coldzero.eu. I used phantek halo frame so I could have the noctua fan and the rgb. (best of the both worlds) 

 

Aesthetically, I am not too happy with the final build. I shoulda gone for black and gray theme. 

I hope your build turns out much nicer. So think twice before you pull the trigger on those beige noctua fans.

[Orian Pax]

31 minutes ago, OCNewbee said:

yup. So one fan curve controls two fans. I set six fan curves total. I wish I had more ports but after fiddling with icue, I think six fan curves are more than enough to attain the precise airflow. 
and

Yes I will look it up. You are already helping me too much.

yep, i found the best explanatory video for commander pro on youtube..... i guess

 

35 minutes ago, OCNewbee said:

I think my computer is questionable aesthetically. If I can redo my build, I woulda gone with chromax fans.

aesthetically hmmmm......

 

well going with google's meaning here 
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=aesthetically

chromax with black case + red cables yeah that's quite a matching + corsair rgb stripes instead of lighting rods that would have looked good too or even with lighting rod if positioned differently with not too white, it will darn look calm/peaceful

but
configuration wise your fan configuration no doubt they are on top notch lvl, it seems fun to do that and feels freedom.
(yes i am bored of looking people doing/completing same models again and again.)

well if we are talking colour-scheme wise then those red cables become an eyesore black or brown or beige plus
blue-ish tint like this still works like a charm
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/179862578855051227/

or even like this

if link doesn't work here's another one https://thedeclarationatcoloniahigh.com/31648/wordoftheday/aesthetic/

(yes i came around these randomly i had searched only one word "aesthetically").

 

 

[Orian Pax]

1 hour ago, OCNewbee said:

 I wish I had more ports but after fiddling with icue, I think six fan curves are more than enough to attain the precise airflow.  

i see.

 

1 hour ago, OCNewbee said:

The rear exhaust fans are noctua A8 (80mm). 

 

The corsair 280x has really bad airflow. I only realized it after I bought it. *face slap* To mitigate its poor airflow, I attached the 2x80mm fan and the top vent is a custom panel that I ordered from coldzero.eu. I used phantek halo frame so I could have the noctua fan and the rgb. (best of the both worlds) 

interesting.

 

1 hour ago, OCNewbee said:

Aesthetically, I am not too happy with the final build. I shoulda gone for black and gray theme. 

next time brother! next time.

 

1 hour ago, OCNewbee said:

I hope your build turns out much nicer. So think twice before you pull the trigger on those beige noctua fans.

i hope so.
oh i was wondering if noctua can ship directly from austria? do you know anything about it?

[OCNewbee]

5 minutes ago, Orian Pax said:

oh i was wondering if noctua can ship directly from austria? do you know anything about it?

nope. just buy it from the cheapest local distributor.

[Orian Pax]

Just now, OCNewbee said:

nope. just buy it from the cheapest local distributor.

reseller or distributor?
do distributors let normal customers buy stuff directly from them

[OCNewbee]

1 minute ago, Orian Pax said:

reseller or distributor?
do distributors let normal customers buy stuff directly from them

it means computer store (online or offline)

[Orian Pax]

5 minutes ago, OCNewbee said:

it means computer store (online or offline)

ah then they are mostly resellers bcuz most distributors won't sell to normal people unless one makes big bill, at least here.
tch sh!tty tactics from them to sell more and make more money.
 

[Orian Pax]

An update NOCTUA DOES INDEED MAKE THEIR OWN FAN MOUNTS WHICH CAN CONVERT 120mm fans to 140mm fans.

 

https://noctua.at/en/na-sfma1

 

I didn't know that before.