Corsair 750D - is this fan setup ok?

[Fynriel]

First time builder here, I'm getting a Corsair 750D (Airflow Edition) and I wanted to ask about how to best set up the airflow within the case.

Here's what I'm thinking:

2x 140mm Intake (Front)
1x 140mm Exhaust (Rear)
PSU facing down, exhaust back

So far so good, now here's the parts I'm unsure about:

GPU has EVGA's ACX Cooler (2 fans)
CPU is supposed to get a H100i, radiator would go at the top with either push or pull config exhausting out of the case with 2x 120mm fans.

Now I don't know how these two factor into the overall airflow, i.e.
1. whether I end up with positive or negative pressure
2. whether this is enough cooling for my system overall (I could place another intake fan at the bottom in front of the PSU I suppose)

Also, which Corsair fans should I use for the different applications?
I don't want to use the ones that come with the case because I want green LED ones. Can you point me in the right direction? I'm guessing the radiator ones need to be different from the case ones for higher pressure?

Also, if I'm not using the top as an intake, do I NEED to remove the dust filter? Because aesthetically I looks much better with it on.

Also, should the intakes blow over my HDD or should I rather move it out of the way? If the former, I would have to put the 2 drive cages directly in front of the intakes.

And if I didn't have liquid cooling, how would a cpu air cooler factor into this? Would I need more exhaust fans then?

I'm sorry I have so many questions. This is my first build and I want to make sure I get a good understanding of what I'm about to do.

Any other advice or reccomendations is greatly appreciated!

 

[datguy20]

Usually you just make front and bottom fans intake, top and rear exhaust. For the radiator, although it doesn't matter much, I would say do push for the marginal performance difference.

Having a filter on the top won't really do anything terrible to temperatures, it will most likely just add a small amount of resistance to the fans that won't matter.

If you want green LED corsair fans then you're stuck with their SP120/140 LED Green fans. Normally I would say use the airflow fans everywhere but the radiators/heatsinks, where you would do static pressure fans, but it shouldn't matter a lot. And yes, you should have at least a tiny bit of air flow on your hard drives. They don't run extremely hot, but if you shove them in the back of a case covered in wires their life span could be reduced by the heat.

If you only need one drive cage for all your drives, I would say remove any extra cages for improved flow. It's just a minor thing, but it is better to have it out of the way.

 

[Fynriel]

Thanks, that was very helpful! Can you point me to any alternatives to the corsair AF fans that also have high airflow and green leds?

 

[datguy20]

Thanks, that was very helpful! Can you point me to any alternatives to the corsair AF fans that also have high airflow and green leds?

Well these 140's and these 120's are the only green led fans Corsair makes. If you're ok with going with a different brand then you'll have a lot more options. Honestly though it shouldn't matter a lot, unless you want your case to be a wind tunnel that is louder than a plane taking off.

If you like LED's and Corsair, then go with those fans and just speed control them if you don't want them to be loud. 1650RPM is pretty loud. I find around 1000RPM and lower to be very quiet. The only thing you lose by going with those fans versus the Corsair AF120/140 or SP120 Quiet/Performance fans is the changeable color rings and anti-vibration corners.

My current system runs two Corsair AF140 Quiets, one AF120 Quiet, and two SP120 Quiets on a Corsair H100. The noise isn't even that bad with them all running full speed, but I do turn them down slightly via my motherboard with fan splitters.

 

[Fynriel]

Aren't the SP ones louder? So wouldn't I be better served with using high airflow ones from a different brand?

As for speed controlling them, this is something I'm still largely unclear on. How do I set up fan controls? Do I need one of those drive bay modules? I don't need to control them all individually honestly, I don't know enough to really make informed decisions there anyway, but I don't know.

I just want them to be quieter when I'm just on the desktop naturally.

 

[Fynriel]

These NZXT Airflow fans actually appear to be a tad quieter than he corsair AF ones: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-fan-rffz140g1

 

[datguy20]

Quick rundown on decent fan producers... Corsair, Noctua, and Cougar for the really high quality fans (although many brands make good fans). Basically any fan will do what you need it to though, but if you don't mind spending extra you can get quality fans that will last longer (in the $12-30 range). Cougar has some green LED fans that might suit you.

As for controlling fans, you either plug them into a 5.25" bay device like a fan controller, or get enough fan splitters to plug them into your motherboard, thus allowing you to control them with BIOS settings (that's what I do). Splitters are a lot cheaper than a fan controller, but you shouldn't put more than an amp on any one motherboard header. Just some simple addition of how much each fan uses and you'll see if you need one or more splitters.

