Best AIO setup?

[OnionRings]

Thinking about the Define S w/ window case which has 8 fan slots, initially I was going to go all air cooling, 8 case fans (3 front intake, 1 bottom intake, 3 top exhaust, 1 back exhaust) with a hyper 212x or something like that, but I starting pondering an AIO, but how do you set those up good? And how do they work/effect case air flow? I know depending on the size (if you chose 2 fan or 3 fan radiators) they can block most of your fan slots, so I would want to put it on the top of the case right? So that way I'm still getting intake air to cool my GPU but then what about exhaust? Do radiators pull out case air too? I still might go only air I'm not sure, I don't quite trust water... and what I'll be using it for btw is it will be an i7 6700k probably with a light overclock maybe 4.4 or 4.5 ghz or something like that, I really only do 1080p youtube videos, no 4k rendering, no fancy art modeling, so a heavy overclock isn't needed, so air might be fine. BUT let's say I do choose AIO, what's the best one? Whats the best set up?

[ARikozuM]

Not a water-cooling newbie (much lower still) but I'd assume that the bigger the radiator, the better.

[OnionRings]

Just now, ARikozuM said:

Not a water-cooling newbie (much lower still) but I'd assume that the bigger the radiator, the better.

Yea of course for cooling, but my question is though how does that effect case air flow? Can air still pass through the radiators?

[Inception9269]

My recommendation for an AIO would either be the Corsair h110 or the NZXT kraken x61.

 

As for fan orientation in that case, I highly recommend that you don't use the top of the case for fans or rads, since then you'll lose out on those silence pads and also open your pc up to becoming a dust magnet. What I'd recommend is having a dual rad, whichever you get, at the front of the case with the fans first and then the radiator behind them (so you understand what I mean, the fans against the case with the rad behind them) the fans pulling air from the front of your case, through the rad and into your pc (I highly recommend getting a 280mm AiO, those using 140mm fans. The fans used on the rads being static pressure. Then have a 140mm at the back of the case as exhaust, so your system will be pulling air from the front, through the rad into your pc, then out the back.

 

You don't need to cram as many fans as possible into your pc, just those 3 will do just fine.

[GalacticRuler]

8 minutes ago, OnionRings said:

Thinking about the Define S w/ window case which has 8 fan slots, initially I was going to go all air cooling, 8 case fans (3 front intake, 1 bottom intake, 3 top exhaust, 1 back exhaust) with a hyper 212x or something like that, but I starting pondering an AIO, but how do you set those up good? And how do they work/effect case air flow? I know depending on the size (if you chose 2 fan or 3 fan radiators) they can block most of your fan slots, so I would want to put it on the top of the case right? So that way I'm still getting intake air to cool my GPU but then what about exhaust? Do radiators pull out case air too? I still might go only air I'm not sure, I don't quite trust water... and what I'll be using it for btw is it will be an i7 6700k probably with a light overclock maybe 4.4 or 4.5 ghz or something like that, I really only do 1080p youtube videos, no 4k rendering, no fancy art modeling, so a heavy overclock isn't needed, so air might be fine. BUT let's say I do choose AIO, what's the best one? Whats the best set up?

A NZXT Kraken X61 or Corsair 100 series water cooler would be good, and you should top mount it. If oyu want to stick with air cooling, get a dual-finstack cooler, such as the Noctua NH-D15, Cryorig R1 Ultimate, or Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3.

[Inception9269]

1 minute ago, GalacticRuler said:

A NZXT Kraken X61 or Corsair 100 series water cooler would be good, and you should top mount it. If oyu want to stick with air cooling, get a dual-finstack cooler, such as the Noctua NH-D15, Cryorig R1 Ultimate, or Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3.

I would never recommend using the top of one of fractal's define cases for an AiO, since you lose out on the sound pads, there's no dust filter, and you have to look at the ugly ass exposed top.

 

Like I said with my post above. if you have a define case then go with a front mounted radiator

[OnionRings]

1 minute ago, Inception9269 said:

My recommendation for an AIO would either be the Corsair h110 or the NZXT kraken x61.

 

As for fan orientation in that case, I highly recommend that you don't use the top of the case for fans or rads, since then you'll lose out on those silence pads and also open your pc up to becoming a dust magnet. What I'd recommend is having a dual rad, whichever you get, at the front of the case with the fans first and then the radiator behind them (so you understand what I mean, the fans against the case with the rad behind them) the fans pulling air from the front of your case, through the rad and into your pc (I highly recommend getting a 280mm AiO, those using 140mm fans. The fans used on the rads being static pressure. Then have a 140mm at the back of the case as exhaust, so your system will be pulling air from the front, through the rad into your pc, then out the back.

 

You don't need to cram as many fans as possible into your pc, just those 3 will do just fine.

 

Ok thanks I'll think about that, do you think I need water cooling for such a subtle overclock though? I'm not really " afraid " to go for it as I assume if it does go wrong and my parts fry warranty should cover it and all that, I just never liked putting liquids near my PC. And yes I understand what you mean with the fans facing out, what about slot 3? No fan or just leave the case fan it comes with in? or throw a 140 in? And good point on the top, I forgot it has the silence pads, I don't care much for noise and I assume if the top was exhaust that dust would have a harder time getting in but not a bad idea.

