Which case fans should I get and how many ?

[Modinstaller]

Hey !

 

I upgraded my rig recently, and though I'm not overclocking (not yet for the gpu anyway), I believe better air cooling will improve performance and health. My 1070 climbs to 82°C pretty fast in demanding games and throttles. Setting its fan to 100% does not prevent it, it just makes it rise slower. Now I don't know much about cooling a computer, so that's why I came here

 

Anyway, my case is a Thermaltake V3 Black Edition, all 5 slots are 120mm. I only have 1 OEM fan at the back top. I'm looking for a cheap and effective setup, effective enough so that I can oc my gpu. I don't care much about aesthetics or noise (got closed headphones).

 

I did some research, and it seems I'll need static pressure fans at the bottom and front. Is that right ?

 

The 4 fans I spotted from least to most expensive (I live in France) are the Arctic F12 PWM, Corsair SP120 (airflow), BeQuiet Silent Wings 2 and Corsair AF120 (static pressure). I'm not sure whether the BeQuiet & Arctic fans are optimized for airflow or static pressure though.

 

Any other fans I should look at ? Out of those 4, which ones should I get ?

 

Finally, my motherboard only has 1 fan header and I understand that the 4 fans listed above don't come with molex adapters, and I didn't find any at a good price. However, I spotted this fan hub which seemed like it would work and wasn't too expensive. Should I get it ?

 

Thanks for reading

[aezakmi]

First remove as many as you can from inside your case (extra drive bays, plastics, covers, etc) and do some cable management, you can use zip ties or rubber bands.

Considering you only have a single header I wouldn't recommend you the SP120 fans, those are radiator fans, not case fans, AF would be better, tell you something, my old rig had regular $10 PSU fans on it, all molex, sure they were noisy (constant 1800 RPM) but kept everything cool so if you want something cheap but effective get 2, front and side, you already have the top exhaust.

[WoodenMarker]

What motherboard do you have and how is your current cooling laid out?

What's your budget?

The fan hub you linked splits a pwm signal to the headers on the hub. It'll be good for controlling 4pin pwm fans but will only power 3pin fans at 100% rpm. 

[Modinstaller]

@aezakmi

So I should remove the drive bay covers etc... ? I have an unused disc drive which hasn't been working for years, but I just let it sit there as to not disrupt the case's designed airflow (couldn't find the cover). Should I just remove that as well ?

 

Cable management is something I need to do. I'd done it before the upgrade but I have some new huge PSU cables and need to rethink it a bit.

 

@WoodenMarker

My motherboard is a Gigabyte H310M DS2. I have always neglected my computer, so I always simply kept the OEM fan that came with the case, back top. The gpu (Inno3D GTX 1070 TWIN x2) has 2 fans, the cpu (i5 8400) has its stock cooler. The PSU is at the bottom blowing down. The computer is elevated around 13 cm (5 inches) above the floor, sitting with its backside (the one without any vent) to the wall.

 

My motherboard can apparently control 3 pin & 4 pin, but only has 1 fan header. Would other fan hubs allow to control both 4 pin and 3 pin fans ? I believe the OEM fan is 3-pin but not sure.

 

Is it a big deal if all of the fans run at full speed constantly ? Some of them ?

 

[WoodenMarker]

49 minutes ago, Modinstaller said:

So I should remove the drive bay covers etc... ? I have an unused disc drive which hasn't been working for years, but I just let it sit there as to not disrupt the case's designed airflow (couldn't find the cover). Should I just remove that as well ?

Cable management is something I need to do. I'd done it before the upgrade but I have some new huge PSU cables and need to rethink it a bit.

 

@WoodenMarker

My motherboard is a Gigabyte H310M DS2. I have always neglected my computer, so I always simply kept the OEM fan that came with the case, back top. The gpu (Inno3D GTX 1070 TWIN x2) has 2 fans, the cpu (i5 8400) has its stock cooler. The PSU is at the bottom blowing down. The computer is elevated around 13 cm (5 inches) above the floor, sitting with its backside (the one without any vent) to the wall.

My motherboard can apparently control 3 pin & 4 pin, but only has 1 fan header. Would other fan hubs allow to control both 4 pin and 3 pin fans ? I believe the OEM fan is 3-pin but not sure.

Is it a big deal if all of the fans run at full speed constantly ? Some of them ?

Objects in the way will obstruct airflow. Cables don't make much of a difference though since they're rather thin.

What psu do you have? Is the fan facing the outside or inside of the case? The psu fan is generally an intake that pulls into the psu and exhausts out the vent in the rear. 

Unless you want different fan curves for your fans, a splitter to the motherboard fan header will do. The headers on the motherboard can control either 4pin pwm or 3pin dc fans with a pwm / dc mode option in the motherboard settings. The stock case fan should have a 3pin header. 

Case fans are designed to run at 100% and it's fine to leave them at max rpm as long as the noise doesn't bother you.

Turbines are good: https://www.topachat.com/pages/detail2_cat_est_micro_puis_rubrique_est_w_tu_ven_puis_ref_est_in10103526.html

For 3pin fans like these, you should use traditional splitters instead of a powered pwm hub. https://www.rueducommerce.fr/produit/noctua-cables-en-y-4-broches-21024254/offre-33985430

If you can find a cheaper splitter--especially one with more headers, that'd be good. A bottom intake and rear exhaust would be good but adding another front intake could also help. 

When quoting, a drop down menu appears when typing in after the @ symbol. You have to click on the member's name to tag.

[Modinstaller]

@WoodenMarker

 

I have a Seasonic M12II 520 EVO. The fan is at the bottom of the case (which is elevated, roughly 5 inches (13 cm) above ground). I think it is indeed intake.

 

Tried to find splitters but couldn't see any, that's why I went with the fan hub. I'll keep looking though. One question : if the splitter doesn't have a molex cable, can't it be dangerous to plug more than 1 fan to my motherboard's fan header without knowing how much it can take ? I tried to find that info in the manual, but it was nowhere to be found. As such I assumed I'd have to be real careful about using splitters like the one you linked, because it was possible to fry the motherboard.

 

Last question, are static pressure fans not needed at all ? I thought since the bottom fan was so close to the floor and the front fan was partially obstructed by the front panel, that an airflow fan wouldn't be as effective, but am I mistaken ?

 

Thanks for the help by the way

[WoodenMarker]

57 minutes ago, Modinstaller said:

I have a Seasonic M12II 520 EVO. The fan is at the bottom of the case (which is elevated, roughly 5 inches (13 cm) above ground). I think it is indeed intake.

Tried to find splitters but couldn't see any, that's why I went with the fan hub. I'll keep looking though. One question : if the splitter doesn't have a molex cable, can't it be dangerous to plug more than 1 fan to my motherboard's fan header without knowing how much it can take ? I tried to find that info in the manual, but it was nowhere to be found. As such I assumed I'd have to be real careful about using splitters like the one you linked, because it was possible to fry the motherboard.

Last question, are static pressure fans not needed at all ? I thought since the bottom fan was so close to the floor and the front fan was partially obstructed by the front panel, that an airflow fan wouldn't be as effective, but am I mistaken ?

Yep, it's an intake.

 

I linked a 2-way fan splitter. They can be plugged into each other if want to split to more fans. The amount of power a fan draws and how much a header supports is often listed in their specs or manual. The Turbines use 0.2A each and modern motherboard fan headers usually support at least 1A on a fan header which means you can theoretically run up to 5 off of one header. Fans usually take a bit more power at startup to get the fan spinning so you probably shouldn't use that many fans off of a header but you should be fine with at least 3 Turbines off of a fan header on your motherboard.

 

All fans have some degree of both static pressure and airflow. A design that's optimized for static pressure will often sacrifice airflow and vice-versa. The most optimal fan is one that delivers as much airflow as possible while having enough static pressure to get past obstructions in its environment. What's considered a static pressure or airflow fan is fairly arbitrary. Turbines have an good amount of static pressure and should provide ample airflow in your case while being fairly quiet.

[aezakmi]

Remove anything that's not essential for the computer to work, internally. Disc drive, it won't matter, there are no fans where the 5.25in bays are located so.. keep it.

If you wanna keep it simple and safe my advice would be to avoid splitters, extensions, hubs or adapters, if your mobo has only one header that's it, get molex powered low rpm fans (<1000) if you don't want noise, plug and play.

