It's swings and roundabouts. If you have the CPU radiator as an intake the CPU is kept cooler, but the additional heat that is coming in to the case places more stress on the GPU cooling. The GPU will compensate by increasing it's fan speed. But by how much it affects the GPU depends on how much air is passing through the radiator. If there is a lot of air then it's temperature is lower and the impact on the GPU is less. The opposite is true if the CPU radiator is an exhaust. In that case the GPU heat is being pumped through the CPU radiator so the CPU cooler is under more stress. Which is the better solution depends on the heat output of the GPU and CPU. In most cases the GPU outputs far more heat than the CPU, so it is more important to exhaust that as quickly as possible without allowing it to go through the CPU radiator. As such it is generally better to have the CPU radiator as an intake. If you want to remove the stress from the GPU cooling system then add more intakes to "dilute" the warm air from the CPU radiator. So yes, very long winded way of saying your plan will work. By all means set the CPU as an intake. It will drop the temperature of the CPU. Provided you have enough exhausts on the system then there should be a minimal impact om the GPU. I think that case has tons of vents on the side doesn't it? In which case there shouldn't be a problem with exhaust.
intake and exhust fans, how many?
- Thread starter humanevil
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From tests I have watched people do on Youtube, using your radiator as intake might increase your GPU by a degree or two, while using your radiator as an exhaust might increase your CPU by as much as 10*C.
If you consider a normal gaming profile the CPU is less utilized than the GPU. The GPU (assuming a shroud card) will be pumping air out at a temperature of 40 or 50*C. However the CPU radiator under normal gaming load will only be raising the ambient temps by a few degrees.
With my radiator as intake after playing rise of a tomb raider for 2 hours overclocked my CPU temp was 62*C, my GPU was 70*C. Exhaust air temp was 42*C, in take was 25*C ambient (slightly raised by the PC heat output), the temperature of the inflow after the radiator was only 27*C.
I gather this might change a little if you have a very highly intensive CPU game, or run Prime95 FFT and Furmark for an hour. I don't have intake/exhaust temps for what I did this, but CPU was around 80*C and GPU 72*C.
Definitely a well placed exhaust close to and above a shroud card is essential regardless of where you put your radiator.
If you consider a normal gaming profile the CPU is less utilized than the GPU. The GPU (assuming a shroud card) will be pumping air out at a temperature of 40 or 50*C. However the CPU radiator under normal gaming load will only be raising the ambient temps by a few degrees.
With my radiator as intake after playing rise of a tomb raider for 2 hours overclocked my CPU temp was 62*C, my GPU was 70*C. Exhaust air temp was 42*C, in take was 25*C ambient (slightly raised by the PC heat output), the temperature of the inflow after the radiator was only 27*C.
I gather this might change a little if you have a very highly intensive CPU game, or run Prime95 FFT and Furmark for an hour. I don't have intake/exhaust temps for what I did this, but CPU was around 80*C and GPU 72*C.
Definitely a well placed exhaust close to and above a shroud card is essential regardless of where you put your radiator.