Is it better to cool the case, or the CPU...

Man Manne · 5 Jul 2016 at 14:21

OK, didn't know how to get this all in the title.

What is best for a gaming setup in the In-Win 303??

A decent CPU that has a single rad (Corsair H60) at the rear rand 3 fans exhausting heat at the top
or
A decent CPU that has a triple rad (Thermaltake Water 3.0) and only one rear exhausting fan (120)

If you don't know the In-Win is as always "unique" in the way they lay things out which isn't always the best, but it's what I'm going for.

I'm not doing a loop or anything, I'm just not into that, I know peeps recommend and prefer, but we're all different.

Thanks for any help with the above.

Man Manne · 5 Jul 2016 at 14:25

As you can see the closest to rear fan at the top (yep, In-Win has certainly got some zany ways) would be hitting the PSU which with a 360 rad would be no problem as the other 2 would be there too.

I guess likewise, the 3rd fan if I had as exhaust would be there to "complete the look" just as much as the work it's expected to do.

Cenedd · 5 Jul 2016 at 16:34

Normally I'd say a triple rad is overkill for a single CPU - not that it's necessarily a bad thing, mind. A single would do provided you're not OC'ing it to kingdom come. That said, as far as I can tell, in that case, the rad is either blowing hot air into the case or into the PSU cavity? Can you give more details on that and I can comment from there?

ttaskmaster · 5 Jul 2016 at 17:19

I would stick a 240 up the front end of the top rack, so it can exhaust out the back panel, with minimal airflow onto the PSU... assuming the PSU intakes through the back panel, that is.
I'd also include a 120 exhausting out the back and a 360 intaking from the bottom.

An alternative is to have the top 240 intaking as well. That would probably baffle around the front panel and combine with the lower 360 to create a fair bit of positive pressure.

Whether you include rads for all these fan banks or not is your call.
That is a weird setup though and I'm not convinced it's the best for your airflow, by any means...

Man Manne · 5 Jul 2016 at 17:41

The top fan area, blow sideways into the chamber where the PSU sits at the rear of. With the PSU exhausting outwards

The only intake is at the bottom of the case (yes, seriously)

I won't be OCing it as I need totally stability and an i7 will provide what I need. If there was a chance for me to drop the radiator on the bottom (as per the build above) I would, but then there would be zero air coming in.

So I think with that...

3 bottom fans bringing air in
3 top fans expelling air out
1 radiator fan at the rear for the H60.

Not sure ttaskmaster if I read that wrong about the PSU intakes through the back panel? - It expels through the back (side loaded!)

How hot would air be coming in from the top?so then ALL air is expelled through a Radiator?

I went Pull on the last 2 builds I did, but really, is push worth it?

Greebo · 5 Jul 2016 at 17:53

The triple rad will always cool better than the single rad even if the other fans make the ambient temperature less in the case.

Yes triple rad is overkill but when browsing a triple rad would keep the cpu cool enough with the fans switched off,

Greebo · 5 Jul 2016 at 17:54

Man Manne said:
The top fan area, blow sideways into the chamber where the PSU sits at the rear of. With the PSU exhausting outwards

The only intake is at the bottom of the case (yes, seriously)

I won't be OCing it as I need totally stability and an i7 will provide what I need. If there was a chance for me to drop the radiator on the bottom (as per the build above) I would, but then there would be zero air coming in.

So I think with that...

3 bottom fans bringing air in
3 top fans expelling air out
1 radiator fan at the rear for the H60.

Not sure ttaskmaster if I read that wrong about the PSU intakes through the back panel? - It expels through the back (side loaded!)

How hot would air be coming in from the top?so then ALL air is expelled through a Radiator?

I went Pull on the last 2 builds I did, but really, is push worth it?

I suspect in that build above the fans on the bottom are blowing into the case.

Man Manne · 6 Jul 2016 at 02:09

Greebo said:
I suspect in that build above the fans on the bottom are blowing into the case.

Sure there is a radiator there though.

Do people do that? The only source of air inflow being on the top of a rad? Could it be done? - Not sure how hot that would raise the temps.

Greebo · 6 Jul 2016 at 09:10

Man Manne said:
Sure there is a radiator there though.

Do people do that? The only source of air inflow being on the top of a rad? Could it be done? - Not sure how hot that would raise the temps.

There is. And on my last two builds I have had the bottom rad blow (warm) air into the case. With everything watercooled you dont need to worry too much about ambient case temps and airflow.

I always try for positive airflow so the case does suck dust in.

Though in that top build I would perhaps have a single rear fan to expel some of this hot air.

ttaskmaster · 6 Jul 2016 at 13:29

You can have all intakes covered by rads and still enjoy a wealth of airflow - I'm a gushing Noctua fanboy, but for a high volume of airflow through a rad via an SP fan, I'd personally go with EK's new Vardar ER fans (120 or140mm).

Man Manne said:
Not sure ttaskmaster if I read that wrong about the PSU intakes through the back panel? - It expels through the back (side loaded!)

Sorry, not being clear - I meant that it looks to intake through the 'back or rear side panel' (front side panel being the windowed one) but expels through the back of the case itself.
Or - Intakes through the right and out through the back, if you prefer.

Man Manne said:
How hot would air be coming in from the top?

Comin IN, it'd be the same as any other intake. After it intakes through a rad, it'd be warmer of course,

Man Manne said:
so then ALL air is expelled through a Radiator?

That'd be the negative pressure option. Not my personal preference, but might work well for a build like this. More so if everything is watercooled.

Man Manne said:
I went Pull on the last 2 builds I did, but really, is push worth it?

Not in the slightest.
The only discernible difference between Push and Pull is that Push traps more dust between fan and rad. Performance is the same.
However... if you go Push-Pull, that will make a difference! Not sure if you'd have the room in this case for a Push-Pull setup, though.

ttaskmaster · 6 Jul 2016 at 13:33

Man Manne said:
Do people do that? The only source of air inflow being on the top of a rad? Could it be done? - Not sure how hot that would raise the temps.

In the pic, BOTH fan banks are intaking.
Temps even out throughout the loop and the airflow is what takes the heat away from the loop... so what matters most is the movement of air through the rad and a way for that warmed air to escape. You could set them to all exhaust, but I doubt you'd shave more than a few degrees off.

Man Manne · 12 Jul 2016 at 14:13

So ok, pretty sure that I have decided something, but is there any reference at all for intaking through a CPU radiator as the only source of air into the case? With the rear and top ones exhausting?

Cenedd · 12 Jul 2016 at 14:23

Can't give you a specific 'look at this' but if your only intake is effectively heated and you then use that warm air as input for your other two rads, I'd have thought you'd get higher temps as the result. You'd probably be better having the fans push air from outside through the rads (case, fan, rad) and then stick an exhaust in somewhere. I'd have thought that would give you better temps even if you have both large rads as input and the rear (I'm assuming is a 120) as exhaust - even if you ditched the 120 rad it'd probably be lower temps by feeding them with cool air.

Man Manne · 12 Jul 2016 at 15:37

The only rad I'm having is the TT Riing 3.0. Looking at it, I may actually use it as an expelling one now at the top.

/back to the drawing board

Man Manne · 22 Jul 2016 at 17:11

Ok definitely going to have the expelling air at the top and the incoming at the bottom!