Need help with airflow

[qwqaz]

Budget (including currency): Loosely $3,000-3,500 USD but it could go a little higher if needed for good quality components 

I'm also estimating the budget based off MSRP prices for the CPU and GPU because I can wait, so the total below is actually about $2432 before the GPU 

Country: USA

Other details: I'm working  on making a parts list to surprise a friend (long story) with a top-of-the-line or near it gaming PC. I have all the parts picked out and based most of it off the Intel vs AMD LTT video from today with some changes to fit near the budget, the CPU and GPU aren't set in stone but I plan on either going with the 5950X or the 5900X and the RTX 3090 or 3080 Ti as my friend wants to play on a 120Hz 4K TV.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor	$1198.00 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	Noctua NH-D15 CHROMAX.BLACK 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler	$109.95 @ Amazon
Thermal Compound	Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste	$6.65 @ Amazon
Motherboard	MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard	$249.99 @ Newegg
Memory	G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL19 Memory	$244.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$79.99 @ B&H
Storage	Samsung 860 Evo 2 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$289.95 @ Amazon
Video Card	Asus GeForce RTX 3090 24 GB STRIX GAMING OC Video Card
Power Supply	Corsair HX Platinum 1000 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$384.00 @ Amazon
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit	$108.78 @ Other World Computing
Custom	Coirsair 5000D Airflow	$159.99
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$2832.29
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-17 22:40 EDT-0400

I have never built a system that will need as much put into the airflow solution as this one and I want to be sure that I get it right the first time.

The case comes with a 6-way splitter and the motherboard has 4 fan power outputs other than for the CPU, meaning I can use a total of 9 fans.

The fan locations and options for the Corsair 5000D Airflow case are shown in this image:

My first idea is to use 2 140mm fans on the top plus the one on the back for exhaust and 3 120 mm on the front for intake but I'm not completely sure if I need to get fans for the side as well for extra intake.

I know that I want positive pressure but I'm not sure how airflow from a 140mm compares to a 120mm or if my plan would work.

My thought is that the 2 140mm fans are to achieve full coverage with 9 outputs without having to get another fan controller just to add one more fan.

Also as fans and cooling is probably the part of PC building I know the least about I was just going to get more Corsair fans to match the two already in there unless there's a reason I shouldn't. 

 

What I need is some advice on the size, location, and number of fans to cool this PC. I also don't know much about case fans so a brand recommendation if Corsair isn't the best for this would help a lot too.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Chris Pratt]

You want a smooth, direct line from intake to exhaust, washing over the components. The best for that here is front intake and rear exhaust. The top and side fan locations are intended as options for radiators (AIO/custom loop).

 

3x120mm or 2x140mm is mostly a stylistic choice. You can add one or two additional exhaust in top rear if you want more neutral pressure. You should really lean more toward neutral pressure and just maybe go slightly positive to reduce dust. Too positive can create hot spots.

[brob]

Consider a better motherboard.

 

There is little point in getting rgb memory modules since the lighting will be hidden by the cpu cooler and outer fan. I'd also suggest getting a 2x16GB memory kit. This will leave open slots in the event a memory upgrade is desired.

 

The cpu cooler comes with a tube of thermal compound. There is generally no need to buy more.

 

Given the budget and rest of the build you may as well get a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor  ($1199.00 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 CHROMAX.BLACK 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler 
Motherboard: MSI MEG B550 UNIFY ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($288.39 @ B&H) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($187.95 @ B&H) 
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($196.75 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 2 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($289.95 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 3090 24 GB STRIX GAMING OC Video Card 
Case: Corsair 5000D AIRFLOW ATX Mid Tower Case  ($159.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair HX Platinum 1000 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($383.99 @ Amazon) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit  ($108.78 @ Other World Computing) 
Total: $2814.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-18 01:17 EDT-0400