Should I have fans with a water cooled CPU and GPU?

[klct555]

Like the title says, do I need fans If my CPU and GPU are water cooled? If I need or should have fans, where should I place them?

P.S. I have a Corsair H55 to cool the CPU and a Corsair H60 to cool the GPU.

Thanks.

 

[synphul]

It would still be a good idea to have a few fans, yes. I'm guessing you've got your aio coolers set up to blow outside of the case? If so they're acting as exhaust fans so at least one or two intake fans in the front of the case would be a good idea. The motherboard still has components that need cooled by airflow through the case.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

What CPU/motherboard and case? Some combinations could use good air flow for VRM cooling.

 

[klct555]

@synphul Thanks for the help but my graphics card is 12 inches long and it does disrupt air flow. Should i still put intake fans in the front or should I put them in the top?

 

[klct555]

@DonkeyOatie My CPU is an Intel i7 4790k overclocked to 4.6 Ghz. My motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI. And my case is a Thermaltake Core V31.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

That combination is fine. Air flow is a bit of a 'black art'. All the variables of hardware, and case, combined with the cable management (or lack thereof) in the case make it difficult to suggest hard and fast rules.

For your two radiators to work efficiently, they need a good supply of cool air (assuming that they are exhausts) and I would want enough intake to somewhat exceed the outflow of all the exhausts, to create a slightly positive pressure case to help keep the dust out.

I'm assuming that you have mounted one of your radiators on the back and the other on the roof. The case comes with two 120mm fans IIRC, so I would move the exhaust fan you took off the back onto the front to join the other fan there, so you have two intakes at the front. (I would prefer a pair of 140mm fans there, but we'll go with what you have)

If you do this, then run the system for a while an monitor temperatures. You should know if you need more 'air' or not.

 

[synphul]

+1 for DonkeyOatie's suggestion. It doesn't cost anything but a few minutes of time to use fans you already have. If they work then great you save yourself some money. I'd put a couple fans up front as intake also like suggested.

 

[klct555]

That combination is fine. Air flow is a bit of a 'black art'. All the variables of hardware, and case, combined with the cable management (or lack thereof) in the case make it difficult to suggest hard and fast rules.

For your two radiators to work efficiently, they need a good supply of cool air (assuming that they are exhausts) and I would want enough intake to somewhat exceed the outflow of all the exhausts, to create a slightly positive pressure case to help keep the dust out.

I'm assuming that you have mounted one of your radiators on the back and the other on the roof. The case comes with two 120mm fans IIRC, so I would move the exhaust fan you took off the back onto the front to join the other fan there, so you have two intakes at the front. (I would prefer a pair of 140mm fans there, but we'll go with what you have)

If you do this, then run the system for a while an monitor temperatures. You should know if you need more 'air' or not.

thanks but my radiators are intakes does that affect my placement of fans?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Yes. Where did you put them? Front, roof, back?

 

[klct555]

Yes. Where did you put them? Front, roof, back?

They are both intakes one is in the back and on the top I'm assuming I should make the top in an exhaust...

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Sorry to keep answering questions, but I need the full picture. What did you do with the two stock 120mm fans that cam with the case?

Would it be possible to mount the roof radiator at the front if you move any fans there to the roof? (I'm not sure exactly how long the hoses are?

Two possible configurations.

Radiators on real and front as intake, fans on roof as exhaust.

Fans on front as intakes, radiators on roof and rear as exhausts.

 

[klct555]

Sorry to keep answering questions, but I need the full picture. What did you do with the two stock 120mm fans that cam with the case?

Would it be possible to mount the roof radiator at the front if you move any fans there to the roof? (I'm not sure exactly how long the hoses are?

Two possible configurations.

Radiators on real and front as intake, fans on roof as exhaust.

Fans on front as intakes, radiators on roof and rear as exhausts.

I used them as intakes putting them between the case and radiator

 

[DonkeyOatie]

So you are running the radiators with dual fans and no exhaust at all for the case?

Go with one of my two suggestions. Or better still try all of them and see which works best for your situation.

 

[klct555]

So you are running the radiators with dual fans and no exhaust at all for the case?

Go with one of my two suggestions. Or better still try all of them and see which works best for your situation.

I have exhausts it's just the fans attached to the radiators aren't exhausts

 

[DonkeyOatie]

So you have other fans as well? Where?

 

[klct555]

Also, I can't go with any of your suggestions unfortunately because both of the radiators can't reach the front and my gpu cooler can't reach the top. I saw thinking I have 2 intakes at the front, intake radiator in the back, 2 exhausts on the top along with the intake radiator. I decided to make the radiators intakes because it's the best way to cool the radiator, so should I still make the top radiator an exhaust anyways or no?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Will your GPU cooler reach the back, and your CPU cooler reach the top? Then they could both be exhausts with two intakes at the front.

Or you could reverse your low and make the front the exhaust. Hot air is less dense and it is easier to drive it up.

Your cooling is not extreme, so running the radiators as exhaust will still work well.

 

[klct555]

Will your GPU cooler reach the back, and your CPU cooler reach the top? Then they could both be exhausts with two intakes at the front.

Or you could reverse your low and make the front the exhaust. Hot air is less dense and it is easier to drive it up.

Your cooling is not extreme, so running the radiators as exhaust will still work well.

my setup happens to be my cpu cooler at the top and my gpu cooler in the back. So in conclusion, I should make the back radiator an exhaust, then make the top radiator and exhaust to all three fans on the top are exhausts. Then, i should make the front and botton intakes? If so, doesnt that propose a little bit of an issue because the components on the motherboard that need cooling wont be cooled very well because the fans nearest to them are exhausts and the intakes are in a place where the 1ft long gpu is completely disrupting the intake flow?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

No. (in a word) That's pretty much the way the case is designed to work. Intake at the front, exhaust at the back and top. Do it and see. If a change is needed, it would be to replace the front fans with 140mms and move one of the old 120mms onto the floor and another intake.

 

[klct555]

So i should make both of my radiators an intake?

 

[klct555]

very sorry i meant to say exhausts*

 

[Sergeant_Sneaky]

very sorry i meant to say exhausts*

If you have intake fans on the front, setting whatever is at the back/top to exhaust will make the airflow more efficient. How many fans do you have as intake in the front?

 

[klct555]

very sorry i meant to say exhausts*

If you have intake fans on the front, setting whatever is at the back/top to exhaust will make the airflow more efficient. How many fans do you have as intake in the front?

2 in the front and 1 in the bottom as intakes

 

[Sergeant_Sneaky]

very sorry i meant to say exhausts*

If you have intake fans on the front, setting whatever is at the back/top to exhaust will make the airflow more efficient. How many fans do you have as intake in the front?

2 in the front and 1 in the bottom as intakes

Setting your rads at the back and top to exhaust will be best for airflow in that case

 

[klct555]

very sorry i meant to say exhausts*

If you have intake fans on the front, setting whatever is at the back/top to exhaust will make the airflow more efficient. How many fans do you have as intake in the front?

2 in the front and 1 in the bottom as intakes

Setting your rads at the back and top to exhaust will be best for airflow in that case

ok thanks. But one more question. The 2 heat sinks one would have in their computer would be on their cpu and gpu. And they are the two things that make your computer hot by creatin hot air, making exhausts essential. But since both of mine are water cooled, there is no hot air. But there are component that need to be cooled on my motherboard but they don't put off hot air, making an exhaust less essential. Plus, the intakes that would properly cool them are in the front and can't cool then so...... Should I still do the whole setup that you meantioned?