I would recommend the splitters for the cheaper route. Some motherboards even have enough headers to not need any splitters. Also, some splitters allow fans to be controlled from the motherboard, while being powered from the power supply.

 

[datguy20]

These NZXT Airflow fans actually appear to be a tad quieter than he corsair AF ones: Most]http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-fan-rffz140g1

Most manufacturers exaggerate their fan specs, and sometimes outright lie. Going to third-party review sites for a noise test is preferred. I think Noctua are the only people that have reliable fan noise specs.

Also, I would hope those fans are quieter, as they run at 1000RPM instead of 1650RPM. lol

 

[Fynriel]

Cougar seems to be quite hard to get in the UK, unfortunately.

If I control them with BIOS settings, does that mean I always have to go into the BIOS menu, i.e. restart my PC just to change the fan speeds?

My motherboard has 3 only system fan headers, but the h100i apparently has 2 splitters for fans on the water block, so I could hook up 4 of my 5 fans there and control them with Corsair Link maybe. But I'm not sure.

 

[datguy20]

Cougar seems to be quite hard to get in the UK, unfortunately.

If I control them with BIOS settings, does that mean I always have to go into the BIOS menu, i.e. restart my PC just to change the fan speeds?

My motherboard has 3 only system fan headers, but the h100i apparently has 2 splitters for fans on the water block, so I could hook up 4 of my 5 fans there and control them with Corsair Link maybe. But I'm not sure.

Every BIOS I've dealt with, both old and new, has fan speed control based on CPU temperature. It will ramp up when the CPU is hot, and slow down when it's not. Some also allow a set speed if you're into that kind of thing.

3 fan headers should be plenty for the amount of fans you have, unless all of them use more than 3 amps (unlikely). I would avoid Corsair Link if I were you. It's alright, but it's just extra software taking up RAM space. It really doesn't do a whole lot that you can't do with your motherboard (although you can buy thermistors for it and look at case temps).

Note that when you have multiple fans on a splitter, it will only read the RPM's of one of the fans. This only matters if you have some weird obsession with fan speeds, as all the fans will be controlled regardless.

If I were you, I would plug the H100i 3 pin plug into your motherboard to monitor pump RPM's (only necessary for knowing if the pump failed), and get some splitters for whatever fans you choose to hook into your motherboard. Depending on fan choice, you might be able to put them all on one splitter - example: the Corsair AF120/140 Quiets use almost no amps and you can put tons on a single header.

Just make sure that all the headers you plan on using allow for fan speed control, as some motherboards only let you control some of the headers.

 

[Fynriel]

Both the 2 SP120 corsairs for the rad, as well as the 3 140 airflows form NZXT I'm looking at are well below 1 amp.

So are you saying that the bios will control the fan speeds automatically?

So could I do:

the 2 front intake 140s on one splitter into the moherboard
the rear exhaust 140 on another header
and the 2 120 static pressure ones on the last header with another splitter

that would be all 5 fans connected to the motherboard.

I don't know were to see whether the headers allow for fan control. My motherboard is the Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Game Plus: http://uk.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5432&kw=game%20plus#sp
I can't seem to find the relevant info in the specs.

 

[datguy20]

Both the 2 SP120 corsairs for the rad, as well as the 3 140 airflows form NZXT I'm looking at are well below 1 amp.

So are you saying that the bios will control the fan speeds automatically?

So could I do:

the 2 front intake 140s on one splitter into the moherboard
the rear exhaust 140 on another header
and the 2 120 static pressure ones on the last header with another splitter

that would be all 5 fans connected to the motherboard.

I don't know were to see whether the headers allow for fan control. My motherboard is the Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Game Plus: http://uk.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5432&kw=game%20plus#sp
I can't seem to find the relevant info in the specs.

Yeah, you have the right idea. You actually might not need a splitter for the CPU fans. You have a CPU fan header and a CPU_OPT header. It looks like you only really need a 2-to-1 3-pin splitter for your front fans, as everything else could just be put directly on a header. The only reason you would need a splitter for the CPU fans is if you want to monitor your pumps RPM without controlling it (because running it at variable speeds probably isn't good unless it's made for that), in which case you would need a splitter to run the fans on the CPU header, then put the pump on the CPU_OPT.

