Fractal R4 cooling

Soldato
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I have had my Fractal R4 for a few years and LOVE it.

Very spacious and excellent build quality and features.

I still have the stock cooling which consists of one intake and one exhaust.

These cases are like a sealed coffin (It is meant to be that way for the reduced noise so that is fine). Anyone with experience able to share their wisdom on what works best for cooling the thing?

Thanks.
 
Soldato
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So the things I learnt with my old R4 were that yes you will obviously have to take out those little square noise reducing seals which makes the noise more noticeable for a start. Key things to consider based on my experience:

  1. Buy 140mm fans, the grills are compatible and it will help with running lower RPM fans and shifting cool air
  2. The front intake isn't fantastic at delivering in cool air, consider running the front a little more aggressive
  3. Nice big push/pull configuration on the rear is good idea, if you're running a closed loop CPU cooler all the better
  4. Don't use the side fan, you might think it will blow nice cold air over your GPU but it doesnt work well with the airflow in the main case
  5. Top fans are optional and kick out an incredible amount of the heat but it will get dusty so avoid if you are not running too hot

Hope it helps, my R4 is still sat next to me collecting dust but it was a great case.
 
Soldato
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Thank you for the info.

I went against an closed loop cooling system and went with a Noctua NH-D15S. My thinking was, air cooling gave me more options.

I just need to get some more air into the case.

Will fit another 140mm on the front.

Will adding a second 140mm on the rear help?

That would make:

Front:
2x140mm

Noctua Noctua NH-D15S Heatsink:
2 x 140mm

Rear:
2 x 140mm
 
Soldato
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Probably yes, running them in push pull will be more effective at moving air without having to ramp them up to crazy levels and generate more noise.

Adding another front is a must though, you should also remove the drive bay bits you are not using and make sure your cabling is tidy.
 
Soldato
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2 good 140mm fans at the front and the stock at the back and top should be fine.
As mentioned, remove what you don't need and tidy up your cabling where you can.
 
Associate
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Things I noticed:

2x 140mm top covers reduce noise so putting fans or radiator there instead is a no-go
Completely removing hard drive cages also seems to increase noise for me some reason

Modifications I've done:

Both stock fans in front, BeQuiet! 140mm at the rear
Have SP120 fan down the bottom and always check dimensions of PSUs I buy
I turned hard drive cages around for better airflow so there is nothing in a way between front intake and components - this is a bit DIY but it works when empty
Put my only full sized harddrive in 5.25" slot inside NZXT HUE (enough space there) and have 3 ssd and 1 small sshd hiden at the back

Now considering going for Kraken G10 and watercool my GPU. 120mm radiator could go nicely to the bottom and thanks to front intakes hot air leaving bottom radiator should get directed towards rear exhaust and not on other components like CPU or RAM

Things I wish it had:

BeQuiet! cases seem to have found a way how to reduce noise when radiator is installed on top (they have sleek cover going over the top with exhaust at a back) I think thats smart - would love to have x61 there
BeQuiet! windowed cases have double glazing
 
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Soldato
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To get the best cooling in the fractal R4 (I have tested it with various different fans / amount of fans etc)

You need to fill it with fans, except for the side fan, as that lets out more noise and does not make much difference. Also remove the big 5 HDD cage.

I have 3 x 1500rpm noctua fans as intakes, but I only run them about 1300rpm as they are too loud at max speed (about 400-500rpm idle and 1300rpm gaming)

For exhaust I have 3 x 1000rpm bequiet! fans, you could get away with 2 more powerful fans but you need 2 or 3.

I also have 2 x 140mm magnetic dust filters over the top vents, to stop any bits or dust etc.

Also depends what components you have in there.

But the stock cooling of 2 wimpy 1000rpm fans is definitely not enough.
 
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Associate
Joined
15 Jun 2016
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Hi all. First post here.
I have this case and was thinking of doing a wc loop with front radiator 280mm intake as push/pull configuration. Is this possible with all hdd cages removed.
I have seen many with 240 but not 280.
 
Associate
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You guys are talking about push/pull, I assume that means that some fans are pushing the air in and some is pulling it out of the case?

I found this topic quite interesting as I am planning to get the Fractal R5 case for my new build.

I'm also planning to get some 140mm fans from BitFenix, unless you can recommend some other fans that are fairly quite but also cools very well?

I was planning to have 2x140mm fans in the front for intake, and 1x140mm in the rear and 1x140mm in the top for exhaust, would that be sufficient for the R5 case? As I understand it the R5 is very similar to the R4
 
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