Static fan for HDD cage

[Devolaty]

I have a Rosewill blawkhawk mid-tower case. I recently looked into replacing the top front intake fan with a static pressure fan. I have removed both bottom HDD cages because I only run 1 HDD and 1 SSD drive.So i figured the bottom intake fan is fine as a AF fan. Do you think it is really necessary for me to replace the top front intake fan with a Static pressure fan or leave the stock AF fan in place? There are no filters so the only air restriction is the HDD cage and drives themselves. please hit me with opinions

 

[avarice]

It really depends on what you want (I will talk a bit of theory.)

The more airflow you can push through a case and it's components, the greater the cooling of the components. As in most dynamic systems there is a point of diminished returns, and the noise and power draw may become ridiculous as you continue to increase airflow.

As a general rule - NO I am not examining your case on Newegg - a 120mm pushing in and a 120mm pulling out and creating a flow of air across the graphics card and CPU is sufficient for most cases. Do not think that the PSU and it's fan will fully compensate for an actual case fan.

Also as a general rule - the larger the fan the greater air volume (flow) at lower sound volume. This is where some of the CFM and DB ratings will be useful when shopping for fans. Try to pull out more than you push in - negative pressure. To this end - 1 exhaust fan + your PSU fan will create a negative pressure when you only have one input fan.

Your will want to baseline your CPU and GPU temps with and without load, then make the changes and retest. Check your manufacturers for proper temp limits.

 

[Devolaty]

Just to add more detail for a more situational opinion.

Case Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147107

I am looking at 2 front intakes,1 side intake. Push/pull on the heatsink. Rear 120mm exhaust and a top 140mm exhaust.

While that seems like a lot of fans I am running a Fx-8370 and hear they can be quite hot. As I stated before I removed both bottom HDD cages to supply better airflow and only left the one under the 5.25 bays. I feel like that should be ample air with the removed HDD cages.

 

[CountMike]

High Static pressure fans are used for dense finned coolers like water coolers and also desirable with air filters in the case.

 

[marko55]

My take, if I were building in that case:

1) Use an H80i connected to the rear 120mm fan spot to cool your CPU. Seems others have had great success with this cooler in this case, and I know from experience its a good cooler and will keep clutter out of the middle of your case as opposed to a giant air cooler.

Now, that being said, I always replace the stock fans on these liquid coolers to quiet them down. I like Cougar (CF-V12H) fans as they have solid static pressure for pushing air through radiators and believe me, they do just about as good of a job as the stock (higher RPM) fans and MUCH quieter. If you want to add a little light to the inside of your case you can use the LED variant as well. I use these on H105s regularly. If you're paranoid about not having equivalent air flow to the stock fans, the Corsair SP120 HPs are at least quieter than the stock fans and don't have the same whine but are pretty much a 1-for-1 replacement to the stock fans.

2) If you want a nice static pressure fan replacement for the front, again, those same Cougar fans. Same for the side fan. I'd probably leave the top 140mm that comes with the case to see how it is. Most 140mm fans are pretty quiet so you may not need to replace it, unless you don't like the blue LED.

I've used the Corsair SP120s (regular and HPs) and the Noctuas. Both have lower static pressure, more noise (all be it minimal) and are more expensive than the Cougars. I now swear by Cougar fans again, after stopping for a while, and put them in all the workstations I build.

 

[Devolaty]

My take, if I were building in that case:

1) Use an H80i connected to the rear 120mm fan spot to cool your CPU. Seems others have had great success with this cooler in this case, and I know from experience its a good cooler and will keep clutter out of the middle of your case as opposed to a giant air cooler.

Now, that being said, I always replace the stock fans on these liquid coolers to quiet them down. I like Cougar (CF-V12H) fans as they have solid static pressure for pushing air through radiators and believe me, they do just about as good of a job as the stock (higher RPM) fans and MUCH quieter. If you want to add a little light to the inside of your case you can use the LED variant as well. I use these on H105s regularly. If you're paranoid about not having equivalent air flow to the stock fans, the Corsair SP120 HPs are at least quieter than the stock fans and don't have the same whine but are pretty much a 1-for-1 replacement to the stock fans.

2) If you want a nice static pressure fan replacement for the front, again, those same Cougar fans. Same for the side fan. I'd probably leave the top 140mm that comes with the case to see how it is. Most 140mm fans are pretty quiet so you may not need to replace it, unless you don't like the blue LED.

I've used the Corsair SP120s (regular and HPs) and the Noctuas. Both have lower static pressure, more noise (all be it minimal) and are more expensive than the Cougars. I now swear by Cougar fans again, after stopping for a while, and put them in all the workstations I build.

I feel so old school, as I still have not yet switched to water coolant. The H80i looks like a fairly easy system to install and I thinking you just opened my eyes to my next upgrade. Once of course my budget loosens up after the holidays. The H80i GT is a closed loop cooling system correct?

 

[marko55]

Correct, it is closed (no maintenance needed). These closed loop AIO liquid coolers are the easiest in the world to install, perform GREAT, and keep all the area in front of your mobo clear for air flow. I always recommend these over the massive air coolers out there, and you can catch the Corsairs on sale online all the time.

I've also installed one Cooler Master (Seidon 240M) and won't ever again. It did a good job cooling but the tubing is shorter and not as pliable as the Corsairs' and the stock fans are thin, so the screws end up loose if you put 3rd party fans on it.

I've put the H100i up against the H80i on 4930Ks (which run pretty toasty) and only observed 1-2 degrees difference in temps occasionally. Granted, that wasn't on a hardcore OC. Fitment is the only challenge when you start looking at the 240mm+ radiator models (those 240mm radiators won't work in your case without some physical modification...). The H80i is super easy because what actually attaches to the case is a 120mm fan, no the radiator, so fitment is practically guaranteed.

Keep in mind you can just run the stock fans to save a few bucks & see how you feel about them. The aftermarket fans (Cougars anyway) will only run you an extra $30 for the two.

 

[Devolaty]

Correct, it is closed (no maintenance needed). These closed loop AIO liquid coolers are the easiest in the world to install, perform GREAT, and keep all the area in front of your mobo clear for air flow. I always recommend these over the massive air coolers out there, and you can catch the Corsairs on sale online all the time.

I've also installed one Cooler Master (Seidon 240M) and won't ever again. It did a good job cooling but the tubing is shorter and not as pliable as the Corsairs' and the stock fans are thin, so the screws end up loose if you put 3rd party fans on it.

I've put the H100i up against the H80i on 4930Ks (which run pretty toasty) and only observed 1-2 degrees difference in temps occasionally. Granted, that wasn't on a hardcore OC. Fitment is the only challenge when you start looking at the 240mm+ radiator models (those 240mm radiators won't work in your case without some physical modification...). The H80i is super easy because what actually attaches to the case is a 120mm fan, no the radiator, so fitment is practically guaranteed.

Keep in mind you can just run the stock fans to save a few bucks & see how you feel about them. The aftermarket fans (Cougars anyway) will only run you an extra $30 for the two.

Thank you for the insight. I think I will go with a water cooler come tax time. I will just leave the AF fans in the front. I don't think there is much really blocking the airflow in terms of HDD cages.