Advice on cooling cabinet upgrade - fan setup

K

Hello friends, just needed a quick but of advice.

Following a recent upgrade, I'm in need to upgrade my cabinet to the corsair carbide 500r

Carbide Series® 500R Mid-Tower Case - Carbide Series - Cases

Now this chassy includes 2x120mm front intake, 1x120mm rear exhaust & 1x240mm side panel intake fans. Learnt that it has capacity to hold 5 more fans. (2x120mm/140mm upper exhaust, 2x120mm front inner panel intake & 1x120mm/140mm bottom intake / exhaust fans ?? - Can someone clarify this for me ?)

Considering the fact that I've not overclocked by phenom II x4 system, could you please suggest which of these additional fans do i need ?

Requirements - The install should prove to be worthy of the money in terms of reducing the GPU & HDD temps considerably.

imo, installing a single top rear exhaust should be a good value addition & suffice. (As I would anyway take the removable hard drive cage out from the 500r for better intake air flow). For that, I had shortlisted couple of fans as below.

Please advice on possible choice, quoted market cost corrections, better alternates & also additional requirements if any.

CM Excalibur 120 mm (R4-EXBB-20PK-R0) - INR 1200
Excalibur - Cooler Master

CM BC 140mm Case Fan 1800RPM (Dual Ball/Rifle) (R4-BCDD-18FK-R1/ R4-BCDR-18FK-R1) - Can someone help me get the price of this?
BC 140 Case Fan 1800RPM (Dual Ball/Rifle) - Cooler Master

Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition High Airflow 140mm Fan - INR 1100
Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition High Airflow 140mm Fan - Air Series Fans - Cooling

Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition High Static Pressure 120mm Fan - INR 935
Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition High Static Pressure 120mm Fan - Air Series Fans - Cooling

Thanks for your time !

> I dont much knowledge about fans, but I can recommend fan setup.

> Put 2 front intake fans, 1 rear exhaust fan, 1 top exhaust fan.

I doubt you'll require it, but if you're living in a place where its pretty hot you're lot better off switching on the air conditioner. You need to post your system configuration if you need help.

Just because a case allows you to install many fans, doesn't mean you should fill it up. The idea is to have the air flow around the case and then come put- rather than push out the air as soon as it comes in. Buying a good CPU cooler makes a lot more sense. At max you can install a single fan on the top of the memory kit section. For that, stick to SP120.

K

Hi thanks for the help.. config is as below for further help

amd phenom 955be (not oc'ed), asus mobo, cm hyper 212 evo, 4gb ram, 2 sata hdd, 2 optical drives, msi 6850 cyclone pe, 600w corsair psu

yes, the place I stay or rather the place where the pc is installed is considerably hot with very less air flow around (its a corner basically) & there is no air conditioner installed in the room. hence more focus on the cooling part.

^^ And what are the temperatures on load? Please download HWMonitor, run some stress testing software for 10 minutes and post the screenshot here.

All the more reason to consider what I've said above. Hyper 212 Evo is a good cooler. Not sure which paste you're using, but MX-2 is the way to go- or else there's Antec IC Diamond and CM's 400 thermal fusion (or something like that) thermal paste in India.

K

Well, i use speedfan to determine the temps. Under stress the temp's average as below. (stress test for 4-5 mins)

CPU - 50 to 56
Core - 55 to 60
Mobo - 45 to 50
HDD's - 49 to 52
GPU - 75 +

For the hyper 212 evo, my dealer had used the default cooler master paste that came along with the pack. Isn't that good enough ?

Regarding the fan - U've suggested that I install it on the top (I take it as top rear & not top front) Problem is my computer table (monitor on top, case at the bottom type) will have just about an inch above the top of the chassy given the 500r's dimension. This should be fine ?

karthik316_1999 said:
Well, i use speedfan to determine the temps. Under high stress the temp's average as below.

CPU/Core/Mobo - 42 - 49
HDD's - 49 to 52
GPU - 68 - 75

For the hyper 212 evo, my dealer had used the default cooler master paste that came along with the pack. Isn't that good enough ?

& regarding the fan - U've suggested that I install it on the top (I take it as top rear & not top front) Problem is my computer table will have just about an inch above the top of the chassy given the 500r's dimension. This should be fine ?

