Intake v exhaust AIO radiator top mounted

[Jonnybmac]

If you had an AIO radiator mounted on top of the case, would you:

Draw outside air through the radiator and into the case at an increased temperature as intake with other fans as exhaust

or

Draw cold air through other fans into the case then have slightly warmer air pass through the radiator and out as an exhaust

 

[Meddling-Monk]

Depends on a few factors:

1. AIO cooling CPU. If it gives off crap tons of heat like the 9900k, then better as Intake, since the CPU relies on being cool enough to run and boost. Otherwise, Exhaust is better (especially if the AIO can cool your CPU to a low enough level even with the hotter air it Exhausts out). Since you lose nothing by having the CPU get a bit hotter (+5C on 70C is only 75C after all, so no biggie, but the extra cooling on the GPU right below the CPU could be night and day).
2. AIO cooling GPU. Better as Intake, simply because most GPU have more issue with heat management than the CPU, and often yields more noticable results from a GPU boost than a boost on the CPU from extra cooling.

3. How much airflow you have originally anyway. If plenty, you could get away with Exhaust with little trade off. But if you don't (only so-so airflow from extra case fans acting as Intake), then depending on the upper two factors, see which one you'd prefer overall.

 

[doyll]

Generally using rad as exhaust is best. We are only talking a couple degrees differences on component rad is cooling vs more degrees difference for everything else in case if used as intake.

As top intake with good rear exhaust not much heated air gets down to GPU, but everything arround CPU like RAM will run hotter because of warmer air from rad.

 

[ttaskmaster]

NVM

 

[Jonnybmac]

Thank you for your help

 

[Ross Thomson]

Use it as an intake. Using it in exhaust configuration defeats the purpose. You are using the hot air in the case rather than the cooler air from outside.

 

[ttaskmaster]

NVM

 

[doyll]

Thing is the air inside of case with a water cooled rig does not get all that warm because the major heat sources are beng cooled by radiator. Even if GPU is not, it needs cool air more than radiator only cooling CPU and with good front/bottom intake fans suppplying plenty of cool air for GPU and CPU's radiator (and all PCIe back slot covers removed to improve front to back airflow around GPU and thus move it's heated air back and out of case) is receiving air at most a couple degrees warmer than room.

 

[Ross Thomson]

Thing is the air inside of case with a water cooled rig does not get all that warm because the major heat sources are beng cooled by radiator. Even if GPU is not, it needs cool air more than radiator only cooling CPU and with good front/bottom intake fans suppplying plenty of cool air for GPU and CPU's radiator (and all PCIe back slot covers removed to improve front to back airflow around GPU and thus move it's heated air back and out of case) is receiving air at most a couple degrees warmer than room.

yes because the VRM's or GPU give off no heat at all. removal of the pci-e slots doesn't work on every case

 

[doyll]

yes because the VRM's or GPU give off no heat at all. removal of the pci-e slots doesn't work on every case

For open PCIe slot covers to work case intake fanss have to be flowing enough air into case for it to flow on through and out the open slots.