Corsair AF120 fan differences/SP120 questions/NZXT Phantom 240 fan setup help

[Bleedingyamato]

I'm using a NZXT Phantom 240 case for my main desktop and I'm looking to add a few more fans to improve my cooling.

 

https://www.nzxt.com/products/phantom-240-white

 

Currently there are 2 blue led NZXT 120mm fans that came installed when I bought the computer as a prebuilt from Best Buy before upgrading some parts a few months ago.  One is in the lower front mount for intake and the other is in the rear mount for exhaust.  

 

I'm thinking adding 2 more fans, 1 more intake and 1 more exhaust, will be sufficient.  I doubt I need to fill every fan mount to have good airflow.  Unless I'm wrong which I certainly could be that's why I'm asking for help.

 

There's a few issues I need help with:

 

1. The top front mount as can be seen in the link above has a tapered shape that leaves only a small part of it exposed to open air.  It might help to try finding other pictures of the front fan area since I can't take decent pictures with the crappy lighting where my computer is set up.  

There is a few inches of space in front of the front mounts but idk if that would make up for the front panel mostly covering it.  I should mention that the HDD cages are directly behind the forward fan mounts as can   So my question is should I use a standard airflow fan or a static pressure fan in the top front mount?

 

2. The two top mounts can fit either a 120mm or 140mm fan in each.  I'd like to use a 140 to maximize the airflow from the fan and I think a 140mm might be quieter than a 120mm but I'm not sure.  The problem with this is that if I have 2 120mm intake and 1 120mm and a 140mm for exhaust I'd have a lean towards negative pressure which I've heard is bad.  So I'm thinking I'd have to stick with adding a 120mm in front and a 120mm on top.  The question for the top mount is mostly just to check is a 120mm in that spot going to be enough if the mount can fit a 140mm?

 

3. I also wanted to ask about the corsair AF120 fans.  I've seen a version with LEDs and one without but they also seem to have different airflow and air pressure ratings.  Is the airflow really different between the two fans and are there any other differences?

These are the fans I'm asking about: 

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Air-AF120-Quiet-Single/dp/B007RESG3A?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-AF120-Quiet-Airflow-Single/dp/B00F6S10DC?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_3&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

4. The last thing I wanted to ask about the whole airflow vs static pressure fan usage issue.  I've heard that airflow fans are for general case fan use and static pressure is for radiators/CPU coolers/in front of HDD bays/anywhere with restricted airflow into/out of the fan.  But with my Phantom 240 having a front and a top fan mount that seem to be mostly obscured in terms of open space in front of the fan but with some space in between the fan and outside grill I'm not sure it's so simple to figure out when to use airflow or static pressure fans.  At least not with the odd setup for the top and front mounts on the 240 case.

 

I would greatly appreciate some help figuring all this out so I can move forward and actually but the 2 new case fans.

[Cyracus]

1. doesn't really matter, and the front panel visually blocks the fan but won't hinder its performance.

2. negative pressure isn't bad, tends to do a little better in cooling in fact, just pulls in dust which is bad. But you could still have positive pressure with 2 120mm intakes and 1 120mm and 1 140mm exhaust, just have the intake fans running harder than the exhaust fans.

4. SP fans should be used on radiators, but as case fans it doesn't really matter if they have obstructions they're blowing into, Luke tested, doesn't freaking matter.

[Bleedingyamato]

Thank you for the help.

 

1. So I should just use normal airflow fans in the top front on rear top mounts? 

 

2. The thing I'm using my computer in my basement where I've got my tv, game consoles, etc. set up and while it's great because the room is nice and cool year round there is a LOT of dust in the air.  So I need to have my case fans set up in a way that minimizes internal dust accumulation.  I assume you mean I'd need to reduce the speed of a 140mm using a fan controller or some sort of speed reducing adapter.  Can you suggest a good example of each I could consider getting?  Otherwise I assume I could just use a 120mm in the top mount?

 

4. So you mean there's no definite need to use sp fans in front of HDD bays?  Can you show a link to the article/video you're referring to?  I believe you I promise.  I'm just interested to see specifically what there was to say about this issue.

[WoodenMarker]

Your case has no filters for the front. Positive or negative airflow wouldn't make a difference. Prepare for dust. 

You don't need much static pressure in your case.

Corsair's LED fans are much worse than their normal ringed fans. The Quiet Edition ringed fans are probably the best fans they have available. 

@Cyracus refers to this video:

 

[Bleedingyamato]

7 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

Your case has no filters for the front. Positive or negative airflow wouldn't make a difference. Prepare for dust. 

You don't need much static pressure in your case.

Corsair's LED fans are much worse than their normal ringed fans. The Quiet Edition ringed fans are probably the best fans they have available. 

@Cyracus refers to this video:

 

Thank you for the video link and the response.

 

Would you happen to know of some filters I could get for my case?

Can you explain what makes the LED fans of theirs worse?  One thing I noticed is that according to the Amazon item pages in the links I showed the blue led corsair af120 has slightly higher airflow than the non-led ringed fan.  Any idea why that would be?  

[WoodenMarker]

1 minute ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Thank you for the video link and the response.

Would you happen to know of some filters I could get for my case?

Can you explain what makes the LED fans of theirs worse?  One thing I noticed is that according to the Amazon item pages in the links I showed the blue led corsair af120 has slightly higher airflow than the non-led ringed fan.  Any idea why that would be?  

Try looking for fan filters that you can attach magnetically or screw on along with the intake fans. 

LED fans tends to use translucent plastics that tend to more easily resonate and create more noise. Corsair's LED fans are also just of inferior design to begin with. http://www.anandtech.com/show/9737/the-corsair-sp140-led-af140-led-sp120-af120-fan-review/4

The LED version has a higher airflow spec than the non LED due to a higher rpm. 

