H80i Best Layout/Setup Question,

[mattcrane]

Hi all,

Silly question time so please feel free with the silly answers, I have had a look around the forums for an answer but got very confused.

I just purchased all the parts I needed for a long overdue upgrade to an overclocked i5 setup and decided to go with the H80i Cooler but am unclear on what would be the best way to set it up.

I am setting it up in an Antec 300 case that is currently fitted with the following standard fans:
2 x 120mm fans at the front
1 x 120mm fan at the rear
1 x 140mm? fan at the top of the case

Question 1,
The h80i radiator/fans will obviously be replacing the rear fan but should the fans should be pulling cool air into the case or pushing hot air out. My first thought is to push hot air out but I have read posts, both here and from googling it, suggesting otherwise hence my confusion.

Question 2,
I was also thinking about repurposing the rear fan and fitting it to the side of the case as another intake blowing onto my new 750Ti, is this a good idea or un-neccessary over kill if its a good idea does anyone know of a dust filter that will fit the Antec300 side fan hole.

Any advice would be appreciated.

My apologies if this has been done to death elsewhere.

Cheers.
Matt

 

[FloppyPoppy]

I don't use a h80 but at the end of the day a radiator is a radiator right? I like to have rads taking air out of the case as it keeps the case cleaner. And I've never seen a tangible difference in temps from push or pull

 

[anthony566]

It's not a silly question at all

I have played with this very setup and have had it doing both and there are some per conditions to think about ...

How hot is the air in your system ?

If you have the H80i set to pull & push hot air out of your case over the RAD then your cooling is based on the base temp of the air in your system so if you have sufficient incoming air to keep your system temp low then this will work fine ( you can help this by making sure your PSU is not blowing air into your case )

One other thing to consider is fitting intake and exhaust fans to your case as I have found this does help with cooling in all areas.

Does your case have a slot on the top for a fan ??

As for the side fan adding an extra cool air source to your setup isn't a bad thing at all and you can make a filter just get some filter material just search online and cut it to the right size and fix it between the case and the fan .... Do remember to clean your filters now and again including the H80i RAD....

 

[mattcrane]

First of all thank you for the replies much appreciated.

One other thing to consider is fitting intake and exhaust fans to your case as I have found this does help with cooling in all areas.

Does your case have a slot on the top for a fan ??

Well air intake should be fine as it came fitted with 2 x 120mm at the front of the case.

And as for the top fan, the case came fitted with a 140mm top fan but I may need to replace it as it realy doesnt seem to be pushing much out even though the switch to it is set to high.

As for the side fan adding an extra cool air source to your setup isn't a bad thing at all and you can make a filter just get some filter material just search online and cut it to the right size and fix it between the case and the fan .... Do remember to clean your filters now and again including the H80i RAD....

I am definately going to fit a side fan if/when I find or make a suitable filter.

The only other thing I am considering is actually replacing all the case fans that it came with as they are about 5+ years old now so are probably nowhere near as efficient as they are when new.

Time to go fan hunting I think.

Oh the wife is going to love me

 

[ttaskmaster]

Really, the only way to figure it out is to try different setups and run some benches.
I'd always suggest having a single fan pulling through the rad as it collects less dust for some reason. If you're doubling fans in push-pull, then fair enough.

If you're exhausting, obviously the focus will be on intaking airflows and making those as cool as possible.

 

[Kipz]

From reading the posts here I think having it as a push/pull exhaust makes sense so long as you have your front 2 and a side as intake and the top and back as exhaust.

I think getting some new fans might help lots with just getting on top of the situation and knowing where you stand.