Help with Airflow

[Craftercraft]

HI, i have recently installed a Watercooled CPU (Corsair H55), i currently have a Coolermaster JetFlo 120mm fan sucking air in at the bottom front, i also have a fan on the sidepanel sucking warm air out!, and with the watercooler i have it set as a pull - sucking cool air in from the outside

Does this sound like a Optimal Set-up?

P.S i only have 3 sockets for fans.

Many Thanks

 

[sharndowg]

"Optimal" depends on a lot of variables like your, case, installed hardware, fan quantity and intake/exhaust locations. Generally advised is bottom/front as intakes and back/top as exhausts. Side panel fans work well as intakes to blow fresh air onto GPU(s). Warm air rises so going along with this general advice is normally a good place to start. From there it depends on your setup, it is possible to have your radiator setup as an intake, BUT then you are just bringing warm air from your hot CPU straight back into the case. Good placement for CPU rad is at the top as exhaust. This dumps your CPU heat outside the case and also sucks warm air from the rest of the system out with it. Which is good! The fan on the back also aids this process as the warm air will rise to the exhaust at the rear.

 

[Craftercraft]

Perhaps i wasnt clear in my previous comments, I have a rad at the Top rear pulling cool air from the outside in through the rad because i read somewhere its best to pull cool air in through the rad than to pull warm air through the pc and exhaust out, im also using a SP fan on my rad to help push air through, I have a Coolermaster JetFlo fan bottom front sucking cool air in, and a fan on the sidepanel acting as a Exhaust.

 

[sharndowg]

Yes, if you pull fresh air through your rad into your case your CPU will get marginally better cooling as the air is slightly colder, BUT as i said if you do this you are transferring all the generated heat from your CPU back into your case, raising the ambient temperature in there, which in turn makes the CPU and other components run hotter. Whereas using the rad as exhaust does not, and makes your ambient case temps much lower. What temps are you getting just now? is there reason for concern? if not then your setup may well be working great.

 

[Craftercraft]

Temps are 30 at Idle and 63 on full load using Prime 95, no reason for concern just thought i would ask around to see if i my set-up is good, I fully understand what you are saying, i only do a pull configuration because that's what Corsair 'recommend', but there are so many theory's and personal preferences its hard to know what to do, just wish i had more fan points to put more in .

 

[sharndowg]

Yes manufacturers do recommend certain configurations with their products, but it's in their interest to get you the lowest CPU temps possible to help make their product looks great. They don't care about the rest of your system. So they recommend their rads as intakes. But there is really not much in it, as i say it really varies with setup to setup. And it sounds like you are doing well with temps so just stick with what you got. Honestly the debates about cooling could go on all day (and do!). Your system seems great as it is. Just rememebr to dust often and your doing great 😀

 

[Craftercraft]

Well iv taken your advice and switch my rad to a exhaust in a pull configuration, and also switched my side panel to a input to match my front bottom fan, im doing a full load test (Prime 95) as we speak and I shall get back with what results I get.


Also should I do a 'push/pull' but again iv heard there's not much in it?.

 

[sharndowg]

Your GPU should feel the difference with an intake blowing onto it, CPU should be a slightly different but overall ambient case temps will be lower, great! You seem to have a setup that works well anyway, and what works well for you might not work for someone else. As long as you have a good balanced flow through the case, all the components will benefit.