 

Unless you're one of these freaks users that need to monitor and control your fans RPM 24/7 you don't need to burn cash in expensive hubs or controllers

I do have a DC controller but I rarely use it, unless I'm benchmarking or testing oc presets, and that doesn't happens too often, I just like to turn on my rig and use it knowing it won't fail

[Modinstaller]

@WoodenMarker

@aezakmi

 

Alright, I think I know enough to make a decision.

 

I opened my case just now and tried to the best of my ability to move the cables out of the way & group them. It was kind of hard with the big motherboard power cable, and I think my case is quite basic in that regard, but I think I did a good job. I'd provide pics if I had a smartphone

 

I was also curious to see if I could remove the grate in front of the bottom fan mount (the one with the logo), and I just ended up doing it. It had tiny holes and I thought it would obstruct the fan. There's nothing else not essential that's in the way of airflow, as far as I can see, so I believe the case is ready for more fans.

 

I'll see if I can find anything more affordable than the fan hub I linked. If I don't, it still seems like a good deal to me, even if it doesn't allow fan control with 3 pins.

 

Thanks to both of you for the help, it's much appreciated

[WoodenMarker]

5 minutes ago, Modinstaller said:

I'll see if I can find anything more affordable than the fan hub I linked. If I don't, it still seems like a good deal to me, even if it doesn't allow fan control with 3 pins.

Any reason why you can't go with the Noctua splitters I linked above?

[Modinstaller]

@WoodenMarker

 

The way I understand it, that choice would limit me to 3 fans (that would be 2 more + the stock one) going by your advice not to plug more than 3 fans to my motherboard. I can't for the life of me find where in my damn motherboard manual it says how many ampere the header supports. I think it just doesn't.

 

If I end up going for more than 3 total fans and find out my motherboard can support 4 or more, I'll need two of those which ends up being more expensive than the hub.

 

I saw splitters with a molex cable, so basically like a hub but just a bunch of cables. I figure that could work for the motherboard power limitations, but it comes down to price once more for me.

[WoodenMarker]

11 minutes ago, Modinstaller said:

The way I understand it, that choice would limit me to 3 fans (that would be 2 more + the stock one) going by your advice not to plug more than 3 fans to my motherboard. I can't for the life of me find where in my damn motherboard manual it says how many ampere the header supports. I think it just doesn't.

If I end up going for more than 3 total fans and find out my motherboard can support 4 or more, I'll need two of those which ends up being more expensive than the hub.

I saw splitters with a molex cable, so basically like a hub but just a bunch of cables. I figure that could work for the motherboard power limitations, but it comes down to price once more for me.

You can plug a splitter into a splitter if you want to use 3 fans off of a header. 

Yeah, the amperage isn't shown in the motherboard manual sometimes. You can contact Gigabyte for confirmation but it's the norm for standard fan headers on modern motherboards to support at least 1A. I wouldn't worry about the motherboard not being able to power the fans unless you plan to run 4+ Turbines off of one header.

Splitters with a molex cables are either purely for power or split a pwm signal like the hub you originally linked. They're functionally the same when it comes to powering fans.  

[Modinstaller]

@WoodenMarker

 

I'm still not sure how many fans I should go for, so that's why I'm hesitant to use 2 Y splitters. I was told that air cooling has diminishing returns, but that's rather vague. Is the difference between 3 and 4 total fans worth the added price ? I don't know if anyone can even answer that. What's your take ? I'm still aiming for low enough temps to overclock my gpu.

 

Edit : no side panel mount by the way, I made sure of it (no screw holes)

[WoodenMarker]

3 minutes ago, Modinstaller said:

@WoodenMarker

I'm still not sure how many fans I should go for, so that's why I'm hesitant to use 2 Y splitters. I was told that air cooling has diminishing returns, but that's rather vague. Is the difference between 3 and 4 total fans worth the added price ? I don't know if anyone can even answer that. What's your take ? I'm still aiming for low enough temps to overclock my gpu.

2-3 fans. A bottom intake and a rear exhaust should be plenty of cooling. Adding another front intake can help a bit but is unnecessary.