Upgrade options for peak cooling/overclocking potential

ProfitMajin

ProfitMajin

ProfitMajin

Associate
Joined
24 Nov 2018
Posts
42
Hi All,

I'm looking to upgrade my existing case & CPU cooler in order to maximise the overclocking potential of my i7 4790k
--------
Background:

I have an older pc setup (4790k) in a Fractal Design Core 2300 case. I'm using an Arctic Liquid Freezer 240 (the 1st, not 2nd) upfront, but the tubes are at the top, and the front panel is enclosed, which are both limiting potential (and I can now hear pump/exchange whine).

Mobo is Asus z97 Pro Gamer
Ram is Kingston Beast 1866
GPU is Sapphire VEGA 56 Pulse

Desk space limits the new case to H475mmxD480mmxW230mm.
Desk space is open, other than the top of course (Ikea Fredde).

Cases
I've been looking at the following mid cases, which should fit in the space:
Phanteks p400a
Fractal Design Meshify C
Be Quiet dx500

And with potential issues:
Corsair 4000d Airflow (part-picker says the front panel won't work with mobo).
Lian Li 215 (potentially slightly too tall).

Cooling
I'm looking at:
Arctic Liquid Freezer II (240/280 depending on compatibility).

Big Air:
Noctua NH-D15 Chromax
Dark Rock Pro 4
(Although some cases state 160mm cooler limit, I've seen reddit posts of noctua d15 (165mm) in phanteks p400a)

Other smaller 'big air' coolers.

Question
Which of the following would provide the best/optimal solution:

1. Arctic 240mm in 'best' airflow case, such as Phanteks p400a (seems easiest/most compatible, but is it 'best'?).

2. Arctic 280mm in Lian Li 215 (case squeezed into the desk, ~20mm space for exhaust).
-280mm would limit me just to Lian Li 215 in order to install at the top of the case, to keep tubes on the bottom of the radiator.

3. Big Air squeezed into any of the mid cases (I've seen it fit, but would it limit airflow for GPU?)
-Also, would a Big Air cooler fit on an older board like mine? Looks like it would, but I'm not certain...

Ideally, I'd go with Big Air so that the cooler will last longer, and so be useful in a future upgrade, but it seems as though it'd have more compatibility issues, ironically.

TL;DR
looking for the 'best' cooling upgrade option for an aging setup, and it would be nice to also have it compatible with a future upgrade to Ryzen, for example.

Ta much!
M
 
Last edited:
Hi,

Thanks for the reply - I am leaning more towards Big Air, but how would it affect GPU thermals for squeezing in such a massive block in a smaller case?
Vega is already quite a hot chip, would I be trading GPU thermals for Big Air? (ie 10C hotter GPU for using Big Air due to airflow etc)

All of the scenarios above would be 'good', but I'm wondering which would be objectively best in a mid-case.

Thank you,
M
 
mickyflinn said:
As long as there's enough air flow the temps will be fine.
Click to expand...

That's the part I'm concerned about - If I squeeze Big Air into Phanteks p400a as an example, would there be sufficient airflow to allow the Vega to keep cool?
Would my CPU temps be higher for having the Vega card right up against it as seen in the pic?

It's been a long time since I've used Big Air coolers, and I'm open to using them again, just wondering if I'd be foolish to squeeze one into a mid-case.

Thank you,
M
 
ProfitMajin said:
That's the part I'm concerned about - If I squeeze Big Air into Phanteks p400a as an example, would there be sufficient airflow to allow the Vega to keep cool?
Would my CPU temps be higher for having the Vega card right up against it as seen in the pic?

It's been a long time since I've used Big Air coolers, and I'm open to using them again, just wondering if I'd be foolish to squeeze one into a mid-case.

Thank you,
M
Click to expand...
I understand your concern I can't guarantee the temps wont rise slightly on your vega even so i wouldn't expect it to rise by much.
 
If you have proper case exhausts and airflow through case heatpipe coolers has probably lower thermal load for GPU than waterpipe cooler in front.
 
Thank you for the replies, it seems to me that Big Air in the Phanteks p400a will be one of the better options to go for then.

I think it's safe to say that any of these solutions would be better than my current setup in the Core 2300 case, as I'm likely seeing higher temperatures on the Vega due to the front-mounted radiator as you say.

Last question - Is there any potential conflict with the higher heat spreaders on the Kingston Beast RAM? Where the mobo is older, I was looking for some empirical evidence that the Noctua wouldn't cause me issues.

Thanks again,
M
 
ProfitMajin said:
That's the part I'm concerned about - If I squeeze Big Air into Phanteks p400a as an example, would there be sufficient airflow to allow the Vega to keep cool?
Would my CPU temps be higher for having the Vega card right up against it as seen in the pic?

It's been a long time since I've used Big Air coolers, and I'm open to using them again, just wondering if I'd be foolish to squeeze one into a mid-case.

