[SOLVED] How should I place my coolers? Bitfenix Aurora case

[Sekkun]

Planning to get a 280mm CPU water cooler and 2 extra fans but I don't know where to put them.
At first I was deciding to put the 280mm water cooler on the front as intake and then 2 exhaust fans at the top and 1 at the rear, but then I read it would be better to put the 280mm CPU water cooler at the top as exhaust and 2 fans at the front for intake.

Help please.

Also another question, how much temperature improvement there will be if now I only have one 120mm watercooler at the front and 1 exhaust fan at the rear? My max temperatures playing Monster Hunter World have reached around 90-95ºC but usually when I check the temperatures they are at 75-80ºC.

Thank you in advance.

 

[rubix_1011]

Location of the radiator should not matter as long as the case has good airflow overall.

For those who claim this is going to 'make the air hot in the case'. No, it won't, proper case airflow handles this.

To add: If the air coming from the radiator is actually 'hot', you picked the wrong liquid cooler for your needs. Airflow out of any radiator (AIO or custom watercooling) should be really only be warm to the feel...never hot.

There are reasons different radiator sizes exist and it isn't only to fit whatever holes you have in your case. A larger radiator can dissipate more thermal load than a smaller one.

So, you should never expect at 120mm radiator to perform like a 360. If you plan to run a 9900k and overclock, you should strongly consider a large air cooler or a 280 or 360....a 120mm AIO is only going to thermal soak and will not provide the level of cooling you need.

 

[Sekkun]

Should I pick Corsair H115i Pro or the Kraken X62? I have an i7 9700k not OC

 

[rubix_1011]

9700k isn't the same as the 9900k, and doesn't require as much cooling. Either of those is fine.

 

[Sekkun]

9700k isn't the same as the 9900k, and doesn't require as much cooling. Either of those is fine.

I went to my local store and they said that 2 extra fans at the top of the case wouldn't make a difference if I already have the 280mm radiator and a rear fan, what do you think?

 

[Karadjgne]

I think the shop was wrong on several accounts.

Fans work by spinning blades which create a low pressure area in front of the fan. Faster the spin, stronger the low pressure. The byproduct is the air coming out the back of the fan. Nature abhors a vacuum, so any air close to the fan will move to fill the void in front of the fan. That's called draw. The closest areas in front of a rear exhaust fan are the case air and that giant hole in the top of the case where a fan goes. Meaning a single rear exhaust fan isn't going to be doing much but suck fresh air right from outside the case.

You'll also have a gpu. It's going to be putting out heat, hot air blown from its fans across its heatsink. It's got to go somewhere, and thats up. Right into the path of the rear exhaust draw. Which was ineffective to start with. So you'll get radiated heat coming out the top of your case anyway.

The word is air flow and that's what it needs to do, flow from low front to high rear and out. With an aio, you don't even need a rear exhaust, only tower aircoolers do. Any case with 2x top fans and an aio works just as well, if not better, simply having 2x top exhausts, 2x intakes. 1 smooth flow from below, up and out. Taking gpu heat with it.