The easiest way to find out if your motherboard controls fan speed (it should on at least 1-2 headers) would to just boot into your BIOS and check.

One thing to look out for is that because all of those fans you're looking at are 3 pin, they can't be controlled by PWM. If your motherboard only allows for PWM fan control, then you won't be able to control the fans and they will run full speed. To make the problem worse, you probably won't know whether or not your motherboard allows for 3-pin fan control without either trying it yourself, or contacting the manufacturer. They don't usually tell you the specifics like I wish they would, and it makes things difficult.

 

[Fynriel]

You have a CPU fan header and a CPU_OPT header. It looks like you only really need a 2-to-1 3-pin splitter for your front fans, as everything else could just be put directly on a header. The only reason you would need a splitter for the CPU fans is if you want to monitor your pumps RPM without controlling it (because running it at variable speeds probably isn't good unless it's made for that), in which case you would need a splitter to run the fans on the CPU header, then put the pump on the CPU_OPT.

I don't quite understand. How can I put 2 cpus fans onto 1 CPU fan header without a splitter?

 

[datguy20]

I don't quite understand. How can I put 2 cpus fans onto 1 CPU fan header without a splitter?

Well you could plug one fan into the CPU header and the other into the CPU_OPT header. I just mentioned not needing a splitter as long as you don't mind not seeing the pump RPM.

If you do want to monitor your pumps RPM you will need a splitter however, so you could plug the pumps tachometer into the CPU_OPT header, and have both CPU fans on the CPU header.

 

[Fynriel]

What's the difference between the CPU_Fan and CPU_OPT headers? Do I need to plug the h100i istself into one of these as well?

 

[datguy20]

What's the difference between the CPU_Fan and CPU_OPT headers? Do I need to plug the h100i istself into one of these as well?

"CPU_OPT (Water Cooling CPU Fan Header)
The fan header is 4-pin and possesses a foolproof insertion design. When connecting a fan cable, be
sure to connect it in the correct orientation (the black connector wire is the ground wire). The speed control
function requires the use of a fan with fan speed control design." Here's your motherboards manual http://download.gigabyte.us/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_ga-z97x-game-plus_e.pdf Page 15-16 is the CPU/CPU_OPT header info

From the manual, it says that your CPU header supports PWM fan speed control, but the Sys_Fan1/2/3 and CPU_OPT headers use 3-pin fan speed control. The 4th pin on the Sys_Fan1/2/3 and CPU_OPT headers are labeled "VCC," so I'm not sure if they can do PWM control or not. Not my area of expertise.

Anyways, you only need to plug in the molex for your H100i to work. The 3-pin connector is simply for monitoring the pumps RPM, and can be left unplugged if you want. I personally run my H100 on a 3-to-1 4-pin splitter, with the pump on the splitters tachometer (splitters only have 1 tachometer wire). The rest of the fans are controlled, but I can't see their RPM's.

 

[llamalicous]

First time builder here, I'm getting a Corsair 750D (Airflow Edition) and I wanted to ask about how to best set up the airflow within the case.

Here's what I'm thinking:

2x 140mm Intake (Front)
1x 140mm Exhaust (Rear)
PSU facing down, exhaust back

So far so good, now here's the parts I'm unsure about:

GPU has EVGA's ACX Cooler (2 fans)
CPU is supposed to get a H100i, radiator would go at the top with either push or pull config exhausting out of the case with 2x 120mm fans.

Now I don't know how these two factor into the overall airflow, i.e.
1. whether I end up with positive or negative pressure
2. whether this is enough cooling for my system overall (I could place another intake fan at the bottom in front of the PSU I suppose)

Also, which Corsair fans should I use for the different applications?
I don't want to use the ones that come with the case because I want green LED ones. Can you point me in the right direction? I'm guessing the radiator ones need to be different from the case ones for higher pressure?

Also, if I'm not using the top as an intake, do I NEED to remove the dust filter? Because aesthetically I looks much better with it on.

Also, should the intakes blow over my HDD or should I rather move it out of the way? If the former, I would have to put the 2 drive cages directly in front of the intakes.

And if I didn't have liquid cooling, how would a cpu air cooler factor into this? Would I need more exhaust fans then?

I'm sorry I have so many questions. This is my first build and I want to make sure I get a good understanding of what I'm about to do.

Any other advice or reccomendations is greatly appreciated!

I thought have the front and rear intake , and make the two top exhaust because after all heat rises so wouldn't it be most efficient to make the top exhaust ?