Fan type

[pbenologa]

What fan type should i use in a H440 case. Should i use 3 SP fans as intake in front? Then 2 SP fan as exhaust in top? SP fans can suck/push air from tight spaces right?

[Ryan_Stein]

yes, but noctua's would do better

[Balverine]

What fan type should i use in a H440 case. Should i use 3 SP fans as intake in front? Then 2 SP fan as exhaust in top? SP fans can suck/push air from tight spaces right?

 

SP (Static Pressure) are for radiators, heatsinks and every other place where cool air needs to be blown onto something or where air can't flow without hindrance (like HDD cages), rather than being used as intake/exhaust fans.

I personally would rather add some AF fans on the top mounting places (in your case up to 3x 120mm or 2x 140mm).

[pbenologa]

SP (Static Pressure) are for radiators, heatsinks and every other place where cool air needs to be blown onto something or where air can't flow without hindrance (like HDD cages), rather than being used as intake/exhaust fans.

I personally would rather add some AF fans on the top mounting places (in your case up to 3x 120mm or 2x 140mm).

But AF fans can't suck adequate air from tight spaces right? And H440's front and top mounting places only has 1 opening for air intake/exhaust.

[Balverine]

The 3 front intake fans should be sufficient and on the top you can mount up to either 3x 120mm fans or 2x 140mm fans for exhaust (don't really understand what you mean by "opening").

 

edit: You can check out some reviews (especially the part about temps) or see what Linus has to say about the case ->

[pbenologa]

The 3 front intake fans should be sufficient and on the top you can mount up to either 3x 120mm fans or 2x 140mm fans for exhaust (don't really understand what you mean by "opening")

The open part on the top cover is only on the left side. Meaning 1 side is open. The same goes with the front cover. Check out this one. http://www.nzxt.com/product/detail/143-h440-performance-mid-tower.html

[Balverine]

The open part on the top cover is only on the left side. Meaning 1 side is open. The same goes with the front cover. Check out this one. http://www.nzxt.com/product/detail/143-h440-performance-mid-tower.html

 

Ah, now I see what you mean. Still, looking at some numbers from reviews the temps seem to be fine. If you want to use SP fans and some money left you can go for a AIO water cooling solution (Corsair H-series, NZXT Kraken,...). But you should be fine.

 

But I can understand your concerns. I decided against a case with closed front and noise reduction.

[pbenologa]

Ah, now I see what you mean. Still, looking at some numbers from reviews the temps seem to be fine. If you want to use SP fans and some money left you can go for a AIO water cooling solution (Corsair H-series, NZXT Kraken,...). But you should be fine.

 

But I can understand your concerns. I decided against a case with closed front and noise reduction.

Yep I am planning on using a AIO for my CPU. But my main concern is the air intake. Given the setup, do you still recommend on using an AF fan rather than SP fan?

[Balverine]

Yep I am planning on using a AIO for my CPU. But my main concern is the air intake. Given the setup, do you still recommend on using an AF fan rather than SP fan?

 

Yes, AF fans should be enough. Depending on how many storage drives you have in your case you can take out the empty ones (the metal drive bays). Storage drives themselves don't get very hot (usually not above 36-37°C). If you're still concerned you could change one of the AF fans in the front with a SP fan and place it where you have your HDD installed. But it shouldn't be necessary to use SP fans for intake (except when a bunch of HDDs block the airflow; like in a Corsair 230T or any other case where the drive cage is in front of a single intake fan).

 

You can take a look at this thread where @NZXT-Eric responded to another question about the H440 and temps.

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/105917-considering-the-nzxt-h440-worried-about-cooling/

[Balverine]

@pbenologa Just out of curiosity: what temps do you get on idle and load?

[pbenologa]

@pbenologa Just out of curiosity: what temps do you get on idle and load?

