Is a bottom radiator set as exhaust a really stupid idea?

LePhuronn

LePhuronn

LePhuronn

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360mm rad in the bottom of the case set to exhaust. Other than massive negative pressure and dust issues, is this going to be a waste of time?

I ask purely for the aesthetic value of the LED fans I'm using as the hubs are the brightest bit and it'll help with light transmission through the custom case body. Plus you can see the fan's mounting struts through the body holes.

Reference 1
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/30683928/

Reference 2
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/30697217/

Reference 3
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/32683002/


Yes, I'm considering sacrificing performance for aesthetics :p


Cheers all
 
On the basis that heat rises, the floor will get hot, this will transfer to the case and the radiator, both of which will act as a heat sink and everything will keep heating up. At least, that what I imagine will happen, but only testing would tell you if it’s true or not…
 
Yes and no.

If the hot air has a means of escaping easily then it should be fine. I have a fairly hefty negative pressure on my 900D for temp and case reasons and i havent cleaned it in months, barely any dust. Just may need dusting down more often but usually the difference isnt huge.

On my 900D there is a lot in the bottom so as an intake it just chokes up with heat below the midplate without much means of escape. I have 2 intakes on the front, rest exhausts on my 900D (totalling 8 120's and 1 140!) and the temps are pretty spot on. i have tested it pretty much every setup and its the best for me.
 
LePhuronn said:
Is a bottom radiator set as exhaust a really stupid idea?
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I can't imagine why - Having it as an intake would drag more dust in, as whatever tabletop/floor surface it's resting on would help channel more particulates toward it.
Several members on here have lower rads exhausting and they do exceptionally well out of it. It's also really easy to bleed such rads and, if you have additional ports, they're perfect for a drain point!
Just as Tyler mentioned, make sure the exhaust has somewhere to go. If needs be, you could even put in some baffle plates at a slight angle to further help direct the air out.

Penfold101 said:
On the basis that heat rises, the floor will get hot, this will transfer to the case and the radiator, both of which will act as a heat sink and everything will keep heating up. At least, that what I imagine will happen, but only testing would tell you if it’s true or not…
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Heat doesn't rise, hot air does, and most fans (should) have sufficient airflow to overcome that. I do wonder if there's going to be enough overall air intake to achieve this, though...
 
If their is any air coming from the bottom of the case it will push any heat away from the radiator so that won’t be sucked back in. As long as you have air coming into the case from somewhere else the bottom exhaust radiator will be fine.

heat rises unless it is resisted, even the smallest amount of resistance (a very low rpm fan) will stop heat rising.
 
Cheers for the input, all

The original plan was the 360 as intake and the 120 as exhaust. The front mounted PSU does a little extraction as well. Then I got thinking that the In Win 901 - even with my extensive mods - is still just rubbish for airflow so the bulk of the intake is just going to slam into the graphics card and waft about in some fashion. So that's when I thought about switching it around. The 120mm rad is a small intake with the 360 just sucking everything out. It also means the PSU isn't breathing radiator air (although I did specifically get a new PSU to handle the higher internal temps).

With some careful jigging I should be able to remove the fans with the radiator still looped up and flip them over if I change my mind, or it's rubbish.

All this because the fans don't look pretty through the bodywork :P
 
I've run the same way for a couple of years, all exhaust fans for aesthetic reasons. Never encountered any problems.

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No issue. Hot air rising won't overcome fans, any fan.
I usually prefer/use a balance of intake and exhaust, as a constant directed flow helps keeping all components nice and cool.
For multiple rads, the one right after the "heat offenders" (GPU and CPU), always exhaust. Anything else can be either exhaust or intake, depending if you want the ery last bit of performance or can sacrifice 1C coolant temperature for aesthetics.
With good rad area, goig all exhaust can still give you excellent results.
The only downside I can think of is that the air to feed all those rads exhausting out be coming from ever gap they can get. Quite some pressure, but mostly from the rear of the case.
About dust, instead going for a ton of filters, and cripple the fans performance I would simply suggest one of those electric air compressors. Not that expensive, a 10inutes job, unless the PC is in a very dusty environment.
 
Thanks all. I'll go with exhaust for the chunky 360 down the bottom and see what happens.

Will get back to you with details in about a year given how long this bleedin' project is taking me :(
 
LePhuronn said:
Thanks all. I'll go with exhaust for the chunky 360 down the bottom and see what happens.

Will get back to you with details in about a year given how long this bleedin' project is taking me :(
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Keen to see your temps. I'm swapping out my 360x40 with 3 fans at the bottom on my 011xl for a 360x60 with 6 fans. Currently it's setup to intake but I'm considering making it exhaust. The only problem is I'd have no active air intake anymore in the case so it would be sucked in through all the gaps and not sure if it's enough air flow but right now the radiators on in take are warming up the whole case - the glass side panel in the case gets very hot after 30 minutes
 
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