Question Ideal Fan Setup for NZXT H710

[ColtsQB]

Hello! I am building my first custom PC with the parts below and I need some help with fan placement.

CPU: Ryzen 3700X
CPU Cooler: Corsair H150i Pro
Motherboard: Asus X570 Tuf Gaming
Memory: G Skill Ripjaws V 16gb 3600mhz (2x8gb)
GPU: Asus Rog Strix 2070 Super
Storage: Sabrent Rocket 4.0 2 TB M.2 Nvme
Case: NZXT H710
PSU: Evga Supernova T2 850W
Case Fans: Corsair LL120 RGB White (I have 6 of these)

My questions for this build is do I have enough fans and are they the right size? I'm looking for the best performance with cooling. I also have no idea where to put the radiator for my CPU cooler and what fans I should have as intake and exhaust. What should I do so I don't have bad airflow or pressure in the case? I'm open to anything as I'm completely in the blue with this. Thanks!

(My only basic knowledge of cooling in a case is to put the radiator in the front of the case and the top fans and back fans are for exhaust, thanks Google)

 

[Aeacus]

Since H710 supports 3x 120mm / 2x 140mm front, 3x 120mm / 2x 140mm top and 1x 120/140mm rear, you can install up to 7x 120mm or 5x 140mm fans in there. So, you have correct size and enough fans (actually you have excess in fans since case also comes with 3x 120mm and 1x 140mm fan).

Fan placement is simple: front & bottom - intake; top & rear - exhaust.

As far as where to put the rad, i'd put it as top exhaust and in pull configuration, so any heat CPU generates will be blown out the case. Installing rad at the front as intake results all heat coming from CPU to be pulled back inside the PC.
Reason why:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyC3lZ5WFMk#t=3m45s

Note: if you'd really want best performance when it comes to cooling, you shouldn't be looking nothing short of Delta industrial fans. On consumer side, Noctua fans are best in cooling while on industrial side, Delta fans are best in cooling. Sure, Delta fans are noisy as hell but when it comes to the cooling performance, none can match Delta industrial fans.
Best consumer grade 120mm fan, Noctua NF-F12, pushes 109 CFM while e.g this Delta industrial 120mm fan pushes 150 CFM. That Delta fan has more than double of airflow amount than your Corsair LL120 RGB fan (150 CFM vs 65 CFM).
That is what "best performance" means.


About airflow pressure (positive, neutral and negative);
There are pros and cons with positive and negative pressure and i'll explain what those are:

Positive pressure (higher air intake than air exhaust)
Pros
Less dust enters the system
All case openings contribute to getting heat out

Cons
Less cooling than negative or neutral pressure
Can create stagnant air inside the case which causes internal temps to rise

Negative pressure (higher air exhaust than air intake)
Pros
Better cooling than positive or neutral pressure
Amplification of natural convection

Cons
More dust enters the system
All case openings contribute to the air intake

Neutral pressure (same amount of intake and exhaust)
Pros/Cons
Between the two above

Further reading about setting up airflow: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/faq/id-1858957/airflow-101-setting-fans-keeping-computer-cool.html

I run my Skylake and Haswell builds (full specs with pics in my sig) in negative pressure for optimal cooling. Since i have all intake holes and grilles covered with Demciflex filters, there's no problem for dust entering my systems.

 

[ColtsQB]

Since H710 supports 3x 120mm / 2x 140mm front, 3x 120mm / 2x 140mm top and 1x 120/140mm rear, you can install up to 7x 120mm or 5x 140mm fans in there. So, you have correct size and enough fans (actually you have excess in fans since case also comes with 3x 120mm and 1x 140mm fan).

Fan placement is simple: front & bottom - intake; top & rear - exhaust.

As far as where to put the rad, i'd put it as top exhaust and in pull configuration, so any heat CPU generates will be blown out the case. Installing rad at the front as intake results all heat coming from CPU to be pulled back inside the PC.
Reason why:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyC3lZ5WFMk#t=3m45s

Note: if you'd really want best performance when it comes to cooling, you shouldn't be looking nothing short of Delta industrial fans. On consumer side, Noctua fans are best in cooling while on industrial side, Delta fans are best in cooling. Sure, Delta fans are noisy as hell but when it comes to the cooling performance, none can match Delta industrial fans.
Best consumer grade 120mm fan, Noctua NF-F12, pushes 109 CFM while e.g this Delta industrial 120mm fan pushes 150 CFM. That Delta fan has more than double of airflow amount than your Corsair LL120 RGB fan (150 CFM vs 65 CFM).
That is what "best performance" means.


About airflow pressure (positive, neutral and negative);
There are pros and cons with positive and negative pressure and i'll explain what those are:

Positive pressure (higher air intake than air exhaust)
Pros
Less dust enters the system
All case openings contribute to getting heat out

Cons
Less cooling than negative or neutral pressure
Can create stagnant air inside the case which causes internal temps to rise

Negative pressure (higher air exhaust than air intake)
Pros
Better cooling than positive or neutral pressure
Amplification of natural convection

Cons
More dust enters the system
All case openings contribute to the air intake

Neutral pressure (same amount of intake and exhaust)
Pros/Cons
Between the two above

Further reading about setting up airflow: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/faq/id-1858957/airflow-101-setting-fans-keeping-computer-cool.html

I run my Skylake and Haswell builds (full specs with pics in my sig) in negative pressure for optimal cooling. Since i have all intake holes and grilles covered with Demciflex filters, there's no problem for dust entering my systems.

Thank you so much for all that info you answered everything I needed! So how does this fan setup sound?

I put 3 120mm fans for intake on the front of the case, and put 3 120mm fans on the radiator on top of the case for exhaust. And then of course the rear fan would be exhaust with the stock 140mm. I'm assuming that's gonna result in a negative pressure right?

 

[Aeacus]

It would be negative pressure IF you'll run all your fans at max speed. However, if you slow down exhaust fans, you can get neutral or even positive pressure.