Fan & Radiator Placement

[penti01]

So I'm planning a new build, with the following:

 

Phanteks Enthoo Primo (with 5x 140mm fans included)

Corsair H115i

MSI SeaHawk X in SLI

 

Was wondering what the optimal fan/radiator placement and orientation would be?

As per website, there's space for the following (although outdated):

 

FAN:

Front: 140mm fan x 2 (2 x 140mm blue LED included)
Top: 140mm x 3 (1 included)
Rear: 140mm fan x 1 (1 included)
Side: 140mm x 2 (optional)

Bottom: 140mm x 2 (1 included)
HDD cage: 120mm fan x 2 (optional)

 

LIQUID COOLING:

Front: Up to 240mm (with 120mm fans)

Top: Up to 480mm (with 120mm fans) or up to 420mm (with 140mm fans)

Side (w/o HDD cages): Up to 240mm (with 120mm fans)

Rear: 120mm or 140mm

Bottom: Up to 480mm (with 120mm fans) or up to 280mm (with 140mm fans)

 

Was thinking:

Front: 2 intake fans

Top: H115i Radiator (exhaust) + ?

Rear: 2 exhaust fans

Bottom: 2 GPU Radiators (intake)

Side: ?

 

So have an extra 140mm fan that can either go up top or on the side.

Suggestions on where ideal to place it?

 

Would it be bad to have the CPU radiator up top, exhausting air out (so intake would be lukewarm air from the case)?

There's also a filter up top so intake is possible.

 

Would it be ideal to have the GPU down on the bottom for intake?

There's quite a small headroom for air to come in.

I can also place the two radiators on the Side, provided I remove the HDD Cage (planning on getting hot-swapable HDD cages that fit in the 5.25 bay in the future).

 

Thanks!

[glunday]

9 minutes ago, penti01 said:

So I'm planning a new build, with the following:

 

Phanteks Enthoo Primo (with 5x 140mm fans included)

Corsair H115i

MSI SeaHawk X in SLI

 

Was wondering what the optimal fan/radiator placement and orientation would be?

As per website, there's space for the following (although outdated):

 

FAN:

Front: 140mm fan x 2 (2 x 140mm blue LED included)
Top: 140mm x 3 (1 included)
Rear: 140mm fan x 1 (1 included)
Side: 140mm x 2 (optional)

Bottom: 140mm x 2 (1 included)
HDD cage: 120mm fan x 2 (optional)

 

LIQUID COOLING:

Front: Up to 240mm (with 120mm fans)

Top: Up to 480mm (with 120mm fans) or up to 420mm (with 140mm fans)

Side (w/o HDD cages): Up to 240mm (with 120mm fans)

Rear: 120mm or 140mm

Bottom: Up to 480mm (with 120mm fans) or up to 280mm (with 140mm fans)

 

Was thinking:

Front: 2 intake fans

Top: H115i Radiator (exhaust) + ?

Rear: 2 exhaust fans

Bottom: 2 GPU Radiators (intake)

Side: ?

 

So have an extra 140mm fan that can either go up top or on the side.

Suggestions on where ideal to place it?

 

Would it be bad to have the CPU radiator up top, exhausting air out (so intake would be lukewarm air from the case)?

There's also a filter up top so intake is possible.

 

Would it be ideal to have the GPU down on the bottom for intake?

There's quite a small headroom for air to come in.

I can also place the two radiators on the Side, provided I remove the HDD Cage (planning on getting hot-swapable HDD cages that fit in the 5.25 bay in the future).

 

Thanks!

your not going to see much of a difference for the placement of your rad in regards to temps, and yes its fine for the rad to be on the top exhausting with the warmer case air. just put it where you like it best, but most people like to put them on top because of looks/ it gives a easier air flow.

[glunday]

if i were you i would put 2 fans on the front as intakes and the rad on top with 2 fans as exhaust i wouldn't put any more exhaust because you would get negative pressure and have dust build up more. if you had 2 more intakes you could add those rear fans as exhaust or even just use both of them as intakes giving you 4 intake and 2 exhaust.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, penti01 said:

So I'm planning a new build, with the following:

 

Phanteks Enthoo Primo (with 5x 140mm fans included)

Corsair H115i

MSI SeaHawk X in SLI

 

Was wondering what the optimal fan/radiator placement and orientation would be?