> Stop using speedfan. It's very well known to display incorrect readings. I recommend HwInfo. Other apps are: Core Temp.

> HDD at 49-52 is too high.

> Lack of headroom is definitely an issue. that would cause the fans to intake the same air which they exhausted.

K

bump.. just edited the thread along with adding revised readings..

So.. what to do about the head room ? Change the idea of top exhaust to a bottom exhaust instead ? (next to the psu)

karthik316_1999 said:
bump.. just edited the thread along with adding revised readings..

So.. what to do about the head room ? Change the idea of top exhaust to a bottom exhaust instead ? (next to the psu)

> Bottom exaust isn't a good idea. There isn't much space at the bottom of a cabinet for the air to escape quickly. And moreover, the PSU's fan would be just next to it, which will be intakeing the hot air exausted from the cabinet.

> For space issues, please mention the sides which are open. I guess only the read and front of the place for keeping the cabinet in comp. table arw open?

K

harshilsharma63 said:
> Bottom exaust isn't a good idea. There isn't much space at the bottom of a cabinet for the air to escape quickly. And moreover, the PSU's fan would be just next to it, which will be intakeing the hot air exausted from the cabinet.

The PSU is an intake for sure and not an exhaust ? (If you recollect, the older PC's were having just the top mounted PSU fan at the rear of the cabinet blowing hot air outside..)

> For space issues, please mention the sides which are open. I guess only the read and front of the place for keeping the cabinet in comp. table arw open?

I did not get this. There is open space in front of the cabinet and the side space on both the sides of the cabinet is 3.5 inches. On the right side of the cabby, there is complete enclosure. On the other left side though, the enclosure is only half way through. (however, I have placed other components like speaker sub-woofer & UPS on the tray that's adjacent) Is that what you asked for ?

A closest match to the setup would be this pic - *images02.olx.in/ui/20/11/08/1333292506_342820308_1-modern-Computer-table-Kovai-Pudur.jpg

or this one rather better *img.weiku.com/waterpicture/2011/10/24/21/Wooden_computer_table_634592489121908727_2.jpg

Let me know if this clarifies or u want a photo of my setup..

karthik316_1999 said:
The PSU is an intake for sure and not an exhaust ? (If you recollect, the older PC's were having just the top mounted PSU fan at the rear of the cabinet blowing hot air outside..)

I did not get this. There is open space in front of the cabinet and the side space on both the sides of the cabinet is 3.5 inches. On the right side of the cabby, there is complete enclosure. On the other left side though, the enclosure is only half way through. (however, I have placed other components like speaker sub-woofer & UPS on the tray that's adjacent) Is that what you asked for ?

A closest match to the setup would be this pic - *images02.olx.in/ui/20/11/08/1333292506_342820308_1-modern-Computer-table-Kovai-Pudur.jpg

or this one rather better *img.weiku.com/waterpicture/2011/10/24/21/Wooden_computer_table_634592489121908727_2.jpg

Let me know if this clarifies or u want a photo of my setup..

> What I meant was: if you install an exahust fan at the bottom pf the cbinet, then it will lead to the PSU's fan sucking in the hot air exahusted.

> If you'r setup matches to that in the pics, then its okay.

> Can you tell how many fans come included with the cabinet?

K

This chassy includes 2x120mm front intake, 1x120mm rear exhaust & 1x240mm side panel intake fans. Learnt that it has capacity to hold 5 more fans. (2x120mm/140mm upper exhaust, 2x120mm front inner panel intake & 1x120mm/140mm bottom intake / exhaust fans)

harshilsharma63 said:
> What I meant was: if you install an exhaust fan at the bottom of the cabinet, then it will lead to the PSU's fan sucking in the hot air exhausted.

Are you sure PSU fan are only intake & not exhaust ?

If you're setup matches to that in the pics, then its okay.

okay for a top exhaust fan to be installed ? The clearance is not the same as shown in the pics.

karthik316_1999 said:
This chassy includes 2x120mm front intake, 1x120mm rear exhaust & 1x240mm side panel intake fans. Learnt that it has capacity to hold 5 more fans. (2x120mm/140mm upper exhaust, 2x120mm front inner panel intake & 1x120mm/140mm bottom intake / exhaust fans)

Are you sure PSU fan are only intake & not exhaust ?

okay for a top exhaust fan to be installed ? The clearance is not the same as shown in the pics.