On idle my GPU(Msi twin frozr r9 290) is about 48c-50c on load 76c-85c as for the cpu(4770k) idle is 35c-40c load is 60c-75c

[Balverine]

On idle my GPU(Msi twin frozr r9 290) is about 48c-50c on load 76c-85c as for the cpu(4770k) idle is 35c-40c load is 60c-75c

 

That seems a little bit above the temps in a few reviews I skimmed. But considering your're located in the Philippines makes the difference seem less drastic. You could exchange the pre-installed fans with different ones (with higher rpm), since it seems that NZXT pre-installed fans with lower rpm which makes them less loud but also affects the temps. Depending on the fans the noise level may/will rise but the temps should go down a bit too (but don't expect a lot). And you might want to add 2-3 more fans on top to help the rising hot air getting out of the case.

 

Or maybe a new, bigger CPU cooler too. (or even a 360 rad on the top).

 

Edit: I just put a SP fan in my case in front of the HDD cage (just to test it out) and the result was this: temps of the HDDs only decreased by 1°C, CPU and GPU temps didn't change at all. But keep in mind that I have a very different case than you have (Corsair 230T). SO, I'm not sure if a SP fan will help you lowering the temps in your case.

Edited May 23, 2014 by Balverine

[pbenologa]

That seems a little bit above the temps in a few reviews I skimmed. But considering your're located in the Philippines makes the difference seem less drastic. You could exchange the pre-installed fans with different ones (with higher rpm), since it seems that NZXT pre-installed fans with lower rpm which makes them less loud but also affects the temps. Depending on the fans the noise level may/will rise but the temps should go down a bit too (but don't expect a lot). And you might want to add 2-3 more fans on top to help the rising hot air getting out of the case.

 

Or maybe a new, bigger CPU cooler too. (or even a 360 rad on the top).

 

Edit: I just put a SP fan in my case in front of the HDD cage (just to test it out) and the result was this: temps of the HDDs only decreased by 1°C, CPU and GPU temps didn't change at all. But keep in mind that I have a very different case than you have (Corsair 230T). SO, I'm not sure if a SP fan will help you lowering the temps in your case.

Yep. Im planning on using a 280 or 240 rad on top for the CPU.(AIO) then get high performance AF fans for the front panel. Im still saving up some money to buy some. Hahaha. Thanks for your effort though

[Balverine]

Yep. Im planning on using a 280 or 240 rad on top for the CPU.(AIO) then get high performance AF fans for the front panel. Im still saving up some money to buy some. Hahaha. Thanks for your effort though

 

No problem ;-)

Any idea which AIO you'll get? Since you have a NZXT case you could go for a Kraken X60;  (but they are more expensive than other brands, like Corsair, Antec, Swiftech,...). Linus did an unboxing & first look video about it. Or you just take a look around in the Liquid Cooling section of the thread (and Air Cooling for a recommendation regarding the intake fans). Other users will be of better assistance (I'm fairly new to the whole self-assembling scene".

 

Edit: I really recommend you also watch some videos about the AIOs. They sometimes mention little things you wouldn't have thought about. Like, I'm watching Linuses video about the Kraken X60 where he mentions that - the X60 being a 280 rad with 2x 140mm fans - there aren't many good 140mm SP fans out there (except when you're buying some Noctuas but they are quite expensive). In a different video Linus points out why having a pull configuration set up on a rad is better (no difference in temps, easier to clean the dust off). So, to be on the safe side maybe look for a 240 or even 360 rad.

 

But like I mentioned before: better head over to the Liquid Cooling section, there are guys with better knowledge and much more experience than I can offer.

Edited May 23, 2014 by Balverine

[pbenologa]

No problem ;-)

Any idea which AIO you'll get? Since you have a NZXT case you could go for a Kraken X60;  (but they are more expensive than other brands, like Corsair, Antec, Swiftech,...). Linus did an unboxing & first look video about it. Or you just take a look around in the Liquid Cooling section of the thread (and Air Cooling for a recommendation regarding the intake fans). Other users will be of better assistance (I'm fairly new to the whole self-assembling scene".

Maybe i'll go with a H100i, X60 are out of stock and still no advice when will be restocked. I guess a 240rad is enough to cool things down inside my case.