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Air Flow Question

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davestune
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2014/09/16 15:34:01 (permalink)
Hi, I have a 900D with 3 fans (AF120)  in the front as you may know and what I did was pull the 140 on the rear of case and put 2 AF120's there.
I have 2 GTX extreme 480 rads, Both are pulling cool air into the case in push.
 My question is.
I have room for a few fans on the bottom Side of the case.
Should I put some fans there in exhaust and will it take away from the bottom intake fan on the front of the case?
Thanks for the help
Dave....

 
Intel 965                 Intel 520 X2   Raid 0   
X58 Classic 3           Lian Li case
Gskill ripjaws DDR3  9 9 9 24
GTX 680  X2  SLI


900D , X99 Classified, 5930k, 2x 860evo 2 TB ssd   2800 Corsair Platinum, duel loop 480's AX1200I  , EVGA RTX 2080 Super ,  EK waterblock
 gaming at 4.6 OC
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    Grey_Beard
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    Re: Air Flow Question 2014/09/16 16:20:45 (permalink)
    My suggestion would be more fans. I have two 480mm radiators in push/pull, which is 16 fans, but I have another 12 creating a positive air flow in my rig. In your case you can get that, but you need more inflow than out flow. Although number of fans do not create positive pressure, it can help. Positive pressure or air flow, is a way to limit dust build up and assure that you have enough air to keep the radiators cool and the overall rig components at great temperatures. Fan air pressure can also create a positive pressure, but the calculation is complex. Given your case size and the volume of air to fill the case, makes me think you need more fans. I would not exhaust them as you have currently, as your main exhaust should be over the radiators then out, not back into the case. There will be many different views. Research the idea and see what information is available. Given your case is a very popular one, there should be some information regarding this available. You should always exit the hot air from the radiators. Your current configuration may be adding degrees to your components rather than lowering them. Just reversing the fans on the radiator will make a big difference. I would maximize air inflow and exit all air over the radiators to maximize positive pressure and temperature performance. Let me know if I can help in any other way.



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    davestune
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    Re: Air Flow Question 2014/09/19 20:15:08 (permalink)
    Thanks Grey
    well I think im going to stick with fresh intake on rads.
    so 11 intake between 2 rads and 3 front fans
    2 exhust on rear of case 120's
    I have room for 2 120's on side of case , I would like to make them intake but then they would be blowing on lower rad I dont know how that will affect the flow?
    I could put them as exhust but then my lower front fan that is intake has me wondering if the air will be pulled out.
    What are Your thoughts?

     
    Intel 965                 Intel 520 X2   Raid 0   
    X58 Classic 3           Lian Li case
    Gskill ripjaws DDR3  9 9 9 24
    GTX 680  X2  SLI


    900D , X99 Classified, 5930k, 2x 860evo 2 TB ssd   2800 Corsair Platinum, duel loop 480's AX1200I  , EVGA RTX 2080 Super ,  EK waterblock
     gaming at 4.6 OC
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    Grey_Beard
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    Re: Air Flow Question 2014/09/20 11:36:44 (permalink)
    This will be a long answer and I am hopeful you read the entire post.
     
    There are many ways to do air flow and water loops.  The reasoning behind me exiting the air through my radiators is that I do not like dust.  I work hard at keeping dust out, as it the enemy of a system.  It can reduce the efficiency and reduce the life of the equipment.  Bringing air into a case from the radiators does help them cool the water better, but you lose the temp gains with the hot air from the radiators exiting into the case.  Also, you need to clean the radiators more often, since there will be considerable dust build up on them since it is the air inflow and the radiators act like a filter picking up the air particles given the positive charge of the radiators metal.  This is not to say my configuration does not have dust build up, but it should be less if I have been effective with limiting the dust inflow.  Even when you bring air in from the top, you get a considerable amount of particles and dirt which will build up on the radiators, which also reduces the effectiveness of the radiator since the dust build up insulates the radiator and actually will hold heat in.  This all my opinion, so it is not meant not to critique your set-up.  I believe in getting information, both good and bad, and then determining the path.  How often do you clean your radiator?  It would most-likely need it every three months, but will vary based on where you live and the time of year (Spring and Fall being more often given the pollen build up outside).  An effort that I am unwilling to do, especially since I like playing games and doing family things more than I like breaking my case down, draining my loop and cleaning my components.  Since my I did my set-up over the Christmas holiday in December, I have yet to drain it and clean my components, but will within the next 30 days.  I will have a good idea if my positive air flow configuration works in limiting the dust build up, but from my observations so far it looks to me like it has.
     