> Yes, PSU's fans are intake, not exahust.

> Post some pics of your setup, and please upload low-resolution pics, I'm browsing at 6 kBps (crossed the 2 GB PUP of Vodafone connection

).

K

Here you go with a low res. pic. As you can see I've just focused the case area alone along with the enclosure space. Guess 500r's height should reach the same level as the handle of my current ibox case.

*i46.tinypic.com/10e1ztk.jpg

Okay, that's pretty free space. Now, apart from the included fans, I would suggest you to get 3 additional 120 mm fans. fix one of these as the rear exhaust fan, and remaining two as top exhaust fans. This would create a slightly negative pressure, which prevents creation of heat spots inside the cabinet.

K

Well, as mentioned earlier - the case already includes a rear 120mm fan.

also, i've read somewhere that it is advisable to have a +ve pressure inside a case rather than -ve ?

Just adding in a quick question.

I've heard that a fan can be made to act as an intake or exhaust depending on the flip-way it is mounted. Is this right ?

If so, can the stock 120mm fan of the hyper 212 evo be mounted either ways ? I'm not sure how exactly I have mounted it (push/pull). Is there a best one among the two / how do I test them ?

This will probably help you : The Big Air Cooling Investigation | bit-tech.net

karthik316_1999 said:
Well, as mentioned earlier - the case already includes a rear 120mm fan.

also, i've read somewhere that it is advisable to have a +ve pressure inside a case rather than -ve ?

Just adding in a quick question.

I've heard that a fan can be made to act as an intake or exhaust depending on the flip-way it is mounted. Is this right ?

If so, can the stock 120mm fan of the hyper 212 evo be mounted either ways ? I'm not sure how exactly I have mounted it (push/pull). Is there a best one among the two / how do I test them ?

> I know it already has a 120 mm rear exhaust fan, I'm asking you to add 1 more rear exhaust fan, and two top exhaust fans.

> +ve pressure helps prevent dust buildup, but in an extremely small scale. -ve pressure is ideal for cooling. The problem with +ve pressure is that it leads to hot air remaining inside the cabinet itself, leading to development of heat spotss inside the cabinet. -ve air pressure leads to hot air being removed from the cabinet asap, adn is ideal choice for effective cooling. If you would be living in DC of New York, then I may have suggested you a +ve pressure, but here in India, -ve pressure is the obvious choice.

> Air flow of fan can be inverted just by flipping them. Consider that you want your ceiling fan to pull air from the floor instead of pushing, so you just invert the fan (and try to balance it

) for that.

> Hyper 210 evo comes with only 1 fan which pushes air on the heatsink. Either leave it as it is, or install one more fan on ot which pulls air from the heat sink to create a pull-push config. A fan should ALWAYS push air onto HS instead of pulling it.

This article should help you alot..

How To: Properly Plan And Pick Parts For An Air-Cooled PC, Part 1 : Back To Basics On Cooling

*www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-air-pressure-heatsink,3058.html

my advice would be to have a neutral pressure.one front intake, one side intake, one top exhaust and one back exhaust.best config, as it keeps all components (including hdd and gpu) with flowing air.

doomgiver said:
my advice would be to have a neutral pressure.one front intake, one side intake, one top exhaust and one back exhaust.best config, as it keeps all components (including hdd and gpu) with flowing air.

Neutral pressure is okay to implement if you can manage large air flow, such ar 3 intakes and 3 exhausts.

K

harshilsharma63 said:
> I know it already has a 120 mm rear exhaust fan, I'm asking you to add 1 more rear exhaust fan, and two top exhaust fans.

> Hyper 210 evo comes with only 1 fan which pushes air on the heatsink. Either leave it as it is, or install one more fan on ot which pulls air from the heat sink to create a pull-push config. A fan should ALWAYS push air onto HS instead of pulling it.

Can an additional rear exhaust be fixed in the carbide 500r ? I am not sure where.. looking at the rear view of the cabinet. *www.guru3d.com/miraserver/images/2011/corsair-r500/IMG_5119.jpg

Also, the space between the rear exhaust fan & the hyper 212 cooler fan is very minimal. Will this not cause a problem where-in the cpu fan is trying to push air in & the exhaust fan is trying to suck the air out ?

