Fan preference: good airflow and adequate cooling
Fan preference: good airflow and adequate cooling
I own a NZXT H440 case and want it to stay well-ventilated with a slight positive air pressure to prevent dust in through cracks and the back panel. My current plan is:
Intake: 3 NF-P12 fans positioned at the front, behind dust filters, and inside a fairly tight front panel.
Exhaust: 3 NF-P12 fans arranged on an EK-CoolStream SE 360 radiator atop the case (thin radiator due to MB clearance), plus one NF-A14 fan on an EK-CoolStream CE 140 radiator on the back.
Since all exhaust fans are mounted on radiators, I expect airflow to be limited, which should help maintain positive pressure. This makes sense?
Additionally, I’m wondering if these radiators will work well in this setup—cooling an i7 CPU (expected to be i7-7700k) and a single GPU (GTX1080). Mounting a radiator on the front fans would block my HDD trays, which I’m not certain I’ll need but want to keep flexible. Also, these are the only fans protected by dust filters.
You didn't specify any details about open loop water cooling or AIO systems, just that the CPU uses only AIO water cooling. The main heat source will come from the graphics card, particularly those with open air designs like EVGA ACX or Gigabyte windforce. This setup can cause warm air to escape through the front panel, potentially lowering the radiator's efficiency due to higher internal temperatures.
Regarding your cooling configuration, you're considering different radii and airflow setups. It seems you're evaluating options for a 360 mm + 140 mm arrangement or similar. The question is about the pump setup—whether you're using a single pump, multiple pumps, or a combination with top and bottom units. Given the size constraints of your drive cages and the dimensions of a GTX 1080 (~277 mm long, 115 mm tall), there may be limited space for additional components.
You didn't mention any open loop water cooling or AIO systems, just CPU-only AIO water cooling. The main source of heat will come from the graphics card, particularly those with open air designs like EVGA ACX or Gigabyte windforce. This means without front panel air vents, warm air won't be moved effectively, which could lower the radiator's top-side performance. Open loop CPU GPU cooling is an alternative option.
Regarding your setup, you're considering a configuration with 360 mm and 140 mm radii in series or dual GPUs. Pulling air through a filter instead of forcing it into the radiator seems preferable. I'm curious about the pumps and pump combinations you're using now—especially since the radiators are quite thick and you're concerned about space constraints around the drive cages and GTX 1080 dimensions.
You mentioned looking at the EK-XRES 140 pump+res combo and thinking about removing some HDD bays to fit it. I'm not sure yet if that's feasible, as I don't have the parts yet. Also, could you clarify your thoughts on pressure and cooling performance?
Pressure depends on the resistance to flow, with the CPU and GPU water block being the primary factors causing pressure loss.
Most manufacturers provide pump details, such as the original Laing D5 model which handles 1200 liters per hour at 12 meters of head. This value may drop when coolant flows through the water block since it must dissipate heat to the radiator.
PUMP
If coolant circulates throughout the system, the pump typically faces only one dynamic pressure and flow rate at its inlet and outlet. Most all-in-one systems, like the Corsair Hydro, are designed with a specific flow rate and head requirement based on their cooling design.
RADIATOR
From a theoretical standpoint, a larger radiator core helps equalize warm coolant inside with the surrounding air more efficiently. I don’t remember the exact calculation, but some suppliers, such as Hardwarelabs, provide detailed radiator performance data.
WATER BLOCK
This component is relatively stable and only has six units in use—one for each CPU model. I personally use EKWB Supremacy MX and EKFC CSQ.
COOLING PERFORMANCE
For more insights, consider these sites: www.martinsliquidlabs.com, www.extremerigs.com, www.thermalbench.com
Key aspects to note include the water block’s material, design, orientation (especially for CPU), radiator core dimensions, fan speed and type, and pump specifications.
I'm not sure anyone could correctly guess whether that mix would result in positive or negative case air pressure. Why not just run it and see? If you create a gap somewhere, you should be able to determine if air is escaping or entering it. Try using some thin plastic to check if it's drawn into the gap or blown away.
If the case pressure is negative, reduce the exhaust or boost the intake. If your fans adjust speed depending on chip temperature, this could affect performance at idle versus under load.
Blinding :
It seems unlikely anyone could reliably forecast whether that mix would produce positive or negative case air pressure. Why not just test it? If you create a gap somewhere, you should be able to determine if air is escaping or entering the space. Try using some thin plastic to see if it gets sucked in or blown away.
If the case pressure turns out negative, reduce exhaust flow or boost intake. Since your fans adjust speed according to chip temperature, this could explain differences at idle versus under load.
As I anticipated, I wasn’t expecting certainty, but I hope someone knows how much a fan’s airflow (especially a well-known model like the NF-P12) decreases behind a dust filter or when installed on a radiator. You’ll see there aren’t many options to improve exhaust in this configuration (even limiting fan speed would hurt cooling), so any suggestions about another model or brand that performs better as an intake—particularly for the H440’s tight design—would be extremely helpful.