Fans and Cooling

Jhaemes · 13 Dec 2011 at 00:05

Hey folks, another pre-build planning phase question here. I figure I'm getting near the end of planning my build, fans and cooling.

I've done a few wattage calculations and I got 607w recommended, I had a 750w PSU on the list already which might be dropped down to a 700w (playing it safe and leaving a bit of headroom on the calculations). Anyway, whilst I was doing that I came across the fans section, I hadn't given it much thought other than use whatever I get with the case and maybe a few separate purchases.

http://www.coolermaster.co.uk/product.php?product_id=6640

That's the case I should be getting, it'll house an i5 2500k, GTX 580 card, Asus P8Z68 motherboard, OCZ PSU (750 or 700, depending).

At the minute I've just got some general idea for the fans, which is buy a 140mm and stick that in the front, then use the 120mm supplied with it elsewhere. Other than that I'm stuck.

Oh, I'd also be thankful if you can tell me what other stuff I'll need, I know I need an anti-static wristband for example.

shadow_boxer · 13 Dec 2011 at 02:10

Your buying some pretty high-end hardware there but I just feel your choice of case is a little bit disappointing. If budget is a problem then consider getting the Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 motherboard and it will even do SLI and put the savings towards a better case. A 700W PSU will be more than enough for a single GTX580 (you really need 850W for SLI). Assuming your not planning to put in tonnes of HDDs/cold cathode lights etc then this PSU would be a great choice and is well priced at the minute. Also what CPU cooler are you planning to use?

Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case with Fan Controller - Black isn't that much more expensive and comes with plenty more fans and a basic fan controller. The cable management options are better too which will aid airflow inside the case.

In terms of adding case fans, really depends on how hard you'll be overclocking and whether the GPU exhausts hot air into or out of the rear of the case. For a basic setup I'd want two 120/140mm intake fans (front/bottom) and at least one exhausting out of the rear.

Jhaemes · 13 Dec 2011 at 13:12

Well, the case is only £35 from the place I'm getting it. The graphics card is going to be pretty much free from a very well off friend who is always upgrading. The actual total for the parts came to £367.

When I started putting this build together the idea was cheap but quality, since it'd take me ages to save up for it. The motherboard is £80 at the moment from a local computer parts store. In terms of PSU, I've been looking at the ThermalTake TR2 700w since I won't need the full 750.

Planning to have one hard drive, two at the most (typical family won't put a penny towards the build, yet expect to have all the hard drive space they want). CPU cooler will just be a stock one, I'm not overclocking straight off the bat. Also, I'm getting the 2500k because again, it's cheaper from a local parts store (about £145).

The GTX 580 isn't definite yet, I definitely won't be paying £300+ for one if I don't get it from the friend.

DarkHorizon472 · 14 Dec 2011 at 12:11

When I put my first two fans in (top and rear exhaust) it made a big difference to my temps. About a 10c drop when fans are at 1100 rpm. Adding a third intake fan on the side knocked another 5c off. It does depend on the fans, how fast you run them and what case setup you have.