Desk PC Radiator Issue

[BaileyPerkins]

Hey guys, im currently building a custom Desk PC and have a couple questions regarding my fan setup.

http://imgur.com/0mHBggG

As seen in the image attached above, my radiators are going to be sat at the back of the desk, but im just wondering which way i should attach the fans?
I know there is quite a debate about people using the radiator as an intake/exhaust, but im leading towards using it as an intake as i have purchased Corsair HD120 RGB fans and sort of want to have them facing me + adding light to the inside.
would it be ideal to have 3 fans on either side of each radiator (6 fans per radiator) pushing air into the case and having my exhausts on the front?

Cheers in advance guys.

 

[the nerd 389]

If you want the effects of the RGB fans to be visible, I recommend mounting them as pull exhausts. You should put a filtered intake somewhere that you can clean it easily, as opening the case will involve clearing the desk.

Also consider mounting a fan or two inside for circulation only. You can get stagnant hotspots in a case that size. The other option is to duct the airflow to where you need it.

 

[BaileyPerkins]

MERGED QUESTION
Question from BaileyPerkins : "custom Desk PC Case airflow questions."

http://i.imgur.com/0mHBggG.jpg

As seen in the picture above, I am building a custom desk PC and am curious about how my fans should be set up to achieve maximum airflow.
The box is 1400mm x 600mm with the 2 radiators seated on the backside of the box using a push/pull configuration.
Just wonder where you guys think the other intakes/exhausts should go to maximize airflow.
Cheers in advance guys

MERGED QUESTION
Question from BaileyPerkins : "Custom Desk PC Airflow"

As seen in the picture above, I am building a custom desk PC and am curious about how my fans should be set up to achieve maximum airflow.
The box is 1400mm x 600mm with the 2 radiators seated on the backside of the box using a push/pull configuration.
Just wonder where you guys think the other intakes/exhausts should go to maximize airflow.
Cheers in advance guys

 

[the nerd 389]

Regarding exhausts, the easiest option is to use the radiators. You may want to turn the radiators so that the pipe enters and exits on the outside, though. It looks like you have an air cooler on at least one GPU. By turning the radiator, you feed the coolest air into the portion of the radiator with both the warmest and the coolest water (because the flow enters and exits on the same side). This will allow you to cool the water slightly more than if the coldest water encountered the warmer air coming off of the GPU.

There are three decent options for the intakes that I can see.

The first and most ideal is to place the fans on the wall directly across from the radiators. This gives you a single direction of flow, and minimizes the risk of hot spots forming. This also gives you easy access to filters if you decide to install them.

The second and the riskiest with regards to re-circulation/hot spots is to place the intakes on the sides of the case near the radiator. You could move the intakes further away from the radiators to minimize that risk.

The third, and probably the least apparent, placement is to mount the intakes on the bottom, and have them draw air upwards into the case. The specific location I'd recommend is between the reservoirs and the wall opposite the radiators. This easily gives you the most space to mount the fans, and hides the openings underneath the desk.

Lastly, you could combine any of the options above to achieve as much airflow as you could want.

I would avoid placing fans in the center of the desk on the bottom panel for a number of reasons. Specifically, that has the greatest risk of forming hot spots, it places the fans over your knees (possibly annoying), and it may compromise the structural integrity of the desk. With the fans in the center, the hot spots would be near the center of the front, and heat could cause the wood to warp over time. The presence of a hole in the center would allow the wood to warp more than it would otherwise, and could put unexpected stress on the motherboard.

 

[Kevin_K15]

I'm going to go with the first option but what I still don't understand is how I am powering the radiators and pumps bc they will be a good length away from the power supply.