Zephmeister
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Hello all! Just looking for some advice in cooling my PC. My current setup is as follows:
Corsair Graphite 600T White with mesh side panel (has grommets for 4x 120mm fans in it)
-Has front 200mm fan, top 200mm fan, rear exhaust 120mm fan
EVGA X79 Dark motherboard
Intel i7-3930k CPU
-Is cooled by Noctua NH-D14
8GB (2x4GB) Corsair Vengeance 1866 C9 RAM
Crucial M4 128GB SSD
1TB Western Digital Caviar Black HDD
Galaxy GT 430 512MB GPU
Coolermaster 650W PSU
So that's my current setup.
I was considering buying a Swiftech H220 AIO (expandable) liquid cooler for my CPU in hopes that someday I'll expand the loop to include a high end HydroCopper GPU from EVGA. I liked the idea of having an all-in-one liquid cooler that wouldn't require me to get rid of it when I decide to go ahead and make a custom loop. I've just been concerned about how much I can really fit into my case since the motherboard is an E-ATX fit into a (technically) mid-tower case and I can maybe only fit a dual 120mm radiator at best with a single 120mm radiator in the back. I don't plan on getting rid of my case, nor do I want to even consider modding it. Sometimes I feel that maybe liquid cooling is overkill and I should stick to air cooling... then I go back and forth.
Any advice and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
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chris-nyc
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Re: Requesting Cooling Advice
2013/10/08 14:10:17
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You can fit a 240 on the top, but probably not with push/pull fans. There's not enough space between the mobo heatsink and the top of the case for the rad + 25mm fan. You can, however, mount the radiator in the top and 25mm fans above it in pull config, because there is space between the top mesh (removable) and the inner chassis top of the case. You can fit a 240 rad in the front in push/pull just fine if you remove the hard drive cages (which improves your airflow considerably, anyway), but you'll have to make sure you have good airflow design to exhaust the warm air from the rad OUT of your case. IMO the 600T is a beautifully designed case with precisely one major flaw -- it's about ONE INCH too short. A quick google search of "600T water" will reveal just how much energy various people have put into trying to fix that flaw (mods). Fwiw, my 120mm rad H80i cools my cpu reasonably well (or at least it cooled my 3820 pretty well, my new 4930k may require an upgrade in cooling) and fits easily on the rear exhaust of the case.
post edited by chris-nyc - 2013/10/08 14:15:27
Asus RIVBE • i7 4930K @ 4.7ghz • 8gb Corsair Dominator Platinum 2133 C8
2xSLI EVGA GTX 770 SC • Creative X-Fi Titanium • 2x 840 SSD + 1TB Seagate Hybrid
EVGA Supernova 1300W• Asus VG278H & nVidia 3d Vision
Phanteks Enthoo Primo w/ custom watercooling:
XSPC Raystorm (cpu & gpu), XSPC Photon 170, Swiftech D5 vario
Alphacool Monsta 360mm +6x NB e-loop, XT45 360mm +6x Corsair SP120 
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Zephmeister
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Re: Requesting Cooling Advice
2013/10/08 14:57:54
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Yeah, I have read some of the obstacles in hooking up more than just a 240 rad on the top of the 600T. I've been hearing that you can only fit a 200mm rad in the front but not a full 240. I have already cleared my hard drive cages to optimize the airflow. So if I have intake in the front and top, is the exhaust in the rear going to be enough? Should I also have exhaust from the mesh on the side? I think I can fit the 200mm fan on the side to direct flow out.
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chris-nyc
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Re: Requesting Cooling Advice
2013/10/09 07:39:11
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Positive pressure is [generally considered] better than negative (in other words: more air in than out), so in from the front & top 200mm and exhaust through the rear 120mm is how I have mine. Since I was concerned about the warm air generated by two 770 ACX gpu's, I also doubled up the front 200mm fans to increase intake, works pretty well... my 600T is like an wind tunnel.