[Inception9269]

1 minute ago, OnionRings said:

Ok thanks I'll think about that, do you think I need water cooling for such a subtle overclock though? I'm not really " afraid " to go for it as I assume if it does go wrong and my parts fry warranty should cover it and all that, I just never liked putting liquids near my PC. And yes I understand what you mean with the fans facing out, what about slot 3? No fan or just leave the case fan it comes with in? or throw a 140 in? And good point on the top, I forgot it has the silence pads, I don't care much for noise and I assume if the top was exhaust that dust would have a harder time getting in but not a bad idea.

Now of days air cooling can be just as good as water cooling, them also able to do a good overclock. I still prefer having AiO's over air coolers though. There's nothing to worry about with the whole putting liquids near your pc. Brands like Corsair, NZXT, and others are very reliable.

 

As for the whole slot 3 thing, just leave it empty, it really wouldn't add much.

 

If you do decide to go for air cooling, if you're willing to spend $100+ on a dual AiO I recommend the Cooler Master MasterAir http://pcpartpicker.com/product/7sL7YJ/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-mazt8pn418prr1 

Which is very good and also looks really nice. If you go the route of air cooling, then I recommend having three fans at the front as intake, the air cooler fans exhausting in the direction of the back of the case to the back exhaust fan, for good air flow.

 

I made the mistake with my friends pc that I built, him having an air cooler. I had all intake fans with no exhaust, and the thing sounded like a hair dryer, him having a Define R5 case. I corrected it, having all the air blowing through from the right to the left, and now it's completely silent

[OnionRings]

8 minutes ago, Inception9269 said:

Now of days air cooling can be just as good as water cooling, them also able to do a good overclock. I still prefer having AiO's over air coolers though. There's nothing to worry about with the whole putting liquids near your pc. Brands like Corsair, NZXT, and others are very reliable.

 

As for the whole slot 3 thing, just leave it empty, it really wouldn't add much.

 

If you do decide to go for air cooling, if you're willing to spend $100+ on a dual AiO I recommend the Cooler Master MasterAir http://pcpartpicker.com/product/7sL7YJ/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-mazt8pn418prr1 

Which is very good and also looks really nice. If you go the route of air cooling, then I recommend having three fans at the front as intake, the air cooler fans exhausting in the direction of the back of the case to the back exhaust fan, for good air flow.

 

I made the mistake with my friends pc that I built, him having an air cooler. I had all intake fans with no exhaust, and the thing sounded like a hair dryer, him having a Define R5 case. I corrected it, having all the air blowing through from the right to the left, and now it's completely silent

 

So 4 intake and 4 exhaust isn't the best option? Honestly I might as well try water since most water coolers go for about 100$ or more but decent case fans are 10-15 and if I chose 8 that would be around the same price.

[Inception9269]

1 minute ago, OnionRings said:

So 4 intake and 4 exhaust isn't the best option? Honestly I might as well try water since most water coolers go for about 100$ or more but decent case fans are 10-15 and if I chose 8 that would be around the same price.

8 fans is insane and very much overkill. Not to mention potentially really loud.

 

If you go with air cooling then have 3 in the front and 1 in the back. If you go with water cooling, fans and rads at front, 2 fans, make sure they're static pressure. If they're from NZXT, Corsair, or Cooler Master then they'll most definitely be static pressure. and have 1 fan in the back.

 

Trust me, that's enough fans. anymore than that for that case would be overkill.

 

I have five fans in my case Arc XL case and that's cause I can use the top for my AiO since it has a dust filter. Me having 2 in the front for intake and to help my hard drives, 2 at the top for my dual rad, and 1 at the back for exhaust.

 

On a define case I recommend not using the top at all

[fjdhdhcyfhf]

29 minutes ago, OnionRings said:

8 case fans

you nuts or you have a magic goose that lays eggs containing computer fans

17 minutes ago, OnionRings said:

do you think I need water cooling for such a subtle overclock though?

no you do not need water cooling unless you have a very expensive high end CPU that requires 200W cooling, basically Intel or AMDs top flagship CPU

3 minutes ago, OnionRings said:

So 4 intake and 4 exhaust isn't the best option?

I have low rpm 2X140mm intake and 1X 120mm exhaust and my computer runs within temp spec. I probably dont even need the second 140, i just put it in there for appearance. Theres a point where adding fans to your case achieves nothing. Just get a two high quality PWM fans like Noctua and test your temp before wasting money

[airdeano]

ive got the h105 in the intake, a spare 120 intake (3x 120) and a single 140 exhaust in the i/o for one of my define s builds

with a good positive pressure and excellent thermals for a 780 SLI and CPU cooling.

fans idle at 300rpm and full tilt 1300rpm at 100% load (70° threshold).

[OnionRings]

So 8 case fans is just a waste of money? I was gonna put 8 of these lol but they are only 1200 RPM my pc will probably sound like a vacuum. I guess I could just do 2 intakes and 1 out take + cpu cooler. But why would they put 8 fan slots if they didn't expect you to use them all? https://pcpartpicker.com/product/YLtCmG/corsair-case-fan-co9050017rled

 

I'm just gonna stick with air cooling, far too lazy for AIO, look at all those parts. That's a disaster in my hands. I'll just snag a 212x and throw 2 intakes and 1 out take on.

[TotaLInsanity]

the nzxt x62 is suppose to be better than the x61. (and it looks sick)

[Dschijn]

Best? EK Predator 360 in the front with 3 more Vardar fans to get a push/pull setup. The heat created by the CPU will not really have any impact on the internal case temperature. Just use a good exhaust fan