Fractal Define S + H100i

[BrianSharon]

Hey guys,

I'm in a bit of a bind and I could use some help.

I've slowly assembled my PC Build, and while I did a ton of research, there was one hurdle I didn't see coming.

I purchased a Fractal Define S case, for a few reasons. 1) I want a silent build 2) at the right price and 3) I could upgrade to a simple water cooled kit in the future.

In the meantime though, I went with the H100i - as it seems to be a relative staple of most builds, and I got it at a decent price.

My issue is that the H100i doesn't actually reach the CPU on the motherboard, due to the extra space for reservoir mounting at the front.

Since I've assembled the parts over time, looking for the best deals possible, I cannot return the H100i nor the case - so I'm left with two options.

I can:

Attempt to sell the unused H100i, for the H105 which does actually reach the CPU due to a larger rad.

or

I can top mount the H100i for exhaust, by removing one of the moduvents, thus removing the silence of my silent build.

I'm in a jam here, and unsure as to how to proceed. I'm leaning towards top mounting, temporarily, but I'm also unsure as to how that would affect my airflow. Would I then triple mount 120 fans at the front, and keep the 140 exhaust at the back?

This is a loaded question and I would really, really appreciate any input you guys have!

Cheers!

 

[KKAW]

Hey guys,

I'm in a bit of a bind and I could use some help.

I've slowly assembled my PC Build, and while I did a ton of research, there was one hurdle I didn't see coming.

I purchased a Fractal Define S case, for a few reasons. 1) I want a silent build 2) at the right price and 3) I could upgrade to a simple water cooled kit in the future.

In the meantime though, I went with the H100i - as it seems to be a relative staple of most builds, and I got it at a decent price.

My issue is that the H100i doesn't actually reach the CPU on the motherboard, due to the extra space for reservoir mounting at the front.

Since I've assembled the parts over time, looking for the best deals possible, I cannot return the H100i nor the case - so I'm left with two options.

I can:

Attempt to sell the unused H100i, for the H105 which does actually reach the CPU due to a larger rad.

or

I can top mount the H100i for exhaust, by removing one of the moduvents, thus removing the silence of my silent build.

I'm in a jam here, and unsure as to how to proceed. I'm leaning towards top mounting, temporarily, but I'm also unsure as to how that would affect my airflow. Would I then triple mount 120 fans at the front, and keep the 140 exhaust at the back?

This is a loaded question and I would really, really appreciate any input you guys have!

Cheers!

I would just remove the silence, however if noise is an issue you should just sell it and get a Nepton 120XL rather than a H105, Nepton 120XL is an excellent cooler for it's price.

 

[BrianSharon]

I would just remove the silence, however if noise is an issue you should just sell it and get a Nepton 120XL rather than a H105, Nepton 120XL is an excellent cooler for it's price.

Wouldn't that come with less performance, being only 120 fan?

 

[TofuLion]

how much more room do you need? if you mounted the fans on the front of the rad would the extra 25 mm be enough? or if not, maybe add some shrouds to get another 10mm or so?

 

[KKAW]

I would just remove the silence, however if noise is an issue you should just sell it and get a Nepton 120XL rather than a H105, Nepton 120XL is an excellent cooler for it's price.

Wouldn't that come with less performance, being only 120 fan?

Actually the Nepton 120XL outperforms almost all other 240MM AIO's also Nepton's have excellent cooling and build quality.

 

[BrianSharon]

how much more room do you need? if you mounted the fans on the front of the rad would the extra 25 mm be enough? or if not, maybe add some shrouds to get another 10mm or so?

I actually could. It's painfully close.

Would it be worth the sacrifice in performance? I plan to mildly over clock. I'm running a 4790k and a 980 ti.

I know there's no benefit with the H100i, but would it be worth push/pulling the rad so as to achieve the correct clearance?

 

[TofuLion]

why wouldn't there be a benefit with the h100i? it's a radiator just like any other. the difference is minimal, and actually i would think that a push configuration would be slightly better in this instance, since it would be getting a larger volume of air to push through. the only concern i have noticed is that the stock fans on that cooler are quite loud, but you have a define series case

 

[BrianSharon]

why wouldn't there be a benefit with the h100i? it's a radiator just like any other. the difference is minimal, and actually i would think that a push configuration would be slightly better in this instance, since it would be getting a larger volume of air to push through. the only concern i have noticed is that the stock fans on that cooler are quite loud, but you have a define series case

I've heard that the thin rad lessens the impact of push/pull, or at least the value-to-dollar ratio.

I actually tried to mount it in push, but it was still just far enough to give me concern. I've now ordered a pair of shrouds and I'll mount my Noctua NF-F12's in push, with the radiator on the front as an intake.

This should give me the buff that I need.

My only question now is:

With the gap cleared, should I attempt push/pull? Would I need another pair of shrouds for the pull side, or can I only use one set?

 

[TofuLion]

actually, the ideal setup would be to have a shroud on each fan. i believe the shrouds help most will pull fans, so if you were to do a push/pull configuration i would recommend the second set as well. the only reason i suggested the shrouds, honestly, is to help you with your clearance issue. as you stated, that radiator has much less performance gain from a push/pull than say a thicker rad such as an EK-CoolStream XE 360 would. but in your case, you don't really stand to lose out, since some day you will be going with a full custom loop, so any parts you have now will only save what you have to get in the future.

i am also planning to get a define S (windowed) and set up a custom loop over the next few months, which is the only reason i have any knowledge on the subject whatsoever. i was going to skip the shrouds myself because i was worried about clearance issues with a top and front radiator, as well as pump/res placement, so that's another thing to consider.