Thank you,
M
Click to expand...
All 3 of the cases you considered can be setup with good aifllow, but only P400 comes with good fans. Problem is it only comes with 2x 120mm fans.
P400 can be setup to have good airflow by using 2x 140mm or 3x 120mm hi-pressure front intakes. Personally I would replace them with 2x PH-F140MP for £14.99 .. that's £7.50 each. I would cut out all fan mounting framework that protrudes into fan airflow and block off all openings now covered by 2x 140mm front intakes so air they push into case has to flow from front on back and out back venting. I would remove all PCIe back slot covers to increase rear vent area around GPU for better front to back airflow, so lower air temp into both coolers and thus lower temps and lower fan speed for less noise. You ming find ink below of interest. It's the basics of how airflow works and how to optimize case airflow.
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/foru...-i-put-my-temp-sensor.18564223/#post-26159770
 
The p400a comes with 3 rgb fans that GN said are the same as the none rgb versions, with it coming with 3 120s would you recommend still switching out to 2x140s?

If so, I've got a couple corsair ml140s I could use up front, how would they compare against the ones you linked?

I'll have a read of the airflow article now.

Edit: Just read the article, I was planning on using 2x Corsair ML140s up top as well, I have 4 total so this would leave me with 2 to use up front if that's the better setup.

Should I also buy a 120 fan for the rear exhaust slot due to the D15's high CFM?

Thank you,
M
 
Last edited:
Ross Thomson said:
P400a with the arctic 360
Click to expand...
I didn't have this as an option as this would require having the tubes up top, which unfortunately reduces effectiveness, lifespan, and creates whine like in my current setup.

P400a has been getting a lot of positive attention though, so I think it's got to be that case really.

Thanks,
M
 
ProfitMajin said:
I didn't have this as an option as this would require having the tubes up top, which unfortunately reduces effectiveness, lifespan, and creates whine like in my current setup.

P400a has been getting a lot of positive attention though, so I think it's got to be that case really.

Thanks,
M
Click to expand...
you can put the tubes at the top - I did this for years with my AIO's and never had an issue with performance, lifespan or whine. You can always put them at the bottom as well in the P400a can you not?

or go for a 280mm if you are that worried about space below the shelf.

or go for the p500 or p600 for a lot more space. (I have a p600)
 
Ross Thomson said:
you can put the tubes at the top - I did this for years with my AIO's and never had an issue with performance, lifespan or whine. You can always put them at the bottom as well in the P400a can you not?

or go for a 280mm if you are that worried about space below the shelf.

or go for the p500 or p600 for a lot more space. (I have a p600)
Click to expand...

There's a GN video which showcases issues with tubes up top, the TL;DW is that in the short term you likely won't notice, but after a few years, with permeation and other effects, the pump is moving an ever greater amount of air through the block, which reduces performance, creates noise, and reduces lifespan of pump, just like with my current arctic 240.

As much as I might like to go for a 360, with a p400a I wouldn't be able to run the tubes to the bottom, due to both length of tubes, and the design of the shroud.

Larger cases are also unfortunately out of the question too, as it needs to fit the desk shelf which limits me to the dimensions of the cases listed.
 
A couple of the cases on my shortlist are :
Corsair 4000D Mid-Tower Case
Corsair 4000D Airflow Mid-Tower Case
They both will take a 280mm radiator at the top
 
phil-k said:
A couple of the cases on my shortlist are :
Corsair 4000D Mid-Tower Case
Corsair 4000D Airflow Mid-Tower Case
They both will take a 280mm radiator at the top
Click to expand...

Corsair 4000D Airflow is one of the cases on my original post, but part picker said that the front panel on the case wouldn't work with my old z97 board, the newer 3.2 header not being compatible evidently.
 
Thanks for all the replies, I've gone for a p400a with a Noctua D15 Chromax, planning to take the front fan off if needed. Should be plenty overkill for a 4790k, so gives me room to play around with fans and whatnot.
Thank you all,
Martin
 
Should work well.
I would remove all PCie back slot covers to increase rear vent area around GPU so more air can flow past GPU and out, thus lower air temp entering GPU (& CPU) so they stay cooler and quieter. I would use all 3x included fans as front intakes and block / tape over any openings in fan mounting panel not covered by fans so air they push into case has to flow through case and out, not leak around to front of and go in circles.

This is my curve Entho Evlov mATX with 3600 under Thermalright ARO-M14O cooler. Cooler fan = 500-1500rpm Case fans = 450-1330"
30c @ 550rpm 20% (minimum fan speed)
50c @ 600rpm 30%
60c @ 800rpm 45% (barely audible)
70c @ 1050rpm 70% (loud enough to know system is working hard / getting hot)
80c @ 1380rpm 100% (maximum allowable temp)​
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom