[SOLVED] Recommended fans & placement for Fractal Designs Meshify C?

jackamo

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Hi All,

I purchased the case (https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-meshify-c-dark-tg-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352072 ) and need advice on additional fans to buy and how to arrange them.

I was thinking to put the 2 stock fans in back and top, and buy 2 140mm fans for the front. If that sounds good, which fans to buy? Or some other arrangement entirely?

Budget-wise, I really don't want to pay more than $20 each, and of course less is better. I prioritize effectiveness over quietness, though obvs the quieter the better. And prefer black.

I've read a number of case reviews, but they seem more or less generic about the fans, and have read a number of posts here and elsewhere, asking similar questions, but they either already have additional fans (I don't), or aren't quite asking this exact question (If i missed the right post, my apologies).

Oh and here's the rest of the build:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition 42 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB WINDFORCE OC 3X Video Card
Power Supply: Fractal Design Ion+ 660 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply

+ 1 NVMe and 2 HDDs

EDIT: I just learned that the shipment of the CPU cooler is delayed, so it any recommendations for another at similar price point would be great. I guess my only preference is that it's designed for AM4, i.e. doesn't need a mounting bracket.

Thank you!
 
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Barty1884

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A couple of 140mm's in the front, and even a single 120mm in the rear. Won't hurt to put the additional 120mm up top as an exhaust, but I wouldn't expect much temperature difference with/without that one.

I have the MeshifyC populated with 140mm Noctua's everywhere except the rear (120mm Noctua), simply because I wanted them to match. Functionally, the two 140mm's added to the front + stock performed much the same.

Really going to depend on the fans you use though. You'd want reasonable static pressure to pull through the mesh & filter, but nothing too crazy required.
 
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jackamo

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Thanks, Barty1884. I did read that a top fan might be of minimal benefit. I suppose I could mount it on the bottom or forgo entirely (I could put into a diff PC that we have, which might actually be of real use, come to think of it).

Regarding the 2 140mm, are there any other recommendations? I'm sure Noctua are good, but I don't dig the brown, personally.

Thanks
 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Thanks, Barty1884. I did read that a top fan might be of minimal benefit. I suppose I could mount it on the bottom or forgo entirely (I could put into a diff PC that we have, which might actually be of real use, come to think of it).

Regarding the 2 140mm, are there any other recommendations? I'm sure Noctua are good, but I don't dig the brown, personally.

Thanks

Since you already have the fan (or will), you can try it out, but I suspect you'll find results to be barely measurable.

I have the Noctua Chromax, so blacked out, not beige.
Quality fans, no doubt, but over your budget.

Be Quiet's PureWings(?) Are solid and cheaper. Unfortunately, offffhand I can't think of anything in the really cheap range, let alone anything good value.
 
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Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Hah I didn't think ~$20/ea was in the cheap range, but it's been a while for me :)

Relatively.... That's far from 'cheap', but cheaper end of things anyway. Most of the commonly highly recommended fans are ~$25/each, sometimes average a little cheaper when bought in packs of 3 or 4 etc.

Like most components, there's a brought spectrum price-wise - and there's quality on the lower end of the price scale, as there is garbage on the higher end.

Some of the cheap off-brand fans move a lot of air, and did I mention they're cheap.... pack of 3 used to go for ~$20 with a controller. They have their downsides though, typically lack of PWM support &/or high noise levels. If your goal is just to move air, and you're not too worried about noise, some of those packs from Amazon do the job.... how long they'll last though, I've no clue.

EXample:
I used a 3 (or maybe it was a 5) pack of these in the GF's kid's build.
https://www.amazon.com/upHere-Wirel...keywords=uphere+rgb+fan&qid=1596588563&sr=8-4

I wouldn't use them personally, a little loud for me (plus I'm not an RGB fan). But he wears headphones all the time, so doesn't matter to him - and he likes the look

Lots of brands on Amazon, that I'm sure all come from the same factory at the end of the day. A search for "RGB case fans" or similar should yield a lot of decent results, for the money. Again, reliability is the unknown quantity - but anecdotally, he's had those fans running for maybe a year, and they;re still going strong.
 
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jackamo

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geofelt, newegg aslo has the more powerful 1500 version of that fan for the same price. Would that be a better choice, or are there drawbacks of any sort?

1500
https://www.newegg.com/noctua-nf-p14s-redux-1500-pwm/p/N82E16835608065?Description=Noctua NF-P14s redux-1500 PWM&cm_re=Noctua_NF-P14s redux-1500 PWM--9SIAADY4AW8188--Product&quicklink=true

Thanks

Edit: Oh is the drawback that they are generally louder for the same CFM than the 1200, but the plus is that they have the ability to push more air if needed? That would make sense. Tho I still dont know if its a better choice...I guess it depends on how much louder, and if I can expect more air to be needed...ugh these are the sorts of questions that lead me here asking for help to begin with.

2nd Edit: I'm almost certainly overthinking this, and if I really cared so much I should just spring for higher quality fans, right?
 
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