Node 304 cooling upgrade

[Techteen14]

First things first: I know next to nothing about what constitutes a good cooling system besides the fact that I want positive air pressure.

I have the Fractal Design Node 304, a Mini-ITX case. My build is in my sig. The stock fans are fine, but I want better ones. There are 3 fan positions, two side-by-side 92mms (compatible with 80mm) in the front and a single 140mm (compatible with 120mm) in the back. Fractal Design set it up like this:

Is this good?

I also want to upgrade my cooler from the stock Intel one to a better air cooler. I'm looking at a 212 Evo, but I've read that there are better out there.

So I ask you:

-what are the best 92mm Noctua fans? Answered, NF-A9s.

-what is the best 140mm Noctua fan? Answered, NF-A14.

-what is the best air CPU cooler? Answered, 212 EVO.

-what is the best airflow configuration for my case? Answered, my current one.

-should I replace the fans on the aforementioned CPU cooler, and if so with how many of what fans?

Thanks.

(P.S. I want fans that are as quiet as possible and push as much air as possible.)

[nj4ck]

The node is designed for front intake and rear exhaust, so yes, the way you have planned it is the best way. The best Noctua fans you can get (although you don't have to get Noctua, there are plenty much cheaper fans that will do almost as well) are the NF-A9 and NF-A14. The Hyper 212 is a very good cooler for the money, but if you're going to be spending that much money on fans alone you might as well get an NH-D14 or NH-D15, although I'm not sure if they'll fit, it depends on your motherboard.

[Prikk]

Of course there are better coolers than the 212. The 212 EVO is like the cheapest amazing performance you can get. I put one of those in a Node 304 I built for my friend and it worked great and very quiet. It should be enough, and you really don't have to go for "the best" of everything when the 212 EVO is already amazing at what it does.

 

Also, we use the same config with the graphics card taking in from the side and its working fine so far.

[Techteen14]

The node is designed for front intake and rear exhaust, so yes, the way you have planned it is the best way. The best Noctua fans you can get (although you don't have to get Noctua, there are plenty much cheaper fans that will do almost as well) are the NF-A9 and NF-A14. The Hyper 212 is a very good cooler for the money, but if you're going to be spending that much money on fans alone you might as well get an NH-D14 or NH-D15, although I'm not sure if they'll fit, it depends on your motherboard.

Thanks, noted.

Of course there are better coolers than the 212. The 212 EVO is like the cheapest amazing performance you can get. I put one of those in a Node 304 I built for my friend and it worked great and very quiet. It should be enough, and you really don't have to go for "the best" of everything when the 212 EVO is already amazing at what it does.

Ok, thanks! How far do you think I could overclock the i5-4690K with the 212 EVO?

 

Also, we use the same config with the graphics card taking in from the side and its working fine so far.

Nice to know, I eventually want a GTX 960 or maybe a 950Ti if they ever make one.

[Techteen14]

Only one question left: The 212 EVO's fan can be swapped for two 120mms. Should I do that? If so, which Noctua fans should I replace it with?

[Prikk]

Only one question left: The 212 EVO's fan can be swapped for two 120mms. Should I do that? If so, which Noctua fans should I replace it with?

The included fan is already amazing. If you really need the extra couple of degrees off then you can try getting the corsair sp series. I've never had experience with noctua fans, but i've held one in packaging and no doubt it was a solid fan. Honestly I wouldn't bother though.

[Techteen14]

The included fan is already amazing. If you really need the extra couple of degrees off then you can try getting the corsair sp series. I've never had experience with noctua fans, but i've held one in packaging and no doubt it was a solid fan. Honestly I wouldn't bother though.

OK, thanks for your help. I don't think it'll be worth the extra $30-40.

[SLOWION]

Only one question left: The 212 EVO's fan can be swapped for two 120mms. Should I do that? If so, which Noctua fans should I replace it with?

I replaced the stock 212 EVO fan with an NF-F12 and temps did not improve. They were within 1 degree of each other at equal RPM although the NF-F12 was noticeably quieter. The stock fan ultimately had better cooling potential because it could run at a higher max RPM.

 

If you do decide to go Noctua I would grab one of their 2K RPM NF-F12 industrial fans.