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Best AIRFLOW setup for Coolermaster HAF 932

6K views 8 replies 3 participants last post by  doyll 
#1 ·
Hi guys,

What would be the best airflow setup for the coolermaster haf 932 case?

The problem I had in the past with this case is that the case builds up dust really quickly due to the big 230mm fan in the bottom front and on the side panel. I didn't use a filter in those areas before, which is something I plan on doing for this current build (using the same case)

However, because this new build is a lot more powerful than the last one, and because i want to install magnetic filters for the fans, i'm sure there's going to be some air restriction, so i really want to find the best setup in terms of airflow for this case, as well as the right fans for the job.

does anyone out there have experience with this case?

Because, i will be installing filters, i was thinking a more powerful fan for the areas with filters will probably be better right?

And is it better to have more powerful fans in the bottom front to suck in air, and powerful fans on top and back so i can create a better airflow ? and just keep the 230mm side panel fan? (since having too powerful fans here on the side will probably screw up the airflow right? like having powerful air current from too many directions and end up not being as efficient as it can?)

And how about having a fan at the bottom of the case blowing up? the area just in front of the power supply at the bottom... would that be a good idea as well?

What would you say is the best way to achieve an efficient airflow for this case?

My idea: (not sure if it's correct though)
replace the bottom front 230 mm fan with a powerful 120mm fan to in-take air into the case

replace the top 230mm fan with 3 powerful 120mm fans and a powerful 140mm fan for the back to create a strong suction so the cool air will be sucked into the case from the bottom front and get pushed to the front and back? and just keep the 230mm side panel for larger surface but slower air in-take so as to not mess up the bottom up directional airflow?

one concern i have is that gtx780 is a BIG graphic card that almost cuts the case in half.. on top of that it has 3 fans (though i think they dont really blow up or down, but are for heat dispersion so i think they just blows the air to the side... not sure though.

My new build for this case contains the followings:

i7 4770k processor
noctua nh-d14 (BIIIIIG cpu cooler i kept from previous build)
gigabyte 780 gtx gpu
650w 80plus PSU
asus z87-A motherboard (i think this motherboard doesn't support too many fans, so if i want replace fans with multiple 120mm i hear i would have to get a fan controller?)
16 gigs of ram
1 ssd for main drive
and... 3-4 hdd for storage

filters i plan on using:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8823/ffi-29/DEMCiflex_120mm_Magnetic_Fan_Dust_Filter_-_Black_-_Steel_Aluminum_Plastic_Chassis.html
 
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#2 ·
Fans have CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) ratings. Without knowing those it's impossible top pick fans correctly.

Basically, you want CFM intake to be slightly larger than CFM exhaust. That way you won't be sucking in (from other case openings) unfiltered air.

What CFM to use? ..how much noise can you stand?
 
#3 ·
Cooling System
Front: 230 x 30 mm red LED fan x 1, 700 RPM, 110 CFM, 19 dBA
Side: 230 x 30 mm standard fan x 1, 700 RPM, 110 CFM, 19 dBA (support 120 x 25 fan x 4)
Top: 230 x 30 mm standard fan x 1, 700 RPM, 110 CFM, 19 dBA (support 120 mm fan x 3 or 120 mm x 1 + 230 x 30 mm x 1)
Rear: 140 x 25 mm standard fan x 1, 1200 RPM, 60 CFM, 17 dBA (support 120 mm fan x 1), 35,000 hours life expectancy
 
#4 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by syrianrue View Post

Cooling System
Front: 230 x 30 mm red LED fan x 1, 700 RPM, 110 CFM, 19 dBA
Side: 230 x 30 mm standard fan x 1, 700 RPM, 110 CFM, 19 dBA (support 120 x 25 fan x 4)
Top: 230 x 30 mm standard fan x 1, 700 RPM, 110 CFM, 19 dBA (support 120 mm fan x 3 or 120 mm x 1 + 230 x 30 mm x 1)
Rear: 140 x 25 mm standard fan x 1, 1200 RPM, 60 CFM, 17 dBA (support 120 mm fan x 1), 35,000 hours life expectancy
And what is your question?
 
