3 Questions - Case Fan Setup and AIO Water Cooling

[Sumanji]

Hey,

Just got a new case (Fractal Design Define S), and had three questions.

1) For the case fan setup, I want to go for positive pressure - mainly to avoid dust build - so I am thinking of 3 x intakes (FD Venturi HF-14 fans running at 7V, 78.5 CFM each) and then a single exhaust (FD Dynamic GP-14 running at 12V, 68.4 CFM). There are plenty of holes for air to escape out of (e.g. vented PCI slots), so will this be OK?

2) The PSU is designed to be mounted with the fan sucking cool area directly from under the case. There is a dust filter underneath, but I was thinking it would be better to flip it around and have it suck air from inside instead (there will be plenty of fresh air from the 2 x intakes).

3) At the moment, I am using a Zalman CPU cooler, which has a nasty whine when it ramps up. Quiet running is a priority, so I'm wondering if I should switch out for a low end AIO? I do want to overclock the CPU (target 4.33 GHz), if that makes a difference.

PC spec is the desktop in my sig (old machine!) - any advice appreciated!

Cheers,

Su

 

[mickyflinn]

If you add an aio 240mm cooler then you will be exhasting air out the top just match that with some low speed fans with good air flow. I wouldnt swap the psu around, the other option is a mighty air cpu cooler

You could turn around the rear exhaust fan to intake .

 

[Sumanji]

Yeah, I thought about using a 280 or 420mm rad AIO, but I don't want to use the top intakes (noise + dust, since they aren't sealed/filtered). I guess I'm also being a cheapskate, since this is an old rig

A 140mm rad should be fine for a Core 2 Duo though, right?

Cheers,

Su

 

[Frank Jeagar]

I also wouldn't bother flipping the PSU. I much prefer them to have their own cooling environment taking air in and immediately exhausting it. Just make sure you have enough clearance below your case so you don't suffocate the fan.

You would do well to get rid of the rear exhaust or turn it into an intake and just have a 240mm rad in the top exhausting air. You would still get positive pressure, but with a lot more cooling potential.

You could probably get away with overclocking a core 2 duo on a 140mm cooler though to be fair, I would just personally go with the 240 though for a little extra cash (I understand this may not be an option).