Question Is it OK to use 1 fan with a 360mm cooler and have 2 Big Case Fans on The outside?

[bkhan23544]

CPU: i7 13700KF
GPU: MSI GamingX RTX 4080
AIO Cooler: Deepcool LS720
Case: Lian Li LianCool 215

The problem is that my GPU is pretty big and the 360mm AIO can't fit on top of the case. So, I had to fit the rad at the front.
Now, the configuration is like this:
I have placed one fan at the Rad and the remaining two fans go at the top.
The back fan and the top two fans are intakes while the front is exhaust.
One fan at the Rad pulls the air and the two big case fans push the air outside.

As we all know that i7 13700kf isn't great when it comes to temps. I get to around 98-100C when running multicore on Cinebench. I am able to go at 5.3ghz. But during gaming, the temps don't go above 60s. Even with the CPU-demanding games like Spiderman and The Last of Us Part I.

Pictures:

https://imgur.com/a/MtooHKE

View: https://imgur.com/a/MtooHKE

 

[Lafong]

What would be "OK" should be revealed by experimentation with various fan positioning setups.

Have you done that or are you willing to do that?

The default idea as a first attempt would probably be to draw air into the case on the front side (intake) and remove air on the back side and top side (exhaust). If that is unsatisfactory, experiment with other setups.

It's not clear what you have already tried. Maybe 10 different ideas, maybe 1.

 

[bkhan23544]

What would be "OK" should be revealed by experimentation with various fan positioning setups.

Have you done that or are you willing to do that?

The default idea as a first attempt would probably be to draw air into the case on the front side (intake) and remove air on the back side and top side (exhaust). If that is unsatisfactory, experiment with other setups.

It's not clear what you have already tried. Maybe 10 different ideas, maybe 1.

I actually had that configuration before. The front was intaking and the top and back were exhaust.
But someone told me that it might be a problem for the GPU, as the heat from rad was first going inside and then getting out from the exhaust.
I then reversed the fans and now have the configuration that I explained above. In fact, the pictures are of the old configuration.
After reversing, I saw a very small improvement in the performance of the CPU in Cinebench. Both in single core and multicore. But the temps stayed the same.

 

[Lafong]

I guess your choices are:

Different hardware....more fans, different fans, different cooler, different case, etc.

Or

Live with the best configuration you've discovered by experimentation with existing hardware.....possibly to include experimentation with limiting the wattage on that 13700KF through BIOS controls.

You might be able to just decide not to worry about temps or Cinebench as much as you have been, but you might think that is totally unacceptable.

I don't know if you are willing to spend another 5 hours on experimentation or another 100 hours. Sooner or later, you'll come to a decision point. But that varies from person to person. Maybe at the 33rd hour, you decide to spend more money on new hardware rather than more time on existing hardware.

 

[Zerk2012]

I actually had that configuration before. The front was intaking and the top and back were exhaust.
But someone told me that it might be a problem for the GPU, as the heat from rad was first going inside and then getting out from the exhaust.
I then reversed the fans and now have the configuration that I explained above. In fact, the pictures are of the old configuration.
After reversing, I saw a very small improvement in the performance of the CPU in Cinebench. Both in single core and multicore. But the temps stayed the same.

Benchmarks put a unrealistic load of the parts.
If your temps are OK doing what you normally do with the PC then it's fine.

 

[bkhan23544]

I finally went for a new case. Luckily I found a case which wasn’t a lot expensive than my current one. I got a Lian Li Liancool 216. It’s not too big and fits the radiator on top perfectly. I had to pay just extra 60$ for it. Now my temps don’t go over 95 C. And also there’s no thermal throttling, so my cinebench score is also much higher than previous.