 

[Bleedingyamato]

13 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

Try looking for fan filters that you can attach magnetically or screw on along with the intake fans. 

LED fans tends to use translucent plastics that tend to more easily resonate and create more noise. Corsair's LED fans are also just of inferior design to begin with. http://www.anandtech.com/show/9737/the-corsair-sp140-led-af140-led-sp120-af120-fan-review/4

The LED version has a higher airflow spec than the non LED due to a higher rpm. 

 

Ok.  I'll try looking for some filters.  I really don't want the inside of my computer case looking like the surface of Tatooine from piles of dust building up. (I don't expect it would get that bad but I mostly mean I want to keep the inside relatively dust free and nice looking.). 

 

I really like the look of the LED fans but if that's true I'll definitely give strong consideration to non-LED fans.  Or at least look for ones without translucent plastic on them.  Do you mean using translucent plastic at all or is it just certain parts of the fan I don't want to have that used for?  

 

Sorry but I think some of what that talks about confused me a little.  I'm confused: why do the charts seem to indicate that at the max airflow in cfm that the pressure is 0?  

 

If the LED fans have higher airflow wouldn't that make them preferable despite the potential added noise from the translucent plastic or is the added airflow so minimal that it's not worth the added noise?

[Cyracus]

46 minutes ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Would you happen to know of some filters I could get for my case?

it looks like the metal mesh grill is tabbed on so honestly I'd get black nylons and remove it, carefully wrap or insert it so it's covered, then reattach it, tearing them as little as possible, will keep dust out and be easily cleanable for just a couple bucks

[Bleedingyamato]

1 hour ago, Cyracus said:

it looks like the metal mesh grill is tabbed on so honestly I'd get black nylons and remove it, carefully wrap or insert it so it's covered, then reattach it, tearing them as little as possible, will keep dust out and be easily cleanable for just a couple bucks

 

Where would I get nylons?    

[Cyracus]

Most grocery stores like fred meyer or walmart would have them. Of course you could always ask your mom, sister, cousin, aunt, lady next door, women usually know where to find women things

[WoodenMarker]

9 hours ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Ok.  I'll try looking for some filters.  I really don't want the inside of my computer case looking like the surface of Tatooine from piles of dust building up. (I don't expect it would get that bad but I mostly mean I want to keep the inside relatively dust free and nice looking.). 

 

I really like the look of the LED fans but if that's true I'll definitely give strong consideration to non-LED fans.  Or at least look for ones without translucent plastic on them.  Do you mean using translucent plastic at all or is it just certain parts of the fan I don't want to have that used for?  

 

Sorry but I think some of what that talks about confused me a little.  I'm confused: why do the charts seem to indicate that at the max airflow in cfm that the pressure is 0?  

 

If the LED fans have higher airflow wouldn't that make them preferable despite the potential added noise from the translucent plastic or is the added airflow so minimal that it's not worth the added noise?

Translucent plastics seem to be more prone to resonating more loudly but that alone isn't a reason to avoid a fan using them. 

The cfm rating is the optimal airflow for when there are no obstructions and static pressure doesn't apply until there are obstructions. 

The best fan is usually the one with the best airflow to noise ratio. If you don't care about noise, you could get Jetflos which are still much better than Corsair's LED fans. 

[Bleedingyamato]

39 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

Translucent plastics seem to be more prone to resonating more loudly but that alone isn't a reason to avoid a fan using them. 

The cfm rating is the optimal airflow for when there are no obstructions and static pressure doesn't apply until there are obstructions. 

The best fan is usually the one with the best airflow to noise ratio. If you don't care about noise, you could get Jetflos which are still much better than Corsair's LED fans. 

I've discovered in the last 6 months that I have a low tolerance for white noise like from a computer or air purifier.  So I guess what I'm saying I'm fine with whichever fans give me sufficient airflow to be worth using with the least amount of audible sound at the distance I'm sitting from my tower.  About 1-2 feet I think but I'm not sure since I never measured.

 

You said that corsair fans (at least the LED versions) are poorly designed.  What are some better brands and fan models to consider?  

I've looked at corsair fans mostly because they were suggested to me by a local computer repair place so I'm certainly interested in looking at better brands.

 

 

[Bleedingyamato]

49 minutes ago, Cyracus said:

Most grocery stores like fred meyer or walmart would have them. Of course you could always ask your mom, sister, cousin, aunt, lady next door, women usually know where to find women things

Good point.  Not being a woman I'm not familiar with where the best place to find this would be so I'll have to ask.  

 

Will putting nylons or some sort of filter in general noticeably affect the airflow into my case?  Would I need stronger fans to compensate?

[WoodenMarker]

1 hour ago, Bleedingyamato said:

I've discovered in the last 6 months that I have a low tolerance for white noise like from a computer or air purifier.  So I guess what I'm saying I'm fine with whichever fans give me sufficient airflow to be worth using with the least amount of audible sound at the distance I'm sitting from my tower.  About 1-2 feet I think but I'm not sure since I never measured.

You said that corsair fans (at least the LED versions) are poorly designed.  What are some better brands and fan models to consider?

I've looked at corsair fans mostly because they were suggested to me by a local computer repair place so I'm certainly interested in looking at better brands.

What's your budget? 

1 hour ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Will putting nylons or some sort of filter in general noticeably affect the airflow into my case?  Would I need stronger fans to compensate?

Filters will definitely impede airflow--roughly halving the airflow depending on the design. 

[Cyracus]

4 hours ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Will putting nylons or some sort of filter in general noticeably affect the airflow into my case?  Would I need stronger fans to compensate?

It would impede airflow slightly, but I wouldn't be too worried, your fans will still pull air through just fine