Fractal R4 Fan Placement

[n30_mkii]

I want to achieve good airflow when I re-build my machine into a Fractal R4 case later this week.

I'm thinking of going with the following;

2 X 140mm intakes at the front
1 X 140mm intake at botton / side still undecided
1 X 140mm exhaust at the rear
1 X 140mm exhaust at the top rear.

I have seen advice that you shouldn't use both the top rear and rear as an exhaust and that it's better to reverse the top and use it as another intake, doesn't make a huge amount of sense to me, something to do with compeiting airflow? I should achieve positive pressure in the case with 3 intake to 2 exhaust.

Any advice on the placement of the third intake i.e. side vs bottom? GPU does get pretty hot so either should help. Ideally I want max airflow without sacrificing the silence of the case to much.

Thanks in advance

 

[beasty6]

im using a different case to you but i fine having just a rear exhaust works the best.

i have:
2x 120mm intake at front
2x 120mm intake at the top
1x exhaust at the rear (pulling through a antec khuler 620 rad)

but i guess every case is different, give it ago, with some little changes you will get the right airflow

it also depends on what hardware you have etc.. as i have a reference 6990, it blows the warm air out the rear so i have a straight airflow from front and top to the rear

hope this helps

 

[ArchAndroid]

Here is a good article from Bit-Tech which should help you figure out an optimal setup. It's based on an R3 but it still applies in your case. It would seem that after installing three or four fans, there are seriously diminishing returns plus higher noise levels.

 

[doyll]

@ ArchAndroid
Good link for anyone not knowing case cooling. Very well done. Hadn't see it before. Thanks.


@ n30_mkii
You have a good layout. Bottom/side is best tested after build. Might find leaving top open and having 2x front& bottom intake and test side for both intake and exhaust. There are so many combinations and airflow is such a fickled witch it's impossible to know what will be the absolute best without trying it. I've seen case where side and bottom out with unused PCI slots open; 2x front intake & rear exhaust lowered GPU temps without changing CPU temps.

I now use the same basic fan layouts but use all PWM case fans and control them using my CPU fan and GPU fan PWM signals. Helped a mate build an R4 last month with a VTX3D-Radeon HD7950 and SA SB-E Extreme cooler on i7 3570k with all TY-147 case fans. 2x front & bottom intake with back exhaust and top back vent and PCI slots open. The TY-147 fans for front had to have 5mm cut off the round sides so they are 140x140mm square and they clipped into stock front mounts on cut sides (tablesaw / power mitersaw with fine blade I have both). 2x front intakes have CPU control and bottom intake is GPU control. This is accomplished using standard off the shelf PWM splitters with molex power and a custom GPU PWM to standard PWM connector splitter with molex power. (User Tealc here makes them.. and makes PWM adapter/s for 3pin fans too)

Case is raised so there is 45mm clearance between case and floor to allow good air access to bottom fans. (I make him a caster base)

Removed the stock cover and fans from GPU and mounted 2x 120mm temperature controlled fans onto stock cooler. (would have used PWM but didn't have any and the Arctic F12 TC fans on hand)

Only time you hear the system is when gaming and even then it's not loud.

If you want to go this route I would be glad to help.