Asus RIVBE • i7 4930K @ 4.7ghz • 8gb Corsair Dominator Platinum 2133 C8
2xSLI EVGA GTX 770 SC • Creative X-Fi Titanium • 2x 840 SSD + 1TB Seagate Hybrid
EVGA Supernova 1300W• Asus VG278H & nVidia 3d Vision
Phanteks Enthoo Primo w/ custom watercooling:
XSPC Raystorm (cpu & gpu), XSPC Photon 170, Swiftech D5 vario
Alphacool Monsta 360mm +6x NB e-loop, XT45 360mm +6x Corsair SP120
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Zephmeister
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Re: Requesting Cooling Advice
2013/10/09 11:53:24
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So when you doubled up the 200mm fans in the front, did you use the stock fan from the top?
Also, I just ordered my Swiftech H220 today so I should be getting it in about a week or so. I'll probably fit it in a push config into the case from the top, leave my rear fan in exhaust and my front fan as intake. Does the 200mm fan fit the mesh side panel? I seem to have discarded my window insert for the side so my PC has just had the ventilation from the mesh side this whole time. I figured if I could reuse that 200mm fan to improve the cooling, it'd be nice.
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chris-nyc
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Re: Requesting Cooling Advice
2013/10/09 13:27:35
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Not sure, I've never used the mesh side panel, only the window. My feeling is that a mesh side panel actually reduces effective airflow because it breaks the intentional front-to-back design I have set up and lets the air move all willy nilly in there. ;) But you're probably right, putting that 200mm on the side panel would probably bring a LOT of air into the case, just watch out for dust buildup! I actually bought two of these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103072 to replace the stock case fans, because they have much better airflow. But it turns out the thicker fan won't fit on the top, so instead I screwed it right to the other one mounted on the front (essentially, I just sandwiched two of them together). I doubt it actually doubles airflow, but it certainly increased it, which was bonus since I had already removed the hdd cages to optimize airflow and have tons of empty space going to waste down there.
post edited by chris-nyc - 2013/10/09 13:38:09
Asus RIVBE • i7 4930K @ 4.7ghz • 8gb Corsair Dominator Platinum 2133 C8
2xSLI EVGA GTX 770 SC • Creative X-Fi Titanium • 2x 840 SSD + 1TB Seagate Hybrid
EVGA Supernova 1300W• Asus VG278H & nVidia 3d Vision
Phanteks Enthoo Primo w/ custom watercooling:
XSPC Raystorm (cpu & gpu), XSPC Photon 170, Swiftech D5 vario
Alphacool Monsta 360mm +6x NB e-loop, XT45 360mm +6x Corsair SP120
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Zephmeister
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Re: Requesting Cooling Advice
2013/10/09 13:45:48
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Oh nice! Maybe I should consider purchasing a replacement window just to have that unhindered view of my motherboard. But for now, I'll just use zip ties to keep the fan on the mesh side panel when I get my new CPU cooler.
So I'd want to have the side fan as intake right? I'm sure if the air pressure due to intake is too high, it'll just escape through the mesh around the fan anyway.
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chris-nyc
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Re: Requesting Cooling Advice
2013/10/09 14:33:04
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Zephmeister
Oh nice! Maybe I should consider purchasing a replacement window just to have that unhindered view of my motherboard. But for now, I'll just use zip ties to keep the fan on the mesh side panel when I get my new CPU cooler.
So I'd want to have the side fan as intake right? I'm sure if the air pressure due to intake is too high, it'll just escape through the mesh around the fan anyway.
Yes, intake. Positive pressure (re: more intake than exhaust) is the way to go, that way any warm air inside the case will find any crack or crevice it can to escape. Most of the time, the only exhaust on your case should be the top rear (and possibly top....although on my 600T I improved temps by reversing my top 200mm fan to intake. ymmv.)
Asus RIVBE • i7 4930K @ 4.7ghz • 8gb Corsair Dominator Platinum 2133 C8
2xSLI EVGA GTX 770 SC • Creative X-Fi Titanium • 2x 840 SSD + 1TB Seagate Hybrid
EVGA Supernova 1300W• Asus VG278H & nVidia 3d Vision
Phanteks Enthoo Primo w/ custom watercooling:
XSPC Raystorm (cpu & gpu), XSPC Photon 170, Swiftech D5 vario
Alphacool Monsta 360mm +6x NB e-loop, XT45 360mm +6x Corsair SP120
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Zephmeister
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Re: Requesting Cooling Advice
2013/10/09 15:17:35
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Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely do that. :)
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