4 case fans - what do I need and where?

P3tray · 13 Jan 2023 at 07:09

Hello geniuses, I want your expertise. This is my first build using cheap parts and the performance & quantity of stock fans are shocking - why do they bother including them?

I'm looking for full set of case fans for the H510 Flow, my GPU is currently thermally throttling with the stock two case "fans". I'm aiming to overclock.

What would you recommend? I've seen the suggestions for the Silent Wings Pro 4, P14's and so on, but my case allows for either two 120mm or two 140mm case fans at the front, and either a 120mm or 140mm fan at the top. The rear exhaust fan must be a 120mm one (I think). Here's the manufacturer's product page.

I like the idea of my fans being future proof for when I finally get that much needed pay rise and buy myself a AMD 9995xtxtx GPU in 2027.

I'm not interested in lighting, but I don't object to it either. I'll take it as a bonus.

Some specs you might find handy:
GPU: MSI 6700xt Mech 2x 12GB OC
CPU: AMD 5600x
CPU Cooler: Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo
Motherboard: Asus PRIME A520M-A II
Case: NZXT H510 Flow
Power supply: Corsair 650w uhhh... I forgot the rest.

Love you all so dearly,
P3.

mickyflinn · 13 Jan 2023 at 07:45

You say your gpu is thermal throttling whats temps are you getting ? The best way to check this is to remove the case side panel on check temps before and after.

As for case fans the arctic p12/p14 offer the best value personally i wound put 3 in the front and whatever at the rear and top.

bimbleuk · 13 Jan 2023 at 08:10

2 x 140mm front.
1 x 140 top.
1 x 120 mm rear may not be needed but wouldn't hurt.
Flip the PSU so the fan draws air from under the GPU and out the case.

Phantek SK or Arctics as mentioned.

P3tray · 13 Jan 2023 at 08:15

mickyflinn said:
You say your gpu is thermal throttling whats temps are you getting ? The best way to check this is to remove the case side panel on check temps before and after.

As for case fans the arctic p12/p14 offer the best value personally i wound put 3 in the front and whatever at the rear and top.

I'm getting a toasty 95 degrees celsius.

I'll take a look at the p12's and p14's.

I can't fit three at the front. Only two of either 140mm or 120mm.

P3tray · 13 Jan 2023 at 08:16

bimbleuk said:
2 x 140mm front.
1 x 140 top.
1 x 120 mm rear may not be needed but wouldn't hurt.
Flip the PSU so the fan draws air from under the GPU and out the case.

Phantek SK or Arctics as mentioned.

I've not heard of the Phantek SK's before, I'll take a look. Thanks.

If you think the rear may not be needed I might as well just use the stock case fan for it.

bimbleuk · 13 Jan 2023 at 09:20

P3tray said:
I've not heard of the Phantek SK's before, I'll take a look. Thanks.

If you think the rear may not be needed I might as well just use the stock case fan for it.

Yep look for a triple pack of 140mm fans 4 pin PWM (I think they are anyway) fans so they can be controlled better.

mickyflinn · 13 Jan 2023 at 09:34

P3tray said:
I'm getting a toasty 95 degrees celsius.

I'll take a look at the p12's and p14's.

I can't fit three at the front. Only two of either 140mm or 120mm.

2 140mm in the front then and another rear but don't forget to try the gpu temps with side panel off which we be a goid indication its airflow needed.

P3tray · 13 Jan 2023 at 10:24

mickyflinn said:
2 140mm in the front then and another rear but don't forget to try the gpu temps with side panel off which we be a goid indication its airflow needed.

Alright. I assume, from never having heard of this test before, that I'm checking if I need higher pressure fans to get around my case? Or am I an idiot who's interpreting this wrong.

I'll run the test after I've finished doing my work.

Do you have any software suggestions for gathering the GPU temps?

Haz123 · 13 Jan 2023 at 10:29

MSi Afterburner, HWinfo , HWmonitor all show the gpu temps.

You really need to test with the side panel off before you buy new fans. This could be a fault with the gpu because they normally do not get that hot.

mickyflinn · 13 Jan 2023 at 10:30

P3tray said:
Alright. I assume, from never having heard of this test before, that I'm checking if I need higher pressure fans to get around my case? Or am I an idiot who's interpreting this wrong.

I'll run the test after I've finished doing my work.

Do you have any software suggestions for gathering the GPU temps?

I like to put faster fans in a case and control them threw the motherboard like the arctic p14 pst.

Msi afterburner can monitor all parameters cpu, gpu and fan speed but there are loads a quick Google .

P3tray · 13 Jan 2023 at 18:44

Note that the idle temperature readouts at idle are probably different because I did the side panel on test after having had my PC booted for an hour and I had let it sit. The GPU fans are off at 40 degrees. For the side panel off I left it switched off for an hour.