#5 ·
well i was asking if these stock fans that came with the coolermaster haf 932 would be good enough for the system..
my concern is that if i add filters to the fan, it might decrease the airflow even more

so i was wondering if there's a need to replace the fans... and if so.. what type of setup/fans would be best

http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=2810

this is a link to the case as well as its fan placements (the big 230mm fans can be replaced with 120mm because there's holes set up there already in case users want to replace them) the top 230mm can essentially be replaced with 3x 120mm fans. back is 140mm fan fixed, side pane's 230 fan can be exchanged for 4x120mm) it's a very flexible case.

But since this is a new build, and i've had horrible problem with dust in the past.. so i really want to set up the ventilation/airflow perfectly this time around.

some people said the stock fans are fine, while some recommended to get stronger 230mm fans (for simplistic reasons so i wont need to get a fan controller and like 9-10 120mm fans... while others prefer placing tons of 120mm fans.

i know that it's best to have fan from the bottom front sucking cool air in, and have it push the hot air towards the top or back fans for exhaust.. but wouldn't side fans mess up the airflow in this scenario?

should i have stronger low front fan, strong top and back fans.. and side panel fans that are not as strong? so the side fans wont interfere with the airflow?
 
#6 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by syrianrue View Post

well i was asking if these stock fans that came with the coolermaster haf 932 would be good enough for the system..

my concern is that if i add filters to the fan, it might decrease the airflow even more
But since this is a new build, and I've had horrible problem with dust in the past.. so i really want to set up the ventilation/airflow perfectly this time around.

i know that it's best to have fan from the bottom front sucking cool air in, and have it push the hot air towards the top or back fans for exhaust.. but wouldn't side fans mess up the airflow in this scenario?

should i have stronger low front fan, strong top and back fans.. and side panel fans that are not as strong? so the side fans wont interfere with the airflow?
I'm not going to do the math for you, nor recommend fans. You sound like an intelligent person, maybe just a little uninformed. Let's see if we can fix that:

Add up all the CFMs of intake.
Add up all the CFMs of exhaust.
Take the smaller of the two and reduce it by 50% -??? (to compensate for restrictions like filters etc.) This is the amount of air flowing through your case every minute.
Divide this number by the internal volume of your case (usually something like 2-3 cubic feet). The result is the number of complete air changes inside the case per minute.
It will be something on the order of changing all the air 10-20 (larger is better) times per minute.So, do you see that you have plenty of air flowing through your case? You can run this scenario with any fans in any configuration you want to get an idea of the effect of changing fans/configurations.

More than likely you have more than enough air flow. The "secret" to great cooling is getting that airflow to the components that need to be cooled, and side fans go a long way to getting that done. You can also add fans inside the case, for example, to direct incoming, cool air to the dead spot at the bottom back of the case where the video card(s) are located. An old overclocker's trick is to cut a hole in the motherboard tray right under the CPU socket and put a small fan blowing onto the bottom of the socket. This also ventilates the space between the motherboard and the tray which is almost universally a big, dead airflow space. We go nuts cooling the top of the motherboard, but no one cools the bottom????

And, as I said, having a positive pressure (higher CFM ratings on intakes than CFM ratings on exhaust) will prevent unfiltered air from entering your case.

So, in a nutshell, it's not so much how much air, it's more important where it's going.

Hope this helps...........
 
#7 ·
There is no "best airflow setup for 932". The best setup depends on what components you have, how much heat they are producing, how much noise is acceptable to you, what temperatures are acceptable, etc.

CFM is the fan's maximum airflow rating with absolutely no resistance.. Static pressure is the other rating given. And you can't have static pressure if there is any CFM. Why? Because static pressure rating is the maximum pressure the fan produces when air stops flowing. And as very few fans have a airflow to resistance graph it is almost impossible to know how much air the fan is flowing in real world use.

Use reviews of fans tested on a cooler or radiator. Look at their noise level and cooling ability at different rpm Better cooling is better airflow.. This is how I choose what fan to use.

MartinsLiquidLab does good fan testing.
 
#8 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by doyll View Post

There is no "best airflow setup for 932". The best setup depends on what components you have, how much heat they are producing, how much noise is acceptable to you, what temperatures are acceptable, etc.

CFM is the fan's maximum airflow rating with absolutely no resistance.. Static pressure is the other rating given. And you can't have static pressure if there is any CFM.
As you note most fan manufacturers only supply CFM ratings for zero static pressure. But fans still have CFM ratings at all other static pressures.

 
#9 ·
Correct you are.
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My bad.
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Nit-picking, but still correct.
tongue.gif

Static pressure rating is with no airflow. Corrected original post.
 
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