    The exhaust strategy you have will need the additional two fans on the bottom.  The fans blowing on the radiator will reduce their effectiveness in creating air flow for your case.  I would use them for exhaust. The other problem with having the lower fans be the exhaust, is that the air coming in from the front two, most-likely, will be pulled out and it may not get any additional temp benefits or even have temp increases base on the amount of hot air not being exhausted.  If it can create a vortex of airflow, it may help in bringing the hot air out, but the higher the air temp, the more it rises.  It would seem that the air would stay at the top of the case and continue to increase in temperature.  Not sure until you get accurate temps of the various areas of the case.  Most boards have a number of options for probes, as they are also fairly cheap to purchase, as I would also be curious of the board and internal temps of your case.  If have those, that may tell you if the configuration is effective as you feel it is.  With two 480mm radiators, you have enough heat dissipation for your configuration, but there is also the rest of the rig, such as the hard drives, DVD or CD, and the power supply, which all need to dissipate heat.
     
    I would consider changing the entire set-up (maybe just a push/pull configuration change may be all that is necessary), but I feel that would be a bit of work and you may be resistant given your happiness with the current configuration.  Check your internal temps, the temp of your board components not on a water block, the air inside your case, power supply, HHD, CD/DVD, etc.  If those are good, then you are fine.  If they are not, then a rework of the set-up may be warranted.  Also if there is dust build up and dirt built up on the radiators, then this can be another reason, given the time and issues with removing and cleaning a radiator.  Not that it cannot be done, but it a bit of work.  If you like that, then that is a personal choice.
     
    Sorry to be long wind, but I prefer to give too much information and all the options than short, limited statements, as I basically wrote a novel, but this is not a simple answer.  The answer is a bit of personal preference, a bit of efficiency, a bit of airflow and finally the desired temperature of the components within the rig.  Remember that this is not just the temp of the components which are included within your water loop that have blocks to dissipate the heat, but the overall rig and the things not actively on a block.  I took a great deal of time and thought to work on mine, as I still have some issues with how it fits.  I will change things a bit over the next few months, as I drain my loop I will reconfigure it with a purchase of a new top for my case allowing me more room for my push/pull top radiator configuration which will give me a bit more room for the tubing.  Although the fit is not exactly what I wanted, the temps of my components within my water loops, dust build up and the overall temps of the components not in my loops, as well as the air temperature within the case are below what I expected.
     
    We are here for assistance when necessary.  Let me know if I or others can assist you in anyway.  This only my opinion, as I am looking at nor have the intimacy with your set-up that you do.  PM me if we need to have a conversation regarding this, as I would be more than willing to help in way you need.



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    davestune
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    Re: Air Flow Question 2014/10/04 05:22:12 (permalink)
      Pulled top rad and have it pushing air out of the top,  I then added 3 fans on the bottom pulling air out the side.
    Just wanted to update the post.

     
    Intel 965                 Intel 520 X2   Raid 0   
    X58 Classic 3           Lian Li case
    Gskill ripjaws DDR3  9 9 9 24
    GTX 680  X2  SLI


    900D , X99 Classified, 5930k, 2x 860evo 2 TB ssd   2800 Corsair Platinum, duel loop 480's AX1200I  , EVGA RTX 2080 Super ,  EK waterblock
     gaming at 4.6 OC
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    Grey_Beard
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    Re: Air Flow Question 2014/10/04 06:37:41 (permalink)
    Sounds good. Are you happy with the increased airflow? How did the radiator install go?



    #6
    davestune
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    Re: Air Flow Question 2014/10/04 09:58:13 (permalink)
    dry run seem real nice. Love the air the fans pump out, Those noise blockers are real nice
    I just fired up my cpu water system and got the air out.
    This is so awesome as this is my first water cool system
    I need to hook up my ssd's and the pump when my ram comes in and then fire her up.
    My waterblocks for GPU comes this week but I want to run them on air first then build the loop if all is well

     
    Intel 965                 Intel 520 X2   Raid 0   
    X58 Classic 3           Lian Li case
    Gskill ripjaws DDR3  9 9 9 24
    GTX 680  X2  SLI


    900D , X99 Classified, 5930k, 2x 860evo 2 TB ssd   2800 Corsair Platinum, duel loop 480's AX1200I  , EVGA RTX 2080 Super ,  EK waterblock
     gaming at 4.6 OC
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