GPU at idle (side panel on):

GPU playing Portal RTX for 10 minutes (side panel on):

GPU at idle (side panel off):

GPU playing Portal RTX for 10 minutes (side panel off):

Unsure if this is what you're looking for.

Haz123 said:
MSi Afterburner, HWinfo , HWmonitor all show the gpu temps.

You really need to test with the side panel off before you buy new fans. This could be a fault with the gpu because they normally do not get that hot.

mickyflinn said:
I like to put faster fans in a case and control them threw the motherboard like the arctic p14 pst.

Msi afterburner can monitor all parameters cpu, gpu and fan speed but there are loads a quick Google .

P3tray · 13 Jan 2023 at 18:53

Here's a photo of the PC, in case you're interested.

Haz123 said:
MSi Afterburner, HWinfo , HWmonitor all show the gpu temps.

You really need to test with the side panel off before you buy new fans. This could be a fault with the gpu because they normally do not get that hot.

mickyflinn said:
I like to put faster fans in a case and control them threw the motherboard like the arctic p14 pst.

Msi afterburner can monitor all parameters cpu, gpu and fan speed but there are loads a quick Google .

mickyflinn · 13 Jan 2023 at 19:51

@P3tray .

Looking at temps gpu temps max 72c are fine and you also have gpu 2 temp which is the junction temp so According to AMD, readings up to 110c is normal and is the reading from the hottest part of the card .

To Summarise everything is fine and your gpu is running at 72c under load which is good . Having the side panel of made no diffrence to gpu temp but did help with gpu 2 temp so it's up to you if you want to add more fans.

P3tray · 13 Jan 2023 at 20:09

mickyflinn said:
@P3tray .

Looking at temps gpu temps max 72c are fine and you also have gpu 2 temp which is the junction temp so According to AMD, readings up to 110c is normal and is the reading from the hottest part of the card .

To Summarise everything is fine and your gpu is running at 72c under load which is good . Having the side panel of made no diffrence to gpu temp but did help with gpu 2 temp so it's up to you if you want to add more fans.

Isn't GPU temperature 2 the hottest part of the GPU? It hits 93 with the case side panel on and 85 with it off. I believe it begins to thermal thottle at 95 degrees. I could also be an idiot, which is highly likely.

mickyflinn · 13 Jan 2023 at 21:11

P3tray said:
Isn't GPU temperature 2 the hottest part of the GPU? It hits 93 with the case side panel on and 85 with it off. I believe it begins to thermal thottle at 95 degrees. I could also be an idiot, which is highly likely.

Basically it's a hotspot on the gpu die but not overall temperature and as mentioned its good up to 110c.

Gpu temp of 72c max is fine and wont throttle until much higher temps.

This mite explain it better.

What Is A Good GPU Temperature Range? (How Hot Is Too Hot?)

Keeping GPU temps low is critical for PC gamers.

screenrant.com

P3tray · 13 Jan 2023 at 21:17

mickyflinn said:
Basically it's a hotspot on the gpu die but not overall temperature and as mentioned its good up to 110c.

Gpu temp of 72c max is fine and wont throttle until much higher temps.

This mite explain it better.

What Is A Good GPU Temperature Range? (How Hot Is Too Hot?)

Keeping GPU temps low is critical for PC gamers.

screenrant.com

Does that mean I have room for overclocking in my current predicament?

I'll keep the two stock fans and use them as exhausts. I'd still like fill the front two ones with fans, but what size, model n' stuff do you recommend? I've done a lot of googling but I'm still unsure if I should prioritize air pressure or air flow, what the minimum amount of each I should have etc.

Also, it seems that the case fans only increase in speed in line with the CPU temp, is that of concern?

mickyflinn · 13 Jan 2023 at 21:38

P3tray said:
Does that mean I have room for overclocking in my current predicament?

I'll keep the two stock fans and use them as exhausts. I'd still like fill the front two ones with fans, but what size, model n' stuff do you recommend? I've done a lot of googling but I'm still unsure if I should prioritize air pressure or air flow, what the minimum amount of each I should have etc.

Also, it seems that the case fans only increase in speed in line with the CPU temp, is that of concern?

Wouldn't consider overclocking unless you really want to push the limits of your gpu but there are plenty of guides if you wish to.

Fans get the p14 pst I mentioned for the front and then you can connect to your motherboard. Some motherboard and software will let you choose which sensor you can link the fans too but again research is needed, bit it's fine running of cpu temps if your fans speed are set correctly.

freddie64 · 14 Jan 2023 at 08:53

Is undervolting still a thing with the newer GPU's?

Haz123 · 14 Jan 2023 at 11:08

Yes undervolting is still a thing but your mileage may vary. You may be able to undervolt by 0.1v and run 3Dmark tests perfectly but as soon as you boot up a game it will crash at annoying times. You will have to experiment and tweak and see how it works out for you.

anawilliam850 · 14 Jan 2023 at 16:12

I have a similar problem, I will try all of the things that you are said