As per website, there's space for the following (although outdated):

 

FAN:

Front: 140mm fan x 2 (2 x 140mm blue LED included)
Top: 140mm x 3 (1 included)
Rear: 140mm fan x 1 (1 included)
Side: 140mm x 2 (optional)

Bottom: 140mm x 2 (1 included)
HDD cage: 120mm fan x 2 (optional)

 

LIQUID COOLING:

Front: Up to 240mm (with 120mm fans)

Top: Up to 480mm (with 120mm fans) or up to 420mm (with 140mm fans)

Side (w/o HDD cages): Up to 240mm (with 120mm fans)

Rear: 120mm or 140mm

Bottom: Up to 480mm (with 120mm fans) or up to 280mm (with 140mm fans)

 

Was thinking:

Front: 2 intake fans

Top: H115i Radiator (exhaust) + ?

Rear: 2 exhaust fans

Bottom: 2 GPU Radiators (intake)

Side: ?

 

So have an extra 140mm fan that can either go up top or on the side.

Suggestions on where ideal to place it?

 

Would it be bad to have the CPU radiator up top, exhausting air out (so intake would be lukewarm air from the case)?

There's also a filter up top so intake is possible.

 

Would it be ideal to have the GPU down on the bottom for intake?

There's quite a small headroom for air to come in.

I can also place the two radiators on the Side, provided I remove the HDD Cage (planning on getting hot-swapable HDD cages that fit in the 5.25 bay in the future).

 

Thanks!

I've had my GPU rad on the bottom before as well as the rear and didn't notice a difference in temps. I've also had my CPU rad on the top acting as exhaust and on the front acting as intake, with only a couple degrees difference. So in short, up top your rad should be fine as well as the one you want to place on the bottom. One exhaust fan should be plenty for your system, I think two would be overkill. If there's room throw your extra fan on the bottom with your GPU radiator.

[penti01]

5 minutes ago, glunday said:

if i were you i would put 2 fans on the front as intakes and the rad on top with 2 fans as exhaust i wouldn't put any more exhaust because you would get negative pressure and have dust build up more. if you had 2 more intakes you could add those rear fans as exhaust or even just use both of them as intakes giving you 4 intake and 2 exhaust.

I see. Just saw the video regarding positive and negative pressure.

 

I'm assuming, more intake than exhaust, this would be ideal?

 

Front: 2 intake fans

Top: H115i Radiator (intake) + 1 intake fan

Rear: 2 exhaust fans

Bottom: 2 GPU Radiators (intake)

Side: none

 

This would result in

Intake: 3x 140mm fans + 2x 140mm Radiator + 2x 120mm Radiator

Exhaust: 2x 140mm fans

 

This, I assume, would solve the dust buildup issue?

It would also have all radiators in a intake orientation with more cool air for the cooler.

[glunday]

4 minutes ago, penti01 said:

I see. Just saw the video regarding positive and negative pressure.

 

I'm assuming, more intake than exhaust, this would be ideal?

 

Front: 2 intake fans

Top: H115i Radiator (intake) + 1 intake fan

Rear: 2 exhaust fans

Bottom: 2 GPU Radiators (intake)

Side: none

 

This would result in

Intake: 3x 140mm fans + 2x 140mm Radiator + 2x 120mm Radiator

Exhaust: 2x 140mm fans

 

This, I assume, would solve the dust buildup issue?

It would also have all radiators in a intake orientation with more cool air for the cooler.

trust me your not going to see more than probably 1 degree difference using the rads as intakes instead of exhausts. and you also don't want to many more intakes than exhausts because there isn't anywhere for that air to go. with that you have the equivalent of 5 140mm and 2 120mm intake and just 2 140mm exhaust. you want them to be as close to even as you can get with the intake being just a little more than the exhaust.

[penti01]

36 minutes ago, glunday said:

trust me your not going to see more than probably 1 degree difference using the rads as intakes instead of exhausts. and you also don't want to many more intakes than exhausts because there isn't anywhere for that air to go. with that you have the equivalent of 5 140mm and 2 120mm intake and just 2 140mm exhaust. you want them to be as close to even as you can get with the intake being just a little more than the exhaust.

Since it was stated that more intake than exhaust, I assumed that better turn the exhaust 2x 140mm into intake to ensure that there's positive pressure.

Was assuming from the start that it would be better to have close to equal intake and exhaust fans.

[glunday]

1 minute ago, penti01 said:

Since it was stated that more intake than exhaust, I assumed that better turn the exhaust 2x 140mm into intake to ensure that there's positive pressure.

