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Define S - would front+top rad both as exhaust work?

2K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  44TZL 
#1 ·
Hi there!

I'm upgrading from a 2xAIO Define Nano S to the Define S for a first time custom loop + case mod. It's aimed at running quiet - think 750 rpm fans.

Just wondering if anyone has experimented with different airflows and how they affect cooling / drive temps? Would love to hear your experience.

As for setup, I've got 2 Hardware labs rads on their way, the 420 + 280 GTS X-Flow. They are for cooling an oc-ed 5820K + 980Ti, but I am likely to add another 980Ti soon - or go for 2x Pascal. The CPU and mobo are not set in stone - but it will be LGA2011-3.

Here's the plan:
- Option 1: top+front exhaust + 2 case fans as intake (bottom + rear).
- Option 2: front changed to intake, mostly like with 1 fan at the bottom as intake.

Just as an aside: I care much less about dust in the case than dust on rads behind fans
smile.gif

 
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#2 ·
Intake on any Rad in any location gives you the best possible thermal performance, but that hot air can heat up inside the case. It's best to have Front Rad intake, top Rad exhaust to get a correct mix between Rad temps and internal system temps.
 
#3 ·
Imo I would run them both as intake with 1 rear exhaust. Im building in a F31 which is Tt's version of the case, and so far with my tests both rads as intake seem to yield overall best temps. In fairness though I'm not running a 980ti. Lots of loops done in this case so you can search and find all kinds of info.

So you've opened the can, let the debates commence...
 
#4 ·
Mmm... It seems completely counter intuitive to blow all heat back in where it just came from! But could work with low wattage... hard facts from testing are good (thanks Radnad - and nice rig there).

That said, I suspect cooling is a bit case specific. The Fractal's Defines are a bit odd because the drive bay area (back) has vents at the front. So when running with overpressure and front as intake it will suck that hot air straight back in at the front.

In my experience with the Define Nano, I found underpressure cooled the drives best + the classic *acknowledges BradleyW's answer* front in, top out.. There the CPU would add 1-3 degrees to the GPU temps, but the CPU ran 5-6C cooler which was needed more. Running both as intake or exhaust simply didn't work - the fans simply struggled for air.

Anyway, this is now a single loop, it's also a much bigger case (new territory for me).. so still love to hear from people who tested this. I'll have another browse to see if people posted temps. Almost all that I've seen sofar have the front intake - top exhaust (perhaps for good reason
tongue.gif
but challenging the status quo needs to happen too from time to time).
 
#6 ·
You can test what is the optimal airflow in your setup. Front intake, top exhaust or both intake.

With fans on the Xflow best to go with min 1200-1800rpm on these rads. This was the best i used for the slim, dense fin arrangement. Anything under 1000rpm the rad no longer was able to cool effectively, worse if your ambient temps is high.
For silence, Xflow were not the best choice. You would want to go with a low fpi around 8-10, which suits fans under 1000rpm.
 
#7 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by electro2u View Post

You're watercooling your PSU?
smile.gif
Kind of looks that way... - but no. 240V and water....?
Good idea for a silent build
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sp33d Junki3 View Post

You can test what is the optimal airflow in your setup. Front intake, top exhaust or both intake.

With fans on the Xflow best to go with min 1200-1800rpm on these rads. This was the best i used for the slim, dense fin arrangement. Anything under 1000rpm the rad no longer was able to cool effectively, worse if your ambient temps is high.
For silence, Xflow were not the best choice. You would want to go with a low fpi around 8-10, which suits fans under 1000rpm.
Mmm not good if so!!! I mostly based myself off the xtreme rigs website had tested them as similar, this is from their 280mm @ 750rpm test:

SR2 9fpi 60mm - push: 169W / 10C (Monsta even fatter but around the same, 167W)
XFLOW 16 fpi 30mm - push 167W, push-pull 206W (I didn't see anything beating it for it's total 80mm)

At 1300rpm (Ideally I stay 750-1100rpm) -

SR2 - push 264W
XFLOW - push 252W, in push-pull 294W (again non of the thicker rads seem to match this)

Which lower FPI rads are you thinking of? Any recommendations?
 
#8 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sp33d Junki3 View Post

You can test what is the optimal airflow in your setup. Front intake, top exhaust or both intake.

With fans on the Xflow best to go with min 1200-1800rpm on these rads. This was the best i used for the slim, dense fin arrangement. Anything under 1000rpm the rad no longer was able to cool effectively, worse if your ambient temps is high.
For silence, Xflow were not the best choice. You would want to go with a low fpi around 8-10, which suits fans under 1000rpm.
Just wondering. Are you referring to the old GT Stealths Xflows.. they used to be 30fpi.. but since about 2014.. they made the fins extremely thin and to about 16fpi?
 
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