Proper Fan Placement

[Vigilante505]

So I'm getting a bit mental about the cooling on my PC. When summer hit I noticed a huge spike in temps and I fiddled with the fan placement to try and get some lower numbers. I may have found a sweet spot but I wanted your opinions on if its doing more detriment or if its ok how i have it.

 

I have a full EKWB kit with a top mounted 360 rad. Three Corsair SP120 fans on the radiator in pull (into the case), one SP120 for an exhaust on the rear, and the two fron Corsair 140mm as exhaust on the front of the case. Its a Phanteks Evolv ATX case so its already limited in airflow. I took out the front dust filter and did a custom mod on the top to allow more air into the case.

 

If its working then run with it? Or should I fix something for better results?

 

 

My idle temps are around 30C and my load temps playing games is at 55C

 

[Crunchy Dragon]

Intake on front, exhaust on back and top is generally what's recommended

[emosun]

1 minute ago, Vigilante505 said:

My idle temps are around 30C and my load temps playing games is at 55C

is 55c supposed to be hot or.......?

[Snipergod87]

Just now, Crunchy Dragon said:

Intake on front, exhaust on back and top is generally what's recommended

In general yes however that would net is negative pressure inside the case which is not recommended.

[Crunchy Dragon]

Just now, emosun said:

is 55c supposed to be hot or.......?

I would guess not, I'm pretty sure that's normal for what he's doing

[emosun]

Just now, Snipergod87 said:

In general yes however that would net is negative pressure inside the case which is not recommended.

pc fans aren't really capable nor is his case sealed enough to create any sort of pressure

[Vigilante505]

Yeah I've been building for many years but this case is terrible for airflow. The front is extremely restrictive and I also cant put the radiator on the front of the case. I'm trying to get past the problems of this Phanteks case.

[AnalogCanavity]

Just now, emosun said:

is 55c supposed to be hot or.......?

It’s not high but if your paranoid, put your fans not on the radiator as intake and the rad fans as exhaust, but remember to get fan filters for the intake

[JaegerB]

Just now, Crunchy Dragon said:

Intake on front, exhaust on back and top is generally what's recommended

Additionally, having your radiator pulling in has effects on the rest of your build's temps.

 

Basically, if your radiator pulls in, your CPU will be cool but the warm air coming from the radiator will increase temperatures in GPU, other components etc. Pulling out, and your CPU will be slightly warmer but the rest of the build will be cooler. You could also have the rad and another fan at the back pulling out, and pull in from the front.

 

BTW, 55 degrees is really good, I have no idea why that could be an issue. 

[emosun]

2 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

I would guess not, I'm pretty sure that's normal for what he's doing

hell 55c is like idle temp on some pcs

[Vigilante505]

1 minute ago, JaegerB said:

Additionally, having your radiator pulling in has effects on the rest of your build's temps.

 

Basically, if your radiator pulls in, your CPU will be cool but the warm air coming from the radiator will increase temperatures in GPU, other components etc. Pulling out, and your CPU will be slightly warmer but the rest of the build will be cooler. You could also have the rad and another fan at the back pulling out, and pull in from the front.

 

BTW, 55 degrees is really good, I have no idea why that could be an issue. 

Because I'm crazy. Thats not at full CPU load though, which seems to be my worst. I hit 70C at 100% CPU.

[emosun]

2 minutes ago, Vigilante505 said:

I hit 70C at 100% CPU.

that's still not that bad so idk what you're worrying about

[RadiatingLight]

2 minutes ago, emosun said:

pc fans aren't really capable nor is his case sealed enough to create any sort of pressure

exactly.

if you have 3 out and 1 in, then more air will be sucked out than in, which means that the air will have to equalize through the very not-airtight case. many people have dust filters on all their intakes, so if you have positive pressure -- no dust. if you have negative pressure then your filters are useless

[RadiatingLight]

3 minutes ago, Vigilante505 said:

Because I'm crazy. Thats not at full CPU load though, which seems to be my worst. I hit 70C at 100% CPU.

that's not bad at all.

85+ is where you should start to worry.

[emosun]

Just now, RadiatingLight said:

so if you have positive pressure -- no dust. if you have negative pressure then your filters are useless

and if you have a can of air you blow the dust out in 15 seconds every couple months bfd

[RadiatingLight]

Just now, emosun said:

and if you have a can of air you blow the dust out in 15 seconds every couple months bfd

yeah basically. except for that it takes 5 minutes and it's every 2 weeks.

 

[JaegerB]

5 minutes ago, Vigilante505 said:

Because I'm crazy. Thats not at full CPU load though, which seems to be my worst. I hit 70C at 100% CPU.

Even 70 isn't terrible. 80+ is when there are issues. Still, I get that some people want to squeeze as much out of their expensive cooling rigs as possible

[SquintyG33Rs]

11 minutes ago, Snipergod87 said:

In general yes however that would net is negative pressure inside the case which is not recommended.

no you're not accounting for the restriction the radiator brings. it is 3x120mm but they don't move as much air as they would without the rad vs 2x140mm completely free of obstructions

[Vigilante505]

1 minute ago, JaegerB said:

Even 70 isn't terrible. 80+ is when there are issues. Still, I get that some people want to squeeze as much out of their expensive cooling rigs as possible

Thats what I mean. I just want optimal placement and best temps with my setup. I'm not actively working to get everything down to 30C on load or anything.