Air Flow Direction

Kyzou · 1 May 2012 at 14:03

Hey all,

The parts for my new build are all ordered and awaiting delivery

For the watercooling, I am going to have a top mounted 360 rad, and a bottom mounted 240 rad.

I have been reading about which direction you should have the air flow through the rads, and everyone seems to say a different thing. My understanding was that although pulling in cold air from the outside will cool the rads well, the internal temp of your case will increase. So the other option is pulling case air through the rad to exhaust, but this air will be warmer and thus, cool the rads less.

I will be using a watercooled 680, so know external hot air will be coming from that. What do you guys thing the best airflow setup would be?

Cheers

craarc · 1 May 2012 at 14:27

one reason why i use external rads..

but i reckon pull in thru the rads at the bottom the cool air and out thru the rads at the top warmer air

so fans on botom rad will suck air up thru the rad and fans on top rad will push air out thru the top one

unless you are also going to have other intake fans in the case somewhere else?

Kyzou · 1 May 2012 at 14:34

I was thinking maybe put some exhaust fans on the back, so the air could be drawn in from bottom and top to the middle of the case, the fired out the back.

topgun06 · 1 May 2012 at 15:42

I'd go with in through the front, in through the bottom, out through the top and back.

craarc · 2 May 2012 at 01:38

topgun06 said:
I'd go with in through the front, in through the bottom, out through the top and back.

he has already said tho he has a rad at bottom and a rad at top

and fans only at back so

suck in thru bottom push out at top rad and out thru back fans

you will be in negative pressure i bet tho so

seeing as the bigger rad with 3 fans the 360 is at the top

and the small one 240 intake is at the bottom

imo it would be best to create more positive pressure with any other fans pushing / sucking air into the case at the front as low as poss

this would create positive case pressure hopefully and there fore make as much air as poss pass up thru the 360 at the top which is where u want max extraction

Kyzou · 2 May 2012 at 10:01

Yeah, I see what you mean. I'm not sure I am going to have space for another fan at the front. For now i'll go with an intake at the bottom and exhaust on top and back, I can always change that if I dont get enough intake from the bottom.

darknite · 2 May 2012 at 10:07

A lot of setups i see are pulling cold air from the front and bottom or top of the case then exhausting it via rear fans. But either way i don't think it will make more than 2 or 3 degree's difference will it?