Was assuming from the start that it would be better to have close to equal intake and exhaust fans.

well more intake vs exhaust is better to a point, but thats 7 vs 2 fans. it depends alot on other things but 1 or 2 fans more than exaust is a good rule of thumb. its always better to go slightly even over than under.

[penti01]

4 hours ago, glunday said:

well more intake vs exhaust is better to a point, but thats 7 vs 2 fans. it depends alot on other things but 1 or 2 fans more than exaust is a good rule of thumb. its always better to go slightly even over than under.

I see. One last question, would this cause a problem:

 

Front: 2x intake fans

Top: H115i Radiator (exhaust) + 1x intake fan

Rear: 2x exhaust fans

Bottom: 2 GPU Radiators (intake)

Side: none

 

The top would have the radiator in exhaust (back), 1 intake fan (front).

Total would be:

Intake: 3x 140mm + 2x 140mm radiator

Exhaust: 2x 140mm + 2x 120mm radiator

 

Top and front is ideal for intake due to availability of space. The side panel intake is facing a wall, so it'll be inefficient.

[glunday]

1 hour ago, penti01 said:

I see. One last question, would this cause a problem:

 

Front: 2x intake fans

Top: H115i Radiator (exhaust) + 1x intake fan

Rear: 2x exhaust fans

Bottom: 2 GPU Radiators (intake)

Side: none

 

The top would have the radiator in exhaust (back), 1 intake fan (front).

Total would be:

Intake: 3x 140mm + 2x 140mm radiator

Exhaust: 2x 140mm + 2x 120mm radiator

 

Top and front is ideal for intake due to availability of space. The side panel intake is facing a wall, so it'll be inefficient.

that should work 

[WoodenMarker]

15 hours ago, glunday said:

well more intake vs exhaust is better to a point, but thats 7 vs 2 fans. it depends alot on other things but 1 or 2 fans more than exaust is a good rule of thumb. its always better to go slightly even over than under.

7 intakes for 1 exhaust is fine. The air will always find a way of escaping and dust filters can substantially reduce the performance of the intakes.

[glunday]

7 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

7 intakes for 1 exhaust is fine. The air will always find a way of escaping and dust filters can substantially reduce the performance of the intakes.

it will work but it's not "fine" yes the air will escape but you will be working the intake fans harder and the air in the case will be stagnating and building up heat faster. trust me part of my job is fan placement and airflow optimization. 

[WoodenMarker]

1 hour ago, glunday said:

it will work but it's not "fine" yes the air will escape but you will be working the intake fans harder and the air in the case will be stagnating and building up heat faster. trust me part of my job is fan placement and airflow optimization. 

It doesn't work the intake fans any harder and air doesn't stagnate unless there are shapes in the case that prevent air from escaping. 

The Enthoo Primo has plenty of open holes at the rear for exhaust if 7 intake fans are used and especially if they're all facing a similar direction towards the rear. 

[glunday]

3 hours ago, WoodenMarker said:

It doesn't work the intake fans any harder and air doesn't stagnate unless there are shapes in the case that prevent air from escaping. 

The Enthoo Primo has plenty of open holes at the rear for exhaust if 7 intake fans are used and especially if they're all facing a similar direction towards the rear. 

hes talking about fans from every side, there is no benefit to using all intake and yes there IS a detriment to using that many more intake fans than exhaust. we have conducted many tests with thermal cameras and temperature sensors as well as tested the actual power going to each fan, with high positive pressure you clearly can see the fans heating up (slightly at the hub) and using more power to maintain the same rpm. and yes the air will stagnate, it wont stop but it will slow down and heat the inside of the case more. there is absolutely no benefit to using that many more intake fans than exhaust. while a high negative pressure is good for performance (bad for dust) the high positive pressure has no benefit, in fact to high of a positive pressure will cause dust to be worse.

[WoodenMarker]

2 minutes ago, glunday said:

hes talking about fans from every side, there is no benefit to using all intake and yes there IS a detriment to using that many more intake fans than exhaust. we have conducted many tests with thermal cameras and temperature sensors as well as tested the actual power going to each fan, with high positive pressure you clearly can see the fans heating up (slightly at the hub) and using more power to maintain the same rpm. and yes the air will stagnate, it wont stop but it will slow down and heat the inside of the case more. there is absolutely no benefit to using that many more intake fans than exhaust. while a high negative pressure is good for performance (bad for dust) the high positive pressure has no benefit, in fact to high of a positive pressure will cause dust to be worse.

