Help H80 Case Airflow

[Lion7]

hi guys, can you help me how to create a best airflow for my pc gaming.

my case is an zalman z9plus.

 

[rolli59]

Start here!
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-airflow-heatsink,3053.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-air-pressure-heatsink,3058.html

 

[Rugger]

Great recent article on fan placement and the impact on cooling: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/02/10/the-big-cooling-investigation/1

Some tips:
1. Make the PSU intake from the bottom and exhaust out the rear.
2. If you mount a side fan, then make it an intake
3. Make any top fans exhaust.
4. Any front fans as intake.
5. Normally the rear fan is an exhaust, Corsair recommends mounting the H80 on the location of the rear fan and making it an intake to improve cooling efficiency. I have an H80 and tried it both ways....intake had significant cooling performance increase over exhaust. I have my 2 fans on my H80 in a push/pull configuration. Again, don't mount the H80 in one of the top fan mount locations.
6. 140mm fans move more air at lower speeds than 120mm fans...this makes for a more quiet PC. I wouldn't go out and buy 140mm fans to replace 120mm fans, but if I needed to buy more then i'd go with 140mm.

To minimize noise and still get good airflow, I would personally go with this config:
1. One side mount fan as intake
2. Top-Rear fans as intake.
3. H80 in a push/pull intake at the rear fan mount

Be forewarned that the stock fans on the H80 are LOUD at maximum speed - sounds like a jet taking off. I like quiet computing so I got a good fan controller and all os my case fans and my H80 fans are controlled by the fan controller and set at 1000RPM. Blissfully quiet and I still have good cooling for my parts.

 

[Lion7]

Great recent article on fan placement and the impact on cooling: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/02/10/the-big-cooling-investigation/1

Some tips:
1. Make the PSU intake from the bottom and exhaust out the rear.
2. If you mount a side fan, then make it an intake
3. Make any top fans exhaust.
4. Any front fans as intake.
5. Normally the rear fan is an exhaust, Corsair recommends mounting the H80 on the location of the rear fan and making it an intake to improve cooling efficiency. I have an H80 and tried it both ways....intake had significant cooling performance increase over exhaust. I have my 2 fans on my H80 in a push/pull configuration. Again, don't mount the H80 in one of the top fan mount locations.
6. 140mm fans move more air at lower speeds than 120mm fans...this makes for a more quiet PC. I wouldn't go out and buy 140mm fans to replace 120mm fans, but if I needed to buy more then i'd go with 140mm.

To minimize noise and still get good airflow, I would personally go with this config:
1. One side mount fan as intake
2. Top-Rear fans as intake.
3. H80 in a push/pull intake at the rear fan mount

Be forewarned that the stock fans on the H80 are LOUD at maximum speed - sounds like a jet taking off. I like quiet computing so I got a good fan controller and all os my case fans and my H80 fans are controlled by the fan controller and set at 1000RPM. Blissfully quiet and I still have good cooling for my parts.

thanks for reply, what do you think about the top front (5.25 slot), the fan intake or exaust

 

[rolli59]

Front intake!

 

[Rugger]

Use the fronts as intakes if you install fans. I'd personally leave them empty there will be enough airflow with the setup I recommended.

 

[erunion]

As a rule, air should flow from front-bottom to back-top.

Corsair is unique in saying to mount the radiator blowing in. My closed loop radiator blows out.

 

[Rugger]

Antec makes the same recommendation with their Kuhler series, too.

 

[erunion]

Antec recommends blowing in? Their instructions say blowing out.
http://www.antec.com/download/Kuhler%20920%20Manual.pdf

 

[rolli59]

Blowing out! Why circulate the heat from the CPU back in the case?

 

[Rugger]

Antec recommends blowing in? Their instructions say blowing out.
http://www.antec.com/download/Kuhler%20920%20Manual.pdf

My apologies...I know I read intake somewhere - I think in their forums - but I should have verified in the manual.

Edit: Out of curiosity, have you tried setting up your 920 as an intake and comparing the temps to your exhaust setup?

 

[Rugger]

Blowing out! Why circulate the heat from the CPU back in the case?

To provide better cooling for the CPU with lower external ambient temps flowing over the radiator. Intake dropped my CPU temps by more than 5C over exhaust and only increased my case temps by 1C.

 

[mcnumpty23]

tried it both ways round and pulling cooler air in over my h80 works better for me as well

i have plenty of intake fans providing positive air pressure to push the hot air out the top of the case

and yes the stock fans are loud--replaced mine with some silverstone air penetrators

 

[Rugger]

I went with Yate Loon D12SL-12s: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/yate_loon_d12sl-12_120mm_case_fan_review/3

Edit: Hard to beat at 4/$20 http://www.petrastechshop.com/12yalod1cafa.html

 

[erunion]

Edit: Out of curiosity, have you tried setting up your 920 as an intake and comparing the temps to your exhaust setup?

I have an asetek with 240mm radiator mounted on the top of my case. I've only used it blowing out(I have the fans as pull). The temps are actually not as good as Antec products like the H100, but from some testing I think its due to it being an older pump/cold plate design and not the radiator.

I was thinking about getting some quiter fans, ill do intake comparisons if I'm taking it apart anyways.

 

[Rugger]

Cool - would love to see the results.

 

[Lion7]

The psu supply fan should be up or downward? downward is heat more than upward, can overheat and fry?

 

[Rugger]

You can install the PSU with the fan facing either up or down.
1. Fan facing up means that you will be using the warmer air from inside the case to cool your PSU.
2. Fan facing down uses cooler air from outside the case. Better cooling for the PSU, but the Z9Plus doesn't have an intake filter for the PSU fan. The lack of filter means that the PSU is likely to intake dust from the floor under your PC and you can't open the PSU to clean it without voiding the PSU mfrs warranty.

Because it doesn't have a PSU intake filter, I would either:
1. Install it with the fan facing down and use cheesecloth over the intake to act as a filter: http://www.amazon.com/Cheesecloth-Commercial-Grade-SqYrd-SqFt/dp/B005SW94B6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338463763&sr=8-1
OR
2. Install it with the fan facing up.

 

[amuffin]

Down.