Cooling Corsair Carbide 300R + Corsair H60

Jestahr

Jestahr

Jestahr

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Joined
18 Jan 2011
Posts
328
Hello,

I've decided to upgrade to Kabylake, I'm worried about temps so decided it's time to ditch the trusty Hyper 212 Evo and look into a liquid solution.

I currently have a Corsair Carbide 300R case which is a little tight for space do I figure the only real option is a single fan solution like the H60.

Currently I have 2x 120MM Fans in the front panel pulling air in, 2x 140MM Fans on the top pulling air out and a single 120MM on the back also pulling air out.

My temps are pretty good with my current spec but I'm just wondering what will be the best way to mount the H60? I was thinking to replace one of the top fans or is there somewhere better?

Kind regards
 
While 212 is not as good as many other coolers is is not as bad as many other coolers either. It used to be the go-to budget cooler .. decent cooling / budget price, but now there are many in same price range just as good and better.

Many of us do not consider CLCs as decent replacements. They are no better than top tier air coolers, make more noise, don't last as long, cost more money, are not near as dependable and when they fails 99 times out of 100 it's the pump. When anything but the fan goes bad you have no cooling at all .. so no system to use .. and an major expense and/or time delay wating for RMA to get it replaced.

A top tier air cooler cooling just as well as CLC cost 1/2 to 2/3rd as much and only has a fan that can fail. The heatpipes, fins and base have a life expectancy of longer than we will live, and if a fan goes bad it usually starts making noise before it dies, and even if it does die systems will usually cool enought at low load that we can still use computer .. and any fan can be rubber banded onto cooler until a new fan arrives.

So buying and using a CLC is much higher priced and if you can't be without computer means you need a back-up cooler on the shelf .. even more money .. and if you have to buy a new cooler it's a major expense.

But having a top tier air cooler costs less, lasts longer with almost no chance of failure .. and if a fan fails it's a cheap and easy fix.

Most people who have component water cooling want nothing to do with CLCs, but do think goo air cooling is fine.

Make your own decision. Don't listen to the CLC owners who have little to no experience with coolers in general, change from a small noisy stock CPU cooler or a 212 in a case that did not have have good airflow and rave about how CLC lowered their temps came down 10c and is much quieter.
Listen to owners of good air coolers and people who have used lots of diference cooling systems. These will almost invariably tell you to either use top air, an AIO like EK Predator or Swiftech H220, 240 320 X2 or X2 Prestige, or make sure you have deep pockets and go a custom loop.
 
Jestahr said:
Hello,

I've decided to upgrade to Kabylake, I'm worried about temps so decided it's time to ditch the trusty Hyper 212 Evo and look into a liquid solution.

I currently have a Corsair Carbide 300R case which is a little tight for space do I figure the only real option is a single fan solution like the H60.

Currently I have 2x 120MM Fans in the front panel pulling air in, 2x 140MM Fans on the top pulling air out and a single 120MM on the back also pulling air out.

My temps are pretty good with my current spec but I'm just wondering what will be the best way to mount the H60? I was thinking to replace one of the top fans or is there somewhere better?

Kind regards
Click to expand...

You could run a 240 at the front in place of your two intake fans?

Anyway, as said above, from all the research I have done, it would appear that a top air cooler is the better bet in reality.

BUT, I do have a H60 currently cooling my 4770k. And I also already have a H115i for my next build, which will be happening shortly after Zen is released.

I did consider all the points mentioned above. Would be stupid not to. But the H115i was at a really good price, so I decided to just go for it. I do prefer the look of a nice AIO compared to a massive air cooler anyway.

But, I weighed it all up, and decided to go for the AIO again. Afterall, after some issues with the original TIM not spreading well on my H60, that was easily fixed with re-application of an aftermarket product (Gelid Xtreme). Now, at stock speeds and auto voltages, my 4770k doesn't go above 50 deg on 100% load (a drop of around 40 deg). So there is plenty of headroom there.

That might not be the same for you though. I didn't need to worry about having a back-up cooler, as I have multiple computers dotted around, so I'll never be short of one if something breaks. So I decided the aesthetics were worth the price.

For information, I got the H115i for around the same price as the Noctua
NH-D15, which is likely what I would have got if I hadn't picked up the H115i for that price. Which is also the same as the H60 v2. Given the choice between another H60 and the D15, I'd probably pick the D15. Mostly on performance grounds, as it has been proven to be better than the H60. And probably roughly as good as the H115i that I have anyway.
 
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