Ah, fans from every side is pretty ineffective. What I was referring to was how 7 intakes and 1 exhaust isn't necessarily bad. There would be positive airflow but the pressure wouldn't be high with normal case fans in a large and ventilated case like the Primo.

Are there any links you can point me to with these tests? You've got me pretty interested. 

On 9/5/2016 at 8:16 PM, penti01 said:

Since it was stated that more intake than exhaust, I assumed that better turn the exhaust 2x 140mm into intake to ensure that there's positive pressure.

Was assuming from the start that it would be better to have close to equal intake and exhaust fans.

The advantage of positive airflow is to keep out dust. If you're going to flip fans to an intake without a filter, you're just inviting dust.

[penti01]

9 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

The advantage of positive airflow is to keep out dust. If you're going to flip fans to an intake without a filter, you're just inviting dust.

All intake fan placement I referred to have dust filters (Front, Bottom, Top).

While dust is an issue, from experience from my last case, TT Level 10 GT, the filters do quite a good job in managing dust, as compared to an old TT without side fan filters..

[WoodenMarker]

10 minutes ago, penti01 said:

All intake fan placement I referred to have dust filters (Front, Bottom, Top).

While dust is an issue, from experience from my last case, TT Level 10 GT, the filters do quite a good job in managing dust, as compared to an old TT without side fan filters..

Oh, I misinterpreted which fans you were referring to. I guess that's what happens when the fan mounts aren't specified in each post. 

[glunday]

32 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

Ah, fans from every side is pretty ineffective. What I was referring to was how 7 intakes and 1 exhaust isn't necessarily bad. There would be positive airflow but the pressure wouldn't be high with normal case fans in a large and ventilated case like the Primo.

Are there any links you can point me to with these tests? You've got me pretty interested. 

The advantage of positive airflow is to keep out dust. If you're going to flip fans to an intake without a filter, you're just inviting dust.

i can see if i can get them, i know i can talk about the testing information. but i had to sign an NDA and some other paperwork when i started so im not sure about getting the actual paperwork. i can check on that when i go into tomorrow. im sure its fine but you can never be too careful.

[penti01]

Wow, didn't think NDAs would be issues on forums..

 

Anyway, quick question regarding the case fans.

There's basically 5 Phanteks 140mm fans and 2 140mm Corsair H115i fans (didn't include the 2x 120mm SeaHawk radiator fans).

The 5 Phantaks are basically plugged in to the fan controller built in to the case. Would it be better to plug in the H115i fan controller into the case's fan controller or plug it in to the motherboard?

The LTT video had them (I think) plugged in to the case since when they unmounted the Corsair CPU cooler, it basically sped up the case fans.

Or am I wrong and it's due to the CPU temp sensor on the motherboard connected to the case?

[SpaceGhostC2C]

On 9/6/2016 at 5:16 AM, penti01 said:

Since it was stated that more intake than exhaust, I assumed that better turn the exhaust 2x 140mm into intake to ensure that there's positive pressure.

Was assuming from the start that it would be better to have close to equal intake and exhaust fans.

Take into account that the fans pushing through the radiator won't be equivalent to fans pushing without so much resistance. I "guesstimate" that 2 intakes, 1 exhaust, and the 280 radiator as exhaust won't create negative pressure, at least not one to that matters.

 

In general, I prefer radiators as exhausts, as the difference in CPU temps tend to be minimal, but it is much better for any other component to have the warm air leaving the case rather than being pulled in (you want any heatsink inside the case to be surrounded by the coolest air possible). Following that logic, I would exhaust the GPU radiators in the rear mounts if they fit. The rearmost top fan would be the only "clear exhaust" against the front intakes and, perhaps, some bottom fan. I don't know if that makes sense to you.

[glunday]

10 hours ago, penti01 said:

Wow, didn't think NDAs would be issues on forums..

 

Anyway, quick question regarding the case fans.

There's basically 5 Phanteks 140mm fans and 2 140mm Corsair H115i fans (didn't include the 2x 120mm SeaHawk radiator fans).

The 5 Phantaks are basically plugged in to the fan controller built in to the case. Would it be better to plug in the H115i fan controller into the case's fan controller or plug it in to the motherboard?

The LTT video had them (I think) plugged in to the case since when they unmounted the Corsair CPU cooler, it basically sped up the case fans.

Or am I wrong and it's due to the CPU temp sensor on the motherboard connected to the case?

talking about the studies we did isn't an issue, showing the actual data is. i got denied anyway. personally i would plug the rad onto the mobo, but if you want more control i would use a fan controller. if you want set and forget the motherboard always works.