@ ZTR - thank you for that wonderful link. I shall go through it.

karthik316_1999 said:
Can an additional rear exhaust be fixed in the carbide 500r ? I am not sure where.. looking at the rear view of the cabinet. *www.guru3d.com/miraserver/images/2011/corsair-r500/IMG_5119.jpg

Also, the space between the rear exhaust fan & the hyper 212 cooler fan is very minimal. Will this not cause a problem where-in the cpu fan is trying to push air in & the exhaust fan is trying to suck the air out ?

@ ZTR - thank you for that wonderful link. I shall go through it.

Correct:
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9684&stc=1

Incorrect:
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=9685&stc=1

K

Thanks a lot for all the valuable help !

Just completed the installation on the new 500r and its really awesome. Tremendous difference in the temperatures !

<After about 10 mins of benchmarking test program in both the cases>

Earlier :

HDD's - 49 to 52
Mobo - 45 to 50
CPU - 50 to 56
Core - 55 to 60
GPU - 75 +

Now :

HDD's - 34
Mobo - 36
CPU - 39
Core - 42
GPU - 63

What a hell lot of mistake I have made by using my old cabinet for this new build ! really pity the components of my pc for suffering all these days !

Pics of build as below. Please advice on any possible changes / cable management tips. Somehow felt it was not similar to the 'neat' builds shown in reviews of the case. (Motherboard layout maybe?)

Note: I've changed the position of the hyper 212 cpu fan to the one shown as below after taking the pics.

*img818.imageshack.us/img818/667/28032013950.jpg

*img24.imageshack.us/img24/5079/28032013952.jpg

*img11.imageshack.us/img11/1658/28032013953.jpg

*img541.imageshack.us/img541/7883/28032013955.jpg

karthik316_1999 said:
Thanks a lot for all the valuable help !

Just completed the installation on the new 500r and its really awesome. Tremendous difference in the temperatures !

<After about 10 mins of benchmarking test program in both the cases>

Earlier :

HDD's - 49 to 52
Mobo - 45 to 50
CPU - 50 to 56
Core - 55 to 60
GPU - 75 +

Now :

HDD's - 34
Mobo - 36
CPU - 39
Core - 42
GPU - 63

What a hell lot of mistake I have made by using my old cabinet for this new build ! really pity the components of my pc for suffering all these days !

Pics of build as below. Please advice on any possible changes / cable management tips. Somehow felt it was not similar to the 'neat' builds shown in reviews of the case. (Motherboard layout maybe?)

Note: I've changed the position of the hyper 212 cpu fan to the one shown as below after taking the pics.

oops.. posted high res pics by mistake. shall re-post with resize

> Congratulations and great effect there

> thanks for that (bolded part)

why is the cpu cooler in pull config? i thought push config was better.

K

@harsh

yes, it's done now.

@ doom
I have changed the fan's position post taking the pics.. also, I guess there is no pull config with the hyper 212 using the 1 fan that is provided by default ? same was explained above by harsh..

Which direction is the CPU fan blowing?

Cause the fan that comes with 212 evo is meant to take in air (push)

@op: my name is Harshil, not harsh.

@op: my name is Harshil, not harsh.

harshilsharma63 said:
@op: my name is Harshil, not harsh.

@op: my name is Harshil, not harsh.

I think OP wants to call your name short.....

Sainatarajan said:
I think OP wants to call your name short.....

HS would be a better alternative

K

okay HS.. !

anybody any suggestions on cable mgmt ? else.. we can have this thread mark solved !

@ztr - the fan is blowing air towards the rear exhaust.

karthik316_1999 said:
okay HS.. !

anybody any suggestions on cable mgmt ? else.. we can have this thread mark solved !

@ztr - the fan is blowing air towards the rear exhaust.

> correct karna hi tha to full name hi kar lo

> browse for images of cabinet on bit-tech to see some awesome examples of cable management.

> Did you place the cpu cooler's fan like I suggested in the images?

> What's the final cabinet fan setup that you went after.

your current cable management is pretty good. first time?
it took me 3 tries and 2 days to get mine right.

K

Yes, the fan's position